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That Which Is Not :: Wearing Serpents like Garlands (ROHS!)

Written by Philippe Blache on

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Defined by an intricate layering of instruments, particularly within the classical music realm, which are then transformed and reshaped through the use of vintage electronic devices, adding a unique depth and texture to the acoustic arrangements.

Dark and sacral tonalities

Italian based ecstatic and experimental sound art duo formed by two highly skilled figures of the current droning-ambient music scene—Nicola Fornasari (Xue, La Petite Vague) and Pier Giorgio Storti (Morose, Belaqua Shua, etc). I discovered this project back in time with The Basic Sharpness Of Emotions published in 2021 by Krysalisound. Due to the number of projects I’ve listened to up until now, I unfortunately forgot about this one. I also noticed they released another album before the new one, welcomed by ROHS!—an indie label founded by Andrea Porcu, highly recommended for fans of drone music with a melodic core.

The Fornasari and Storti released a handful of albums under various monikers for a multiplicity of labels, always bringing to the fore astonishingly moving and heartbreaking ethereal, noise, and ambient releases of intense, tragic and solemn quality. Their stylistic approach is defined by an intricate layering of instruments, particularly within the classical music realm, which are then transformed and reshaped through the use of vintage electronic devices, adding a unique depth and texture to the acoustic arrangements. It makes the whole musical journey profoundly sensient, lively, orchestrated and organic. These two new lengthly pieces alternate mourning, mystical and chilling chordal drones with slowly evolving echoing noise crescendoes and more soothing acoustic vibes of dreamily introspective nature. The result is irresistibly transportive and enveloping. Some subtle gitch-esque effects deliciously punctuate the orchestration.

Definitely recommended if you are into expansive soundscaping sonic pieces of Field Rotation, Tape Loop Orchestra, Martin Aaron, Matts Erlandsson, Yair Goltman, and Richard Skelton (The Broken Consort). A blissful, tense, fragile and ascending semiclassical drone album of dark and sacral tonalities.

Wearing Serpents like Garlands is available on ROHS!. [Bandcamp]

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Daou :: Reverie (Rohs!) Demetrio Cecchitelli :: Unity (ROHS!) Daou :: Forgotten Stories (ROHS!) Mono Peninsula :: Tired Dub (ROHS!) That Which Is Not :: The Basic Sharpness Of Emotions (Krysalisound)

Graduated in cultural anthropology, Philippe Blache focuses his researches on entrepreneurship issues in luxury industry, family business as well as in creative industry (musical topics). He has published several articles in the area of economic sociology and industrial geography. Still related to academic studies he developed a growing interest in the phenomenology of shared musical experience, let him contributing to a few several symposiums and thematical books. He has worked as musical reviewer since 2004 and his expertise is well appreciated in the fields of ambient, drone, downtempo, dark wave, industrial music as well as in new musicals scenes (mainly minimalist school) and electro-acoustic researches. In 2011 he formed his own creative musical project titled Day Before Us with an inclination for darkly ritualized gothic atmospheres, sampled droning textures and ethereal poetical escapism sometimes augmented by vocal lines. The project is officially signed on various indie labels and occasionally provides sound installations in a multiplicity of contexts.