Solipsism (Collected Works 2006-2013)

構成数 : 1枚
合計収録時間 : 01:18:52
Liner Note Author: Mike Simonetti. Recording information: Paris. Solipsism collects previously unreleased material recorded by Mike Simonetti between 2006 and 2013, during his tenure with Italians Do It Better, the influential label he co-founded with Johnny Jewel. During this time, he recorded plenty of music for films, television, and fashion shows, in addition to releasing the 2011 full-length Capricorn Rising and a handful of singles. Much of the material collected on Solipsism was written for an unnamed Hollywood remake, but ultimately never used. As with the material issued by IDIB during that time period, the tracks on Solipsism blend the influences of '80s Italo-disco as well as synth soundtracks, anticipating the rise of the synthwave scene during the 2010s. Like Capricorn Rising, Solipsism has some dance tracks (particularly the title cut and "Of One Mind," which feature entrancing arpeggios spiraling around lively beats), but much of it occupies a creeping midtempo. "A Prayer for War" is an intense battlefield march, filled with industrial static and exasperated shouts, as well as sinister canned laughter. There's certainly a cinematic pacing to these tracks, as they slowly develop and pause for dramatic effect. The back section of the album is a departure from disco, particularly the three-part "Acceptance" suite, which consists of funereal droning and trudging drums for the first two parts, and much calmer, more pacified synths during the third. "Los Angeles" goes in another direction entirely, exploring ambient techno in the vein of Basic Channel or Wolfgang Voigt. Over 11 minutes, the track progresses from a rippling drift and a slightly crooked thump to a more ironed-out beat and deeply hypnotic cyber-rainfall. Solipsism could be viewed as an alternate history of the early years of IDIB, composed by its less musically prolific co-conspirator. Separated from its context, it's a decent set of suspenseful synth-disco tracks and mood pieces that provide an appropriately tense atmosphere without getting too dramatic. ~ Paul Simpson