<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><a href="http://www.merchantsofair.com/albums/luca-formentini-scintilla#" class="">http://www.merchantsofair.com/albums/luca-formentini-scintilla#</a></div><div class=""><br class=""></div>After the two pieces of musical intensity I reviewed earlier today, I
needed something to calm me down. Luckily, that something is always to
be found in the rich and excellent catalog of Audiobulb Records. Today, I
picked out 'Scintilla' by Italian sound sculptor Luca Formentini. With
nine tracks and fifty two minutes long, this is a perfect album for this
dreary November Sunday.<br class="">
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Armed by electro-acoustics, the piano, guitar and a heap of effects,
Formentini walks the thin line between classical music, ambient, jazz
and sound-design. The result is a beautiful album, full of emotion and
atmosphere.<br class="">
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The album opens with the minimal 'Somewhere In That Moment', which draws
comparisons to something between classical compositions and the ambient
series of Brian Eno. With that, the tone is set for a slowly lingering
and meandering album with many highlights. 'Youinyou' is one of my
absolute favorites here, a shy but playful tune, driving on minimalism.
Minimalism is also the keyword in 'About Disappearing', a piece of music
that breathes both solitude and contentment. <br class="">
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If you want references, I think placing Luca Formentini among ambient
gurus like the aforementioned Brian Eno but also Bill Laswell, Pete
Namlook, Harold Budd... is not a bad idea. Much like them, Formentini
works in an intuitive and emotional way, allowing unusual sounds like
doors and typewriters to infiltrate the music. The result is something
warm and soothing, something every ambient aficionado will easily
appreciate.<br class="">
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The darkest track is 'Density Of Light', driving on a deep drone, gloomy
soundscapes and vague melodies. In a way, it's also the most
jazz-inspired one, especially with the guitar plucks guiding it.
Follower 'To The Seer' even adds a dark jazz bassline and sweet
post-rock guitars, only to add to the amount of variation. So yes, this
is a highly enjoyable piece of work, one that truly deserves a spot in
your ever growing ambient collection.<div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><a href="http://www.audiobulb.com/albums/AB082/AB082.htm" class="">http://www.audiobulb.com/albums/AB082/AB082.htm</a> </div><div class=""><br class=""><div class="">
<div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">Best wishes</div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><br class=""></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">David Newman</div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><br class=""><a href="http://www.audiobulb.com" class="">www.audiobulb.com</a> | exploratory music<br class=""><a href="http://www.audiomoves.com" class="">www.audiomoves.com</a> | ambient music sync specialist</div></div>
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