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Fiński eksperymentalista Sasu Ripatti, znany jako Vladislav Delay to człowiek wielu muzycznych projektów, różniących się stylistycznie. Po współpracy z Moritz Von Oswaldem w jego trio, teraz on wydał elektro-akustyczny album w labelu Honest Jon's. Ripatti dosiada instrumentów perskusyjnych, a wspomagają go m.in. znani z Editions Mego i Touch: Mika Vainio i Lucio Capece (ten drugi pojawił się na solowym albumie Delaya "Tumaa" w 2009 r.) oraz Derek Shirley. Rytm to podstawa, a wzbogaca go elektronika, kontrabas, klarnet basowy i saksofon sopranowy

Muzycy:

Acoustic Bass – Derek Shirley
Drums, Percussion – Vladislav Delay
Electronics, Live Processing – Mika Vainio
Soprano Saxophone, Bass Clarinet, Sruti Box, Other [Preparations] – Lucio Capece

Tracklista:

A1 Minus Degrees, Bare Feet, Tickles     8:00     
A2 Santa Teresa     11:42     
B1 Des Abends     6:48     
B2 Hohtokivi     7:23     
C1 Killing The Water Bed     8:49     
C2 Presentiment     4:20     
D1 Louhos     10:12     
D2 Salt Flat     4:46


Finnish experimental artist Sasu Ripatti, most often known as Vladislav Delay, has put together a new group called the Vladislav Delay Quartet, with a self-titled debut album due out in May. Ripatti has always been a man of many projects, producing on his own as Vladislav Delay, Luomo and Sistol, with each guise differing greatly in style. Vladislav Delay Quartet features an electro-acoustic ensemble with Ripatti on percussion. Other members of the lineup are Mika Vainio, who handles electronics and processing, and live instrumentalists Derek Shirley and Lucio Capece (the latter of whom appeared on the Vladislav Delay’s 2009 album Tumaa). Those two play double bass, bass clarinet and soprano sax. The album is mixed and produced by Ripatti himself.
Snippets



Review by Dimitri Nasrallah, exclaim.ca

Following in the footsteps of his revitalized bandleader in the Moritz von Oswald Trio, with the Vladislav Delay Quartet, veteran Finnish producer Sasu Ripatti (Vladislav Delay, Luomo) indulges his out-jazz roots and assembles a super-group of extremists for his Honest Jon’s debut record. Unlike the Moritz von Oswald Trio, however, this collection of musicians are not only inspired by jazz improvisation, they almost all have deep free-jazz roots: Lucio Capece and Derek Shirley have long histories blending noise and improv, as does ex-Pan Sonic member Mika Vainio. So to say that VDQ are dark and foreboding is an understatement. The results of the eight pieces here hearken most directly to the work released by the Norwegian Rune Grammofon imprint, though Delay fans will still find his signature hazy dub drumming underpinning long stretches of this record. But this is more a noise record than an electronic one, and fans of the MVO Trio who will naturally be attracted to this release aren’t necessarily going to find more of the loose Afro-beat kosmische found on that formation’s two Honest Jon’s albums. At this first outing, Vladislav Delay Quartet rank amongst the most challenging music of Ripatti’s long career.


Review by Richard Brophy, junodownload.com

There are moments on Quartet, where Vladislav Delay manages to capture the sound of humanity laid bare and humbled, the feeling that follows on from the breakdown of modern society. Unsurprisingly then, the comparison to Cormac McCarthy’s desolate novel The Road are apposite for tracks like “Minus Degrees, Bare Feet, Tickles”, where Delay, ably accompanied by fellow Finnish experimentalist Mika Vainio as well as Derek Shirley and Lucy Capece, delivers a fin de monde wall of drones, barely restrained feedback and, as an outro, a death march stomp. A similar approach is audible on “Hohtokivi”, but here the mood is even tenser, with a humming bassline trailing off into abstraction thanks to a noisy interference.
However, unlike McCarthy’s opus, Quartet also shows that the human spirit can overcome disaster. “Santa Teresa” for example, which follows “Minus Degrees”, is almost upbeat by comparison, its double bass groove augmented by atmospheric pads and squealing sax lines. “Killing The Water Bed” adopts a similar tact, but nudges the foursome further away from their experimental bent and towards the dance floor thanks to its pounding drums and heavy bass. Then Delay and his collaborators focus their energies on redemption and healing rather than doom and desperation. The muffled keys and lumbering bass of “Presentiment” suggest that there are hints of light in their canon, while the clipped beats and squealing sax – this time more celebratory than the nightmarish world painted out by “Hohtokivi”. That’s not to suggest that Delay and his collaborators have flip-flopped between themes or moods. While there are some flirtations with optimism, the overall mood is sombre and downbeat, as captured on the somnambulant finale, “Salt Flat”. Gloom rarely sounded so compelling.


Review by Textura, textura.org

Fresh from his percussive contributions to the recent Moritz Von Oswald Trio recording Horizontal Structures, Finnish producer Sasu Ripatti (aka Vladislav Delay, Luomo, Sistol, Uusitalo) presents what might be his most challenging project to date, one that sees him operating as a drummer and percussionist in concert with double bassist Derek Shirley, bass clarinetist/saxophonist Lucio Capece, and one-time Pan Sonic member Mika Vainio on electronics and live processing. Recorded in one week at the former Radio Yugoslavia studios in Belgrade and then mixed and produced by Ripatti himself, the album covers a good range of stylistic ground and proves to be all the more satisfying for doing so. While there are aggressive pieces (the opener “Minus Degrees, Bare Feet, Tickles” is one particularly hellacious example, though “Des Abends” isn’t far behind in that department), there are contrasts too, with each of its eight tracks exploring slightly different territory. Despite such differences, the album as a whole locates itself at the intersection of various musics: it’s neither free jazz, noise, improv, nor electronica but rather some raw, electro-acoustic hybrid of all four.
“Minus Degrees, Bare Feet, Tickles” resembles what some mythic monstrosity might sound like opening its jaws to unleash a torrent of brutal noise. Halfway through the eight-minute piece, the musicians’ individuating sounds gradually come into partial focus as they try to extricate themselves from an undertow that one presumes can largely be credited to Vainio, with Ripatti’s percussive sounds and the high-pitched cry of Capece’s sax audible but barely so. Shirley’s woodsy bass notes form a steadying anchor during the much subtler “Santa Teresa,” which in turn allows Ripatti to play more freely and adopt a colouristic role and Capece and Vainio to likewise apply themselves in a more painterly manner; Shirley performs a similar role in the subsequent piece, “Des Abends,” which again gives the others ample room to maneuver. “Killing the Water Bed” flirts with conventional jazz in having Shirley and Ripatti initiate the track in freeform, bluesy mode and then adding Capece’s soprano sax to the mix, but the second half, with Vainio’s interventions the possible catalyst, sees the group’s playing pulled into a wildly cacophanous zone. The low-end electronic pulsations grinding their way through “Hohtokivi” can’t help but suggest Pan Sonic, and so too do the track’s sheets of squealing electronic sound. Near album’s end, two shorter pieces find the group exploring funereal noir jazz (“Presentiment”) and atmospheric dirgescaping (“Salt Flat”).
The firestorms started by Delay and his colleagues on the album call to mind the volcanic sound associated with Last Exit, an ’80s outfit featuring bassist Bill Laswell, drummer Ronald Shannon Jackson, saxophonist Peter Brötzmann, and the late guitarist Sonny Sharrock. Certainly no one’ll criticize Delay for having played it safe in the new project, and neither could anyone imagine hearing the music described as overly polite or background listening. If Vladislav Delay Quartet isn’t a terribly bold or provocative choice for either the group name or album title, the material itself more than makes up for it.


Review by Daniel Paton, www.musicomh.com

Finnish percussionist and experimental musician Sasu Ripatti is probably best known under his Vladislav Delay moniker, but he also performs as part of the Moritz Von Oswald Trio. In his role in that group, he has already released one of the year’s most challenging and exceptional contributions to the field of improvised music – so this album from his own new small ensemble comes as something of a bonus. The group features Ripatti on drums and percussion, with Mika Vainio on electronics and Derek Shirley and Lucio Capece handling acoustic instruments (acoustic bass, clarinet and soprano saxophone). The group shares an ambition with the Von Oswald trio in that it aims to integrate electronic and acoustic improvisation techniques into a cohesive ensemble.
This is certainly not music for the faint hearted. It has little in common with jazz or much of the freely improvised music that can be heard on the London scene. It may not be going too far to suggest that both note selection and instrumental technique do not seem to be substantial concerns. The fundamental elements of music – melody, harmony and rhythm, are often mischievously subverted and instruments are played in unconventional ways. It sounds like machine music – but it is machine music very much created by human minds and hands. This ensemble is all about sound and texture, from the fuzz that opens Hohtokivi (a sound resembling that of one end of a live guitar lead being repeatedly touched) to the clang and clatter that underpins Des Abends. The four musicians state their intentions boldly right from the outset. The opening Minus Degrees, Bare Feet, Tickles is stark and menacing, a frightening collage of static and hum.
When Ripatti does beat out something close to a conventional rhythm, it is all the more startling for being so unexpected. One of the most uncomfortable and effective tracks here is Killing The Water Bed, on which a defiant cymbal beats out a slow crotchet pulse. It is initially radical and uncompromising in its insistent, weighty slowness, but Ripatti and his ensemble ratchet up the tension with furious clatter and cymbal work and some excoriating saxophone contributions. Even those who appreciated the recent Moritz Von Oswald album may find this unsettling. It is certainly not peaceful or contented music. Some would no doubt question whether it can even be classed as music at all. Yet for those with open minds and keen ears, Ripatti’s constructions are bold and brilliant – austere and overwhelmingly powerful.


Review by Jacob Arnold, www.gridface.com

It may be cliché to describe a Finnish artist’s music as glacial, but Sasu Ripatti (aka Vladislav Delay) has always had a knack for crafting enormous, slow-moving sound structures. His new band (presumably inspired by whose live shows preceded his work with the Moritz von Oswald Trio) includes fellow Finn Mika Vainio (aka Ø) who is also known for creating powerful noises. Lucio Capece (who has collaborated with Vainio in the past) plays bass clarinet and soprano sax, and Derek Shirley is on double bass. This is not easy listening. “Minus Degrees, Bare Feet, Tickles” begins with crackling layers of static. High pitched saxophone tones become more frequent and less mechanical until they are joined by rhythmic metallic pounding. This piece refuses to be background music—you have to close your eyes and let it envelop you.
At first, “Sonta Teresa,” is quieter, with light percussion and bass notes that alternate at a slow rowing pace. Eventually Capece’s blowing enters free jazz territory. Vainio’s synth work ranges from subtle to overpowering as the composition progresses. “Des Abends” allows Shirley to toy with jazzy motifs, but the loud processed noises over top are more distracting than complementary. “Hohtokivi” definitely has a Vainio feel to it, starting with rhythmic electric hums. They are joined by wind instrument puffing, weird percussion, and screeching feedback. Even after three listens in a row, I find description difficult. The group begins to gel on “Killing the Water Bed.” Saxophone riffs are processed and multiplied while the rhythm section meanders. At the end it breaks down to cymbals and squeaks.
Compared to the other tracks, “Presentiment” is short at a mere four minutes. Orchestral flourishes and slow bass are caressed by electric piano. Hums and horns creep in at the edges. It is a beautiful piece, though I could do without the overused sonar sounds. I can honestly say I haven’t heard anything like “Louhos” before. It lurches along at 3/4 time with swarming horns over industrial noise makers. You could head bang to it. After such a rousing climax, the drone outro “Salt Flat” falls flat. An album as wild and powerful as this one should go out with a roar.


Review by Albert Freeman, halcyonline.com

London’s Honest Jon’s Records, both as a shop and a label, has for years now been pushing the boundaries of contemporary music by releasing and promoting artists whose work falls completely between the established categories of modern music. While many of the records released and sold by the label and shop might be called World Music, that dodgy category with the barely-descriptive name does little justice to the work of these single-minded operators. While much of what is released is indeed archival recordings of music from around the world, they’ve kept an increasingly busy side catalog of releases by many of the world’s premier electronic musicians as well as featuring many of the same people as remix talent on the flipsides of these same “World Music” records. It all adds up to something entirely unclassifiable, and when the Moritz Von Oswald Trio debuted on the label two years ago, it at long last put a name and a face to the style they had been pushing for years. Now returning with their second conglomerate of modern electronic musicians making entirely improvisational music, the label debuts the first album from the Vladislav Delay Quartet, featuring the playing of Pan Sonic’s Mika Vainio with reedist Lucio Capece and bassist Derek Shirley, for an expedition into improvised electronics that tests the boundaries of even this reliably outward-bound label.
If the MVO Trio takes Moritz’s established penchant for long-format expeditions into ambient dub as a jumping-off point for music too abstract to be easily classified, the easily noted tendencies towards fragmented, tumbling rhythms and intense focus on textures seen in Vladislav Delay’s previous work are unsurprisingly at the center of the music here. Although most of the sounds here seem raw, unstructured, and improvised, it is really the result of a production process that saw both Vainio and Delay treating theirs and other instruments live during the recording process, mixing dry instruments with effects-saturated microphones and then taking the results to the studio for intense post production. Contributions from the reedist and the live bass are easily noticed, and compared to the lusher, more melodic material found on most of Delay’s solo albums it is obvious that Vainio exerts his own inexorable pull towards pure noise. It takes until Hohtokivi, the fourth track in the set, for an easily discerned rhythm to surface here, but it’s also the harshest track up to that point and focuses entirely around the nasty, distorted, looped bassline and buzzing noises of uncertain origins.
Vladislav Delay QuartetWith the first half of the record devoted mostly to drifting and ambient sounds with little in the way of recognizable instrumentation and few solos, the arrival of Killing the Water Bed and its much more recognizable drift into electronically-augmented free jazz marks the record’s most intense point thus far and shows off the instrumental flair of the reedist especially. Splayed percussion prickling around the edges of Capece’s reeds adds an extra uncomfortable layer to the effort, and when it moves into Presentiment the Quartet takes a necessary breather into keyboard and bass-driven ambient blues. Follow up Luohos makes a combination of the free jazz attack that started the second half with the distorted rhythms that ended the first for the harshest thing on the entire record that easily equals some of the furthest-out excesses of ’70s experimental jazz before the album winds down with the 5-minute Salt Flat and its sustained, Indian-influenced drones. It might best be called “uneasy listening” by anyone enthusiastic enough to sit through the most intense moments, but by indulging in each of their furthest flung tendencies towards abstraction the Quartet has placed themselves on the forefront of a just-developing scene that sees many of Techno’s original innovators moving forwards into the beyond and making music that defies description but stands alone.


Review by Digitalmcd.com

Le premier morceau nous prend par surprise, comme une caresse à rebrousse-poil… On s’attendait à de longues volutes ambient-dub et/ou à de subtiles dérives électro-acoustiques telles que Vladislav Delay en distille en trio (avec Moritz von Oswald et Max Loderbauer), mais apparemment, en quartet, avec Derek Shirley, Lucio Capece et Mika Vainio, l’orientation musicale est clairement plus post-industrielle. Ils ouvrent donc les hostilités avec une composition qui nous ramone les oreilles comme du papier de verre… Un tunnel de son brut, rêche et dense. Le deuxième titre est empli de quelques stridences guitaristiques qui « s’accordent » sur des rythmiques éparses. Il s’en dégage une ambiance « ferroviaire » : les tortures qu’ils infligent à leurs machines et instruments (clarinette, contrebasse, batterie) évoquent au final les crissements d’un train, la compression d’un moteur et les tensions électriques qui accompagnent les manœuvres de ces monstres mécaniques. L’écho qui souligne le beat disloqué sur le 3ème titre renforce cette sensation de spatialisation du son. Un son qui se brouille et devient parfois plus abstrait lorsqu’une rythmique synthétique et saturée prend la « tangente » (« Hohtokivi », « Louhos »). Mais plus que l’industriel, c’est dans la musique improvisée et le jazz, « libre », que cette production s’enracine tant par son nom que par les cordes et sonorités cuivrées qui reprennent le dessus sur des compositions comme « Killing the water bed » dont on imagine, également, la force persuasive et « percussive » en concert.


Review by flight13.com

Es liegt nahe, im Vladislav Delay Quartet eine Zweigstelle des Moritz von Oswald Trios zu sehen, bei dem der finnische Perkussionist Sasu Ripatti alias Vladislav Delay ebenfalls mitspielt. Doch sind die Unterschiede hörbar groß. Mit reinem Ambient, Dub oder den Myriaden von Ablegern hat das Vladislav Delay Quartet nichts zu tun, dies hier ist Noise – vitaler Elektronik-Noise des 21. Jahrhunderts, der eine Linie zieht zwischen den freien Improvisationen einer Band wie Borbetomagus und gespenstischem Black-Metal-Dröhnen. Was nicht heißen soll, dass das ganze Album in akustischer Aggression versinkt. Zusammen mit Derek Shirley, Lucio Capece und Mika Vainio hält Delay auf “Vladislav Delay Quartet” die Balance zwischen Individualität und Ensemble. “Wir decken verschiedene Stimmungen und Atmosphären ab”, erklärt er, “von Noise bis Ambient Drone und vieles dazwischen.” Etwa Avantgarde-Jazz wie auf “Killing The Water Bed”, Blues-Verwandtes (“Presentiment”) oder ein Mahlstrom aus Free Jazz, kakofonischem Heavy Metall und massiven Rockbeats (“Luohos”).


Review by Edoardo Bridda, sentireascoltare.com

Del quartet Sasu Ripatti ce ne parlava già nel settembre del 2009, quando lo intervistammo in occasione dell’uscita di Tummaa a nome Vladislav Delay. E, di fatto, in quell’album già era attivo un trio dalle differenti estrazioni musicali: oltre alle percussioni e alla regia di Ripatti, spiccava il jazz di Lucio Capece (clarinetto e sassofono) e la sountrack music di Craig Armstrong; infine, precedente illustre e ispirazione del lavoro era stato il Moritz Von Oswald Trio e la sua formula prettamente in 4/4 intinta di dub equatoriale. Più scuro e free, in cerca d’equlibri tra passato e presente, l’uscita di Tummaa non scombussolò la critica come fece il progetto dell’ex Basic Channel; così, il contemporaneo annuncio del quartetto aveva smosso aspettative e curiosità, soprattutto per l’inedita presenza in una formazione a quattro di Mika Vainio. Il Vladislav Delay Quartet confermava Lucio Capece al clarino (già all’attivo con l’ex Pan Sonic in Trahnie) e completava la sezione degli strumenti acustici con Derek Shirley (al contrabbasso).
Quasi due anni dopo e abbiamo finalmente quest’album, figlio di una manciata di test dal vivo e di una sola settimana di session negli studi di Radio Yugoslavia a Belgrado. Il Quartet è assoluta libertà e rispetto per il suono “naturale”, ha affermato il finnico nel comunicato ufficiale della Honest Jon’s, “rifiuta l’ambient dub e ogni microscena ad esso legato” e, salvo piccoli tocchi di sound process in post-produzione del Ripatti stesso, rispecchia una libera jam session tra quattro musicisti. La quadratura base proviene dal noise industrial di Vainio e dalle percussioni “a cascata” di Sasu. Debut è un album free jazz “negativo” e non solo nel senso di No Wave. Fin dalla prima traccia, Minus Degrees, Bare Feet, Tickles, tra i ghiacci dronici e gli squarci della tela sintetica, è chiaro che leader occulto del progetto è proprio il pansonico, contrappuntato dall’amico Capece. Shirley si occupa dei giri di base senza troppe variazioni (Hohtokivi). Ripatti riempie lucidamente gli spazi incustoditi e fa da cerimoniere.
Complessivamente l’album si porta appresso le critiche che si rivolgono normalmente ai collettivi jazz: episodi mediani, qualche svirgolata evitabile e fortunatamente due brani davvero grandi. Quando i quattro si scaldano i muscoli sono un surrogato degli esperimenti di Scorn e Painkiller, ovvero industrial applicato a un acustico da dopo-bomba, ma anche la materia impro-noise del Vainio solista (la citata opener). Nel momento in cui decidono di fare sul serio ci regalano le impressionanti Killing The Water Bed, dove effettivamente tutti e quattro i musicisti jammano e aumentano l’intensità dell’esecuzione in otto minuti di stordente e granitica scultura sonica e Louhos, con il quartetto a improvvisare sull’unico groove dubbato in scaletta e Capece a riverberare furiosamente il clarino. Sono queste ultime tracce ad alzare notevolmente il voto a un album tutto da spendere dal vivo ma che regala bei momenti anche con lo stereo di casa.


Review by Bernardo Oliveira, camarilhadosquatro.wordpress.com

Conhecido por projetos e pseudônimos como o Vladislav Delay, Luomo, Uusitalo e Sistol, além de integrar o trio de Moritz Von Oswald, o finlandês Sasu Ripatti (bateria e percussão) juntou-se a músicos de vasta experiência no universo da eletrônica e da improvisação. Mika Vainio (eletrônicos), metade do Pan Sonic (ex-Panasonic), parceiro de Kaijo Haino e experimentado na área do noise. Lucio Capece (clarineta baixo e sax soprano) parceiro de Vainio, do trombonista Radu Malfatti, do guitarrista Toshimaru Nakamura, entre outros. Derek Shirley (double bass), jovem improvisador integrante de grupos como Monno, Coal Oven e Unununium. Gravado na Radio Yugoslavia Studios, na Sérvia, Debut, como diz o título, é o primeiro álbum do quarteto. (BO)
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As raias da improvisação parecem cada vez mais distantes de uma forma tradicional, um eixo sonoro que forneça um norte para a sonoridade e a composição. Apesar de presente na grande maioria das manifestações musicais populares de todos os tempos, durante o século XX a improvisação foi explorada majoritariamente pelo jazz, o gênero que a abraçou como método e espírito. E, no entanto, parece que hoje a forma foi descarnada dos maneirismos jazzísticos e incorporada a uma variedade de possibilidades, algumas beirando o inominável. Este ano, além do segundo trabalho do Moritz Von Oswald Trio, ainda tivemos a intrigante reformulação do Aethenor, a colaboração espetacular de Masami Akita com Jim O’Rourke e Mats Gustafsson e este registro poderoso do quarteto de Sasu Ripatti, sob a alcunha Vladislav Delay. Não deixa de chamar atenção o fato de que as últimas empreitadas do músico finlandês tenham como elemento comum o trabalho de improvisação em conjunto. Porém, enganam-se aqueles que julgam apressadamente o Vladislav Delay Quartet à luz da participação de seu band leader no trio de Mortitz Von Oswald. A exceção da forma aberta, “jazzística”, com que pavimentam a composição, a sonoridade difere radicalmente, conservando-se apenas o elemento coletivo e improvisacional. Emerge em Debut uma concepção aberta, para além do ritmo, dos andamentos regulares e do colorido ocasionado pela síntese de elementos acústicos e eletrônicos. Aqui, é o noise, o barulho, o ruído, que fornece a direção. Neste percurso, sobressaem dois ambientes sonoros, unidos pelo caráter de improvisação livre. Um primeiro, pronunciadamente rascante, compacto e volumoso, em pleno diálogo com o noise, como por exemplo na tensão industrial de “Hohtokivi” e na faixa de abertura, “Minus Degrees, Bare Feet, Tickles”. Outro, fragmentário, mais abstrato, espaçado e aberto à incursões minuciosas, como nas belíssimas “Santa Teresa” e “Das Abend”. Mas é na comunhão entre esses dois ambientes que Debut alcança o seu ápice.
Me refiro à excepcional solução estética encontrada pelo quarteto na melhor faixa do trabalho, “Louhos”, uma combinação improvável de industrial, IDM, free-improv e jazz estrito sensu. Inclusive, podemos atribuir a tensão do crescendo que caracteriza a faixa ao equilíbrio perfeito entre as sonoridades compactas (provável cortesia de Vainio) e sinuosas (do sax soprano de Capece). Em “Killing The Water Bed”, outro grande momento, este crescendo se apresenta de forma ainda mais acentuada, visto que, no início da faixa, a combinação da levada de prato de bateria com contrabaixo e saxofone aproxima a sonoridade consideravelmente do jazz tradicional, para culminar com uma pletora de ruídos, com ênfase na percussão diáfana de Ripatti. O emprego de expressões como drone, IDM, noise, free-improv, etc, em busca de uma orientação, permite ao ouvinte tatear o espaço sonoro. Diante de um dos grandes exercícios de improvisação dos últimos anos, ele se encontra preso ao inominável, ao invisível, àquilo sobre o qual nada se pode dizer sem antes fruir. O título Debut, portanto, condiz com o conteúdo da música, pois convida o ouvinte a acompanhá-lo neste zigue-zague de possibilidades sonoras, aparentemente sem destino. Ao final, resta um zumbido no ouvido e uma sensação de uma experiência sonora sem precedentes.


Review by Alberto Asquini, ondarock.it

L’uomo è in fiamme. No, qui non si fa ironia su una delle creature del Sasu nazionale. Sasu che, a dispetto di qualche intervista rilasciata un anno fa, mostra come a fermarsi e prendersi una pausa non ci pensi affatto. Anzi, l’esatto opposto. Prima alle percussioni nella triade con Maurizio e Loderbauer, ora qui assieme all’intellighenzia mitteleuropea (Capece, Vainio, Shirley). Ma dietro l’angolo ci sono già un Ep a nome Delay, che anticipa l’album in uscita a fine anno, e il nuovo disco sotto il moniker Luomo. Cosa si cela dunque sotto questo progetto? Essenzialmente la voglia di lasciar libero sfogo alla musica. “Debut” nasce e si sviluppa come il risultato di session dominate da un solo verbo: improvvisare. Forse più congeniale a una resa dal vivo che a lasciar traccia di sé sul formato fisico, “Debut” va a scavare gallerie che Delay non aveva mai toccato. Messi da parte dunque l’evanescenza, (in parte) il dub, gli sfondi ambientali claudicanti, qui si viaggia su coordinate che vanno a toccare i precordi degli amanti delle claustrofobie Pan Sonic, virate in salsa da quartetto impro-jazz. È una litania lunga e inesorabile, che va a di pari passo con gli ultimi Æthenor, una litania nella quale si rincorrono rintocchi, suoni spettrali, leggerissime incursioni dub. Un noise dilatato e mai eccessivamente ficcante aggiunge il tocco finale. “Hohtokivi”, gira su se stessa gracile e sinistra, “Minus Degrees, Bare Feet, Tickles” ripercorre gli stilemi degli ultimi Fenn O’Berg, “Santa Teresa” è un’ossessione per clarinetto e dub dilatato, “Des Abends” viaggia su un mare di vetri rotti”. A tirar fuori le unghie provvedono però l’esaltante free di “Killing The Water Bed”, orgia di intrecci e spasmi rabbiosi, e il dub in prima linea di “Louhos”, che incrocia le fila serrate di Capece e le scie di Vainio. L’intellighenzia si accomoda e suona. A voler essere puntigliosi, si potrebbe dire che la parte iniziale tende a rimanere assestata su binari forse un po’ telefonati. Alla fine però, tirando le somme c’è solo una cosa da dire: vincono loro.