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Fhievel: le bapteme de la solitude | |||||||||||||||||||
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 Luca Bergero's sounds are simple but rich with warmth and clarity. As anyone in a busy urban environment might do, I first listened to this release through headphones on the way to the work and this is completely the wrong method to approach a release such as this. You really need the solitude and complete absence of background noise bleeding and mixing with this work. However, I found to my surprise that headphones may not be right at all. It was when I played it through a normal home stereo that the beauty of the sounds really came out as they were allowed to move about the room. Space between the sounds is used very much as a instrument on this release and the added space of a room adds a bit more depth. Besides, you'd be missing out on that quiet rattle and buzzing of the subs if you use a pair of headphones. The inlay artwork to this limited edition CDR on Petite Sono indicates that this work is dedicated to Luca Bergero's (Fhievel) best friend Felice and features a silhouette of someone sitting alone near the sea. These ideas of spending time alone and taking time to notice the small details and natural processes in everyday life are nailed down by the title and artwork but the music can establish this purely on its own. This is what I took away from this release however, anyone else may be able to pull a broad range of meanings from an abstract electroacoustic work such as this. I don't think Bergero had any intention of letting this release become a technical microsound stunt show as there is plenty of emotion present. In addition to space and silence between the sounds, Bergero make wonderful use of stereo spatialization. Clicks, pops, piercing high sine waves blend with field recordings that shift around the stereo spectrum before fading out and providing room for the next sound to move into view. The careful placement of each sound allows the subtle detail and characters come to the surface. Many of the tones used are melodic in character which creates the melancholic mood to the work despite the seemingly inhuman source material. This release is a full-length best listened to from start to finish and really seems like a single piece of work broken down into three tracks. It works as a single listen because of the dynamic range of moods and sound in the each track. His tense silences can quickly turn into a bubbling underwater roar. Objects crackle and burn and digital and natural sound sources blend with some very slight repition. Single sounds will appear once and then are never to be heard again. You can hear what sounds like rain tapping against contact mics as well as eerie chirping and the creaking of a large tree. Small blasts of white or pink noise are followed by the sounds of someone attempting to quietly sneak up on you. This is a very enjoyable listen and a great first introduction to the Petite Sono label. Review by Justin Hardison
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