[reviews] afe118lcd
fhievel: pipe smoking on a balloon

 
musique machine []
webzine, u.k., november 2010

"Pipe Smoking On a Balloon" by Fhievel is another fine release from the Afe label, which has many great releases in its growing arsenal. Fhievel is the Italian project of one Luca Bergero, who, as he describes, is "looking for the balance between opposite sound sources in his music, bringing together computer based sounds and music concrete". Fhievel's album, like many of Afe's releases, comes in a very nice professionally printed paper envelope and is limited to one hundred copies.

The five parts of the album offer us a musical experience that slowly ranges from almost dead silent moments in which Fhievel is developing tiny sounds that emerge for short moments and then fade, to rising static sounds with a much more massive presence.

The feeling throughout this journey tends to be very dreamy as a result of this combination. At one moment the album can make us imagine we are being taken to a quiet field at night, listening to the remote sounds of crickets and wind. And on the next moment we are hit with smoky walls of electronic sounds that engulf us completely like a sudden fog.

Make no mistake; "Pipe Smoking on a Balloon" is a gentle electro acoustic album and does not go into harsher areas of sound, and even the more intense moments are smooth, airy and offer more comfort than pain. However, within these boundaries Fhievel creates wonderful interactions between different sounds that collide and create very interesting results.

"Pipe Smoking On a Balloon" demands the listener's full attention and, in return, offers a great, almost spiritual trip. In my opinion, this is a great bargain that should not be missed.

[Oren Ben-Yosef]

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