Emanuele Errante – Time Elapsing Handheld

A new offering from Italian artist Emanuele Errante sees him continuing his characteristic approach to musical texture – the pairing of electronics and acoustic instruments to achieve a consolidated whole. As simple on the surface this is, often the discrepancy in timbre, or perhaps the clashing connotations the instruments conjure up can make for an awkward or irritating listening experience. Fortunately for Errante, his release history displays a use of this technique that has shaped a largely successful outing this time around.

Opening with tense ‘Leaving To Nowhere’, the listener is instantly subjected to the kind of suspense that can command the attention whilst remaining calm, fragile and unobtrusive. This is a good example of where this release shines… spacious, strangely exotic and making full use of the play-off between played instruments and electronic processing. In this track it appears that each of these elements is in perfect balance, the acoustic guitar providing a more earthly tone and swift but light propulsion; the glassy, icy synth work filling in layers of cosmic texture. It is not too unlike Gustavo Santaolalla‘s guitar driven pieces found in Alejandro Inarritu’s trilogy of death films, should these have been set in deep space.

After a strong opening, the rest of the release evolves somewhat pendulously, swaying between this elegantly restrained sense of tension and something altogether more contented, settled and for want of a better word, nice. It is nothing more than a matter of taste that some will find this a welcome contrast… these tracks are indeed just as well executed as their shadowy counterparts, with more often than not the same carefully considered juxtaposition of instrumental content.

The more affecting work on Time Elapsing Handheld is, for me, contained within the tracks that follow the subtle edginess of the opener and not the lighter tracks… not possessed with a healthy amount of patience for such a style of composing, whilst working perfectly well at what moods they portray, they tend to feel a bit too twee for my preferences.

Those tracks that have the right punch though, are simply great. ‘Counterclockwise’ is a wonderful, Orientally coloured rhythmic drone, punctuated by minimal piano use. Utterly hypnotic, full of lush tones, reminiscent of some of Susumu Yokota’s repetition based work. ‘Dorian’s Mirror’is similarly engrossing though through different means – breathy pads, stretched time and shifting layers of melody. The closer, ‘Memoirs’, is another more rhythmic track, based upon looping guitar patterns, interlocking keys and complementary synth drones. It bookends nicely with the start of the release, very similar in tone but with a slightly more resolving feel – perfect to conclude with.

Not particularly singular, though a worthy addition to the electronic / acoustic ambient field, Errante’s new one definitely has something of a character of it’s own and will almost certainly be received as another fine release as long as it hits the right pair of ears.

- Review by Daniel Mackenzie for Fluid Radio

www.e-errante.com
www.maisound.com/errante/
www.karaokekalk.de