“This album was conceived in Moscow during the Spring of 2018, when Dmitry Vasilyev organised the concert of Enrico Coniglio and Giulio Aldinucci at дом – Dom Cultural Centre. The album reflects the feelings of some very intensive days made of exchanges of ideas with a multitude of people involved in music (including Dmitry Taldykin of Dronarivm) and moments spent in isolated places out of the metropolis, like a forest not far from an army shooting range.
In this album, the two musicians wave together memories of an immutable past and questions about the present, giving birth to a sort of a requiem overflowing with lyricism. This music enlightens the dawn of a future that now appears more uncertain than ever, with frozen intensity and dramatic strength. As a message entrusted to the stars, it leaves as wondering if we can still change the course of events.”
When it comes to music that Enrico Coniglio is involved in there is an air of mystery as to what it will sound like. He has released under his own name, his duo with Matteo Uggeri – Open To The Sea, and My Home, Sinking while also collaborating with the likes of Emanuele Errante, Oophoi, Stefano Guzzetti and others. With this release I was unsure where it was heading after his recent “Teredo Navalis” album which was in the Sound Art / Abstract/ Field Recording / Experimental vein. True to his ever changing musical output this release with Giulio Aldinucci again sounds different. Like Coniglio, Aldinucci has a strong history of collaborations with releases with the likes of Pleq, Ian Hawgood, Francis M Gri and Francesco Giannico amongst others making up his discography. Both artists find themselves back on the Dronarivm label with “Stalking The Elusive”.
The four track forty minute release is a deeply Ambient one that feels cloaked in some form of religious symbolism. This could purely be because of choral nature of the music with it’s soaring church organ like drones or maybe it’s the reverence that the music seems to exude. Whatever the case the four pieces are thick with a multitude of sound that requires the listener to approach the album with deep concentration. Both Coniglio and Aldinucci have a musical history dating back to the early / mid noughties and have harnessed this knowledge and the ability to collaborate well with others to create pieces that have a nice synthesis.
Utilising time the duo are able to create pieces that are forever growing in their intensity and depth. It also allows for subtleties to develop within the the pieces which are rewarded by headphone listening. At times rather intense and at others resplendent in beauty, the four pieces are mostly cut from a similar cloth although the final piece, the epic “At The Airport Cathedral” stands alone with it’s more sound art / experimental feel which has a slightly unsettling and mysterious soundscape that strongly uses field recordings, compared to the others pieces’ more singular vision.
If Ambient / Drone that strays from the safe confines into a richer and intense sound is your thing, a release like “Stalking The Elusive” will not disappoint. Sometimes the music of this genre can feel either safe or staid and neither of those things apply to this release. “Stalking The Elusive” is available on CD (limited to 150 copies) and Digital.
Drifting, Almost Falling. 