Rameses III - For Jose Maria

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5...according to our Brett on Thu 27 May, 2010.

Who could fail to be touched by the gorgeous ambience on show here given the backstory? Conceived as a tribute to Jose Maria Bellido (an apparently ambitious, talented pianist and athlete stricken with a debilitating case of diabetes) and featuring his daughter performing in tribute, it seems the sort of release that really deserves more time and thought than I'll probably be able to give it. All I can really say is that this 20-odd minute track is beautifully put together, combining breathy drones in a Celer sort of style with field recordings, processed vocals and piano playing that somehow manages to be strong in sound, yet fragile in content totally gets you 'right there'. It's really not difficult to imagine an awful lot of deep, thoughtful moments being soundtracked by this release once it trickles out into people's homes.

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Rameses III follow their critically acclaimed album, I Could Not Love You More (Type, 2009), with a deeply personal and emotive piece dedicated to a truly remarkable man. Jose Maria Bellido was a successful pianist and athlete before being stricken with crippling diabetes. But, despite the curtailing of his ambition and confronting the onslaught of daily medical treatment, Jose Maria faced up to life with a tremendous humility, kindness and humour. He was a loving husband and father and it is his daughter, Cristina Bellido, whose voice can be heard on this epic track, delivering a liturgy to her dad in her native Catalan tongue. All the usual Rameses III elements are here: plaintive strings, field recordings and electronic filigrees, but here they are channelled in celebration of a true romantic figure whose image remains in the thoughts of those that knew him.

For José María is released in an edition of 300 copies on glass mastered CD & full colour gatefold card wallet.

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