From same label as Interdimensional Generated Space (see previous post) the album Ten Rooms Under The Sea (DISSIPATIO DISS017), with its very aquatic theme, may seem to be operating in a similar zone between nature and technology, but in fact it’s a set of improvised instrumental music made by a trio of Italian players, with quite a heavy synth-electronic element, plus tapes and samples. The maritime theme is all fantasy, and there’s nary a field recording in sight.
The threesome Enrico Coniglio, Matteo Uggeri, and Saverio Rosi call themselves Open To The Sea and are joined by occasional guest players on some tracks, including the whispering fellow Dominic Appleton. Having used the “improv” word, we ought to be slightly more nuanced and point out that a lot of the music was created remotely by the musicians, then assembled on the hard drive by Matteo Uggeri after a certain amount of listening, contemplating, selecting and editing. Each track is given a name of an imaginary room beneath the sea, suggesting a benign version of a Jules Verne story where Captain Nemo opens a friendly hotel instead of prowling the depths seeking out foes in his deadly submarine. The players are aiming at something rather melancholy and wistful in tone with their semi-ambient constructs, and they deliver on this with success, but they occasionally manage to flirt with a vaguely supernatural mood which is the hallmark of Simon Balestrazzi and Daimon (Dissipatio label-mates).
Like Balestrazzi, the trio make use of an archival recording on one track – oddly enough, it’s King George VI of England making his resignation speech – which adds a patina of antiquarian mystery to the record. (11/12/2023)