Luca Ferro - Elements
A new release from Italien-based label Industrial Ölocaust Records, and a new act/solo-act-debut as well. Elements by Luca Ferro was released on the 23rd of June 2020, being both on CD and on cassette. A few track EP/mini-album being 25 minutes in total.
A quick introduction to this fellow. A member of the psychedelic sludge-doom band Satori Junk, and having (as well) obtained the sound design diploma at Nam in Milan. He himself describes the album as following:
Experimental ambient music, psychoacoustic, into a dense fog of reverb. Get a trip into the deepest part of your mind.
First track Maestoso welcomes the listener into a glittering, dreamy, and futuristic retro-orientated soundscape. Imagine steel-buildings in the early morning, with the sun exposing itself second-by-second and throwing powerful reflecting rays of light and warmth in the cold and early morning air... Imagine the sun in a movie like Blade Runner! Kind of like an ambient synth-wave orientated Boards of Canada.
Second track Optogenetics moves closer to a more experimental soundtrack-wise sound. Electronic reverbed (and slightly distorted) metallic-sounding rain-drops, psychedelic drones, and heavy retro-synth keys in the background. A mystical and hypnotic moody piece, without the epic elements/moments from the first track.
The third track called Aether (shortest track) offers a cool-sounding bass (Commodore 64?), swirling shortwave-radio sounds, and looped crystalized tones. Lovely reverb effects here!
Fourth track Lunar Phase being a mesmerizing eerie glitchy ambient-sci-fi piece. A very spacey track being almost weightless in its approach. Also one of the most challenging tracks on the album.
Fifth (and last) track Final Overture moves back to the synthy-melodies which the first track was on about. This one starts off with a more somber melancholic mood, Blade Runner by nightfall maybe? The somber mood gets replaced later on by a more uplifting tune, a lovely dreamy piece/outro of glittering synth-ambient pop
And that is that. My favorite tracks on the album would be the first and the last. Actually, after I heard the first track I was hopefully dreaming that this synth-wave ambient thing would continue through the album. I was more or less surprised that it turned into a more experimental soundtrack. I do think that the more experimental tracks on the album could need a bit more rawness in the sound itself, some actual recordings or samples would be great. The melodic tracks (first and last) are flawless and beautiful if you ask me. But otherwise, interesting 25 minutes space-trip into the future!.
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