One might broadly classify this as a work of ‘ambient’ music, but in drawing together field recordings and manipulating the sounds and incorporating them into the rich sonic tapestry that constitutes samples and shimmering drones which form the material of Agoraphonia, Giannico and Aldinucci have gone far beyond the realms of background music and of atmospherics. Agoraphonia is a deeply evocative work, and one that requires a substantial degree of attention and focus.(Auralaggravation)
Agoraphonia
Dronarivm
released July 18, 2016
music by Francesco Giannico and Giulio Aldinuccimastered by Alexandr Vatagin
A town square is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town and used for community gatherings. Based on this basic perspective, it is easy to notice how the soundscape of this living center could represent not only sonically, but also from a cultural point of view, a priceless document. After an open call lasted 6 months to send most interesting audio material concerning the theme of the “square” the samples have been selected and reworked in order to create an ideal symphony of all living squares all over the world. After some months a minor open call was done also to obtain photos about the same theme in order to realize a coherent packaging.
The album features four tracks based on samples collected at specific locales – Koutobia in Marrakesh, Morocco (samples recorded by Fabio R. Lattuca); Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires, Argentina (samples recorded by Ana Maria Romano G); Shantangjie in Suzhou, Jiangsu, China (samples recorded by Luca Bonaccorsiin); and Piazza Umberto in Calcata Vecchia, Italy (samples recorded by Davide Di Francesco) – and an 18-minute final coda, a veritable sonic kaleidoscope integrating samples from 20 different contributors. Agoraphonia is a gently exhilarating and thought-provoking global journey, a quiet celebration of the art of listening and perceiving.
Il progetto di Francesco Giannico e Giulio Aldinucci fa propria l’intuizione geniale e provocatoria di Cage cogliendo, tramite innumerevoli registrazioni, campionamenti successivamente manipolati e sovraincisi, il suono di quattro piazze situate in luoghi diversissimi tra loro: Marocco, Argentina, Cina e Italia. Piazze che esplodono di vita e di suoni, piene di storie, sia quelle piccole e personali con la “s” minuscola, sia quelle protagoniste delle grandi storie con “S” maiuscola. (Ondarock)
Giannico and Aldinucci masterfully blend delicately textured ambient layers into these field recordings to give us a sense of perspective as well as a sense of place, thus enhancing our listening in a way that prompts us to imagination and interpretation. Every track finds a perfect balance between immersion and detached observation as sounds are extracted from a cacophonous urban sea and brought into focus allowing narratives to emerge.(StationaryTravels)