[reviews] afe056lcd
luca sigurtà: la vera macchina d'argento

I've appreciated Luca Sigurtà's constantly evolving DIY production over the last few years, and, having had the chance of seeing one of his brilliant live+video performances, I was looking forward to this first "official" full-length, co-released by (Amon's) Afe and (Logoplasm's) S'agita.

Well, I was expecting much, but maybe not THIS much - this is one of the best releases in the electroacoustic field that I've listened to this year. At least in this work, Sigurtà has purged his usual array of sounds (concrete recordings, faulty discs and recicled music, treated guitars and crackling electronics) into minimal, yet highly obscure compositions close to the lowercase style of Trente Oiseaux artists like (early) Günther, Roden, Chartier, Meelkop or López, but in a someway more gritty and emotional way.

The CD is divided into three parts, the two segments of the title track being pivoted by "L'assassino minacciato", inspired by Magritte's "L'assassin menacé" and already featured, with a different mix, in the "On how a picture can sound" sampler (Homemade Avantgarde).

Easily the strongest piece of the three, the second part of "La vera macchina d'argento" gradually increases the tension with droning metallic resonances, a hypnotic underlying panning, scrapings and a deep breathing crawling in towards the end, leaving a sense of unrest and disease.

[Eugenio Maggi]