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BAGHIRI / NIMH: Entities (CD-R 2005 - Silentes - Second Edition)
(Review of First Edition, 2003 - Private Release). Superb ritual ambient gathering the talents of well-known artist Amir Baghiri and Giuseppe Verticchio/Nimh, author of some excellent works, mostly, and sadly, self-released. Not that diy is bad, quite the opposite, but Verticchio is the typical case of underestimated artist, when even "serious" labels print tons of useless plastic garbage. And this collaboration should absolutely see the light in an official edition, because it's some of the best ritual/ethnic ambient I've listened to lately - pure drifting beauty and trance-inducing drones woven with synths, didjeridoos, percussions and field recordings. If you dig Steve Roach, Vidna Obmana, Robert Rich... look no further because this might well be one of the best releases of the year. Top-notch sound quality. This collaborative project / artistic meeting between one of the pioneering figures of tribal-ambient (Amir Baghiri) and one of the finest artists of trancey drone music (Giuseppe Verticchio) is an absolute must for fans of Steve Roach, Robert Rich, Harold Budd, David Russel and other “environmental” music makers. Consequently Entities reveals a sensual, tonic and epiphanic world of sounds. The musical pieces are articulated between electronic processual treatments / oscillations / loops and amplified acoustic-ethnic-ritual instruments. The atmosphere is rather religious, nocturnal, and voluntary turned to sacred elements. The first track features dense acoustic vibes from the Didgeridoo (Aboriginal wood instrument). This leading part is accompanied by manipulated concrete sounds taken from the nature & various sources. The other pieces are composed on the same schema admitting variations. After to have explored the entire album I must confess that Amir Baghiri is the omnipresent artistic soul on the album and not necessary for the best: From my viewpoint and despite a certain charm the electronic artillery is too massive & monolithic. Good but not essential. For an other personal combination between primal-ethnic instruments and avant garde experimentalism I prefer by fare the artisan Missing Tapes (Nimh) or the visionary-mystical-alchemical efforts from old legends as Angus Maclise (…) I discovered this collaborative release through a link on Amir Baghiri’s website, which referred to the site of the Italian ambient composer Nimh (aka Giuseppe Verticchio). "Entities" contains four extended tracks, making up over 70 minutes of ritual-ambient atmospherics spiced with ethnic influences. The drifting textures and dronescapes also feature some didgeridoo, percussion and ritual chants. The third track "Revealed Entities" is the strongest one, sounding very lush and floating. Overall, this stuff is recommended for those who love the deep atmospheres of Vidna Obmana, Roach and alike.
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