Galati
Cold As A February Sky
ITALY GLACIAL MOVEMENTS GM054 CD (2024)
This is Italian player Roberto Galati who gets his results mainly by processing his electric guitar, but also uses bass, synths, and violin. He has been active since about 2012 making his ambient solo releases…some of them are related to his personal “travel diary”, a series of blog posts, indicating his mission to attempt to document the landscape in musical and sonic terms with his art. In particular he is intimately familiar with the Karst Plateau, a scape lying somewhere between Northern Istria and the Gulf of Trieste, whose rugged contours have given him much inspiration.
Not so many rugged textures on today’s “February” release though, which is characterised by smooth surfaces and wistful musical phrases; it amounts to a loving description of icy cold and wintry sensations, themes also directly expressed in the prosaic track titles. I like the idea that he aims to form a personal bond with nature and regards it as his sacred duty to foster this bond – indeed he sees such a responsibility as essential for the entire human race. Album is overall a bit sentimental and maudlin for me, but there a few good atmospheres, and it’s nice that he attempts melodies with his slow guitars (rather than the faceless abstractions of many modern ambient droners), plus he works hard and honestly to express his wonder in the face of nature’s beauty.
Beautiful blue and purple colours on the cover art by Lia Bosch. (26/04/2024)