musica - onirica - elettronica



Sbrizzi FaBIO of BIOnighT- Comunicare
(2006, SynGate CD-R 2086)

SynGate (D)

It took me quite a lot of time and energy to convince my Pard FaBIO to record this album - his first official one, if we exclude a collection of old recordings from the early 90's called "Naif Music". I think the result was most definitely worth the effort, though, as his music is very original and interesting. The first, over-18-minute-long track alone (Ipnoestasia) is worth the buy; the others may require a little longer to prove themselves for some of you, but trust me: after a couple of listens you'll be happy you gave them the chance to grow on you!

A few words on the single tracks:

1 - Ipnoestasia: the title is a mix between the two Italian words "ipnosi" (hypnosis) and "estasi" (ecstasy - not the drug, I mean the spiritual condition), and that's exactly what happens when you listen to it. Just let it flow into you, listen to it in the darkness or any environment that helps you concentrate, and at one point you won't even be sure where you are anymore - that's how intense and dark this track is!
2 - Ampipensieri: two Italian words spelt as one ("ampi," wide, also in the sense of "free" and "pensieri," thoughts). Guitar timbers take us on a flight over an uncontamitated territory, tinkling and soft sounds accompany us until we land again...
3 - Animus Musicorum: OK, the title is wrong, as those of you who know some Latin can see; FaBIO, however, liked the sound of it and when he likes something there's just no way anybody can make him change his mind. But he's right, after all what counts is the feelings that a word (or a song, or a film or whatever) gives, not the fact that it is "technically correct". As to the music in itself, this track started out as a sequence he came up with while we were composing a track for BIOnighT. To me it sounded too much like music for a horror film, so we decided not to use it, but he said that he liked it a lot so he wanted to do something with it. I'm glad he did, as he was able to record this track that, while retaining some of its original horror-soundtrack feel, is quite emotional and tense.
4 - Leningrado: Italian name of the Russian city. No particular reason for this title, it's just that when he made me listen to it I said it made me think of Russia, so he gave it this title. The music is soft and very "Sbrizzesque," with his typical rhythms and atmospheres. After listening to this track you'll be able to recognize a good part of his contribution to BIOnighT's tracks :)
5 - Respiro te (bonus track): that means "I breathe you". This track is actually a track by BIOnighT (FaBIO and me) that was recorded during the sessions for "The Art of Friendship". Since we had different opinions about it (we both liked it, but for me it was too long, while for him it was even too short), we left it out of the album. Very often I include tracks by us that he doesn't like in my solo albums, so this time it was his turn: when Lothar (SynGate's boss) asked him for a bonus track for the album, he chose this song that otherwise would have been unreleased forever.

Now immerse yourselves into this great album and fly away!

Mac of BIOnighT, September 2006

(c) Sbrizzi FaBIO

Guts Of Darkness (CAN)

Sbrizzi FaBIO is Mac's musical partner; together they're the Italian duo BIOnighT. It is thanks to Mac if we can listen to this solo work that Sbrizzi FaBIO wanted to keep in his archives. Comunicare is "different" on an artistic level. There are few sequences and all the minimalist notes that we hear unravel are conceived, one by one, by Sbrizzi. A remarkably meticulous work which takes an enormous amount of time but gives astonishing results. This is rather amazing, especially when we listen to the first notes of Ipnoestasia. They are nimble and resound like glockenspiels on rising pulsations at irregular intervals. Very low, the pulsations form reverberating circles, looking further into a harmonious and warm impulse. A fluid tempo on shattering percussions flies with precision on a spiral movement of harmonious hypnosis. The chords cascade on synthetic pads that move in floating on a rather airy rhythm, thus creating two contradictory tempos. A superb synth, with sensual dashes, sails solitary on this great
track. This is an astonishing piece of music that impresses at the highest level. It wouldn't really matter if the rest of Comunicare bad, as this part alone is worth the price of this CD. Luckily, though, this is not the case.  As the first chords of Ampipensieri start, we are bewitched by this minimalist tempo that ravels with grace. The track unravels à la Philip Glass, moving on a bi-linear passage that separates two distinct lines, to parallel movements based on a spectral synth. Superb violin layers add a romantic depth to Ampipensieri, which adds cadences of whirling notes in an increasingly harmonious sphere. Atonal, Animus Musicorum is a track with aggressive modulations, animated by explosive percussions and pulsations on a notched movement. Leningrado, instead, is a superb procession that evolves with a plaintive guitar on an undulating movement with floating and synthetic pads. Sbrizzi seasons this musical carousel of spiritual minimalist chords and a solo with emanations on progressive, wrapping layers. A marvelous daydream that ends on flying notes in spiral contours. Leningrado is another strong track.
Written with his buddy Mac, Respiro Te is a beautiful linear emotion with a very beautiful synthesizer that oscillates between the sonorities of an old organ and those of an
accordion. On the rhythm of an astral walk, where weak vocal intonations mix with the harmonious breaths of floating synths, Respiro Te dies out on a violin and a bass that slowly fade out. Like it or not, we are always influenced by the description of an album before buying it. When I found out that Sbrizzi FaBIO had used very little while making Comunicare I was disappointed. Because a sequencer is synonymous with rhythms, multi-sound musical swirls, and many other things. And I was wrong. Comunicare is a fantastic album, a powerful opus where Sbrizzi FaBIO shows ingenuity and an innate talent for composing music. A great CD full of surprises, emotions, tenderness and spirituality. All of that in the most astonishing sound structure. Comunicare by Sbrizzi FaBIO of BIOnighT is the album of 2006 in the universe of EM, a timeless work, with no borders. You have to get this one, you can't do without it.

Sylvain Lupari, 2006