Andrea Belfi Ore

Andrea Belfi is that most contemporary of drummers, percussionists and composers: with an ear for structural detail, clarity of timbre and complex interwoven sound textures. So it is that Belfi follows up his magnificent Alveare record of early 2017 with this timely release, which he has called simply ‘Ore’. Which, perhaps not coincidentally, is phonetically identical to ‘awe’; as in, ‘Andrea was completely in awe of his new set of drums, so he decided to add modular synth and a sampler to the mix.’ The title might equally imply something else, likely more true: that Belfi has draughted in three or four basic elements in order to forge something of tangible substance and weight.

Although not a record for those uninitiated to experimental electroacoustic music, the compositions and sounds running through Ore follow a beautiful, single thread, albeit with kaleidoscopic offshoots: drums and percussion as narrator. Pulsing, shaking modular synth tones provide the rhythmic background vocals. These come to the fore, briefly, at the album’s mid-way point, amongst the crashing, thunderously rumbling cymbals and bass drums on ‘Lead’. It’s an appropriately heavy record, this, with attention-grabbing, show-stealing timbres as on the technically astounding drumming and fluttering of hi-hats alongside circling electro pulses, on ‘Ton’. Love those bloops, Andrea.

A record of likely interest to fans of drums, drummers, noisy bloops, This Heat... as well as you if you dug Belfi’s aforementioned previous album. And possibly if you were into the Nonkeen ‘The Gamble’ record, you'll enjoy parts of this too. An expansive record overflowing with bubbling, molten delights. Ore-some.