Review from Foxy Digitalis
An epileptic fit of percussion follows a raucous sneeze. This record tumbles into disarray before you can say ‘gazoontite’. Alberorovesciato are originally from Italy, but now reside in one of Europe’s many creative hearts – Berlin. They deliver powerful gamelan messy percussion, reeds and various primal noises that focus on the occult crudity of fervent performance. Can’t really pinpoint an obvious contemporary comparison – just think the far-out lunacy of My Cat Is An Alien with the primitive rumbles of Chora / Pascal Nichols.
The opening gambit sets a canvas of disruption, and a point of reference for the entire babble of menace. The percussion is fast and evolving, encountering keyboard with a Talibam! styled fizz and interference. Things elevate with taught drama and an all-consuming trance enfolds; if only you’d submit to its zeal! So many surfaces are hit during the performance one’s brain has to fight through various puzzles to stay abreast of what’s taking place. The overall feeling is one of analogue rave with the technical deliberation of free jazz. Reeds twist around scratches and knocks that reach up and fall back before their presence is truly noted. As the pallet changes and the various objects, including metal / wood / canvas and what-ever-else, unfold the record truly begins to shine. There are insanely loose repetitions that crop up and patterns emerge after many focussed listens. Yet with all this analytical nonsense aside, it is truly best consumed with ones mind wrestling the paralysis of over stimulation.
When synths cut beneath the clammer, a real sense of fire and avant-jazz bleeds through. There is an impossible pace to many of the pieces, resulting in a tip-tap of rain effect, which truly disorientates already frayed mental rhythms. The organic nature of their playing feels bestial and playful in its approach. Towards the final stages, things are stripped right back to a perplexing delayed cacophony. Some of the jazzier pieces feel a little nauseous after the onslaught of omnipresent percussion, yet welcome in a breath of deference.
The continued intensity of the whole record fries your mind with volume of expression equal to a fire alto performance, or imagine the ferocious static chaos of Haswell & Hecker in analogue. I approach this record from time to time (having owned it for a month now) and manage to soak its energy in random encounters rather than focussed continual listening. The structure is dense and engaging yet a little overwhelming. To conclude I’d recommend this explosive ear buster to percussive enthusiasts and worshippers of the avant-garde. I am utterly desperate to see this act live – I’m sure it would resonate in memory for a long, long while.
7/10 — Peter Taylor, 8th July 2009
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