BIOMA - Max Corbacho & Bruno Sanfilippo

STYLE     

Subtle ambient electronics and vibrant field recordings.
Delicate bird song rises naturally out of silence, avian calls and cries surrounding the listener as if present in a deep woodland. Synthetic embellishments dance among the chirps and twitters almost unnoticed at times; then in tandem - twinkling synthetics in sync with nature; then dense drone textures, the organic material apparently suspended in strange, crawling artificial atmosphere. This shifting balance continues throughout the composition: the susurrating sounds of insects; the rough bleats of sheep; clanking cow bells; distant church bells and an abundance of bird calls - all set against constantly evolving ambient electronica - deftly interwoven into a single long form whole. In places the instrumentation gives way completely to the environmental material, then about halfway a major shift occurs: stronger, more dissonant tones that contrast the serenity of nature; abstract synth forms establish a more disquieting mood as if the woods are seen through a distorting lens - warping and colouring everything in view.

ARTWORK           

Bioma is a neat digipack release of two panels encircled by an elegant paper slip bearing the album title. The front cover features a near monochrome photograph of a tree arcing in from the right, a bright spot of sun piercing the intricate lacework of foliage just off centre. A pale almost-white flat sky contrasts the textured greys of bark and leaf. On the rear the same flat sky takes up the bulk of the space, a loose canopy of twigs and leaves forming a partial frame. The single track title is here along with website info and a handwritten limited edition number. Inside, the monochrome approach is maintained: heavier grey; woodland imagery; discussion of the project in white font. Three small images and one large (behind the disc) show well placed microphones set to gather field recordings.

OVERALL            

Bruno Sanfilippo and Max Corbacho come together again in collaboration over Bioma, their last joint release was back in 2003 when they released Indalo. The album is delivered via the duo's own AD21 label. Promotional material explains "field recordings made in different places in the province of Tarragona, Spain, during spring 2010" a year later the two "composers crafted the electronic soundscapes and effects separately from each other to enrich this natural kaleidoscope of sounds." Biome is a single long form track that lasts fifty nine minutes and naturally loops back on itself if allowed to. The album is a limited edition release of only 200 copies and can, of course, be explored visually and aurally via the AD21 website.

Morpheus Music Reviews