Rimini`s Manuel Fogliata AKA Nuel has a new album, Fantasia, out on R&S` “ambient” off-shoot, Apollo. Foglitata`s near decade and a half long recording career has seen him collaborate with one of modern techno`s most revered names, Donato “Dozzy” Scaramuzzi, and release a cult classic of his own, in 2011`s Trance Mutation. The bulk of Nuel`s productions could be broadly classified as house / techno – often impossibly deep dub workouts which explore evolving electronic “organics”, releasing the ghosts, the spirits, in the machine – but the aforementioned Trance Mutation, in particular, was a revelation. A record that crossed over to all musical quarters. Built as it was / is from gentle acoustic guitar loops and assorted hand-held percussion – shaken and struck. A finished article that was more Finis Africae than Basic Channel. Sought after in every circle, it`s crying out for a repress from Seattle-based label, Further.
Where Trance Mutation seemed like a slow tribal dance of no fixed geographical location – more a universal ritual – Fantasia feels rooted in Americana. Again this is not techno, but an amped-up American cosmic constructed from live instruments played by Nuel`s one-man-band. Created almost entirely from bass, drum and guitar. The 3 improvised around understated looped keys. Acoustic strum. Electric scratch. Bass slap and twang. Beats rapped out on instruments` wooden bodies. Reminiscent in places of Arthur Russell. Echoing his jerky, rhythmic cello runs. Tumbling like Ginger Baker’s Bill Laswell-produced Celluloid sides. Knocking out muscular microtone grooves that mirror Nisennenmondai`s mad motorik.
Jammin` pumped-up gnarly dynamic stop-start funk patterns. Pow wows spiked with serotonin-secreting lysergic sequences. Pushing the right peyote buttons under the Joshua Tree. Mapping similar a terrain to Mushrooms Project`s epic workouts, and also kinda summoning Simple Minds` `80s stadium rock. Triumphant, redemptive, like U2`s Bad, frantic like their Desire. Burning with Eno & Lanois` Unforgettable Fire.
The closing Quiet, however, is a glance back to Trance Mutation`s meditations. Subtly phased through kaleidoscopic contortions. A simple 6-string figure, set shimmering against percussive scintillation.
Nuel`s Fantasia is available now on Apollo.
Reference Links
Donato Dozzy
Trance Mutation
Arthur Russell
Ginger Baker
Nisennenmondai
Mushrooms Project
Simple Minds
Bad
Desire
Unforgettable Fire
Vibration has just taken the top of my head off! Not heard it before- amazing stuff.
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Adam, it`s an amazing LP – definitely deserves a repress
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