Alveare, a collection of electroacoustic music by Italian percussionist / composer Andrea Belfi, is part of a collaborative multimedia project with photographer Matthias Heiderich. Inspired by Heiderich’s pictures of the modernist housing complexes put up in Italy after World War II, the LP’s five tracks were composed and played between 2007 and 2016. As befits Belfi’s status as a percussionist, all are firmly set on a foundation of rhythmic drumming or percussion work, often wrapped in an atmospheric overlay of electronics. Grigio, which features cellist Audrey Chen as guest contributor, adds microtonally discordant sustained tones given various colors through changes in bow position. Abito creates the illusion of sounds passing back and forth in space, courtesy of guest artist Attila Faravelli on rotating speakers. The spare regularity of Belfi’s music aptly complements the visual rhythms of Heiderich’s images of these buildings’ unornamented, exposed concrete surfaces.
Daniel Barbiero
Avant Music News 