Alio Die
Amitabha

THE REVIEW

Alio Die is the historical ambient music project through which Stefano Musso has pursued, over the years, his unique idea and philosophy of "transcendent" and entheogenic music: his approach to the material has led him to generate true sonic "trips" by delving into the listener's psyche and awakening the hidden power of forgotten ancient rituals. Mixing samples and "natural sound recordings," Alio Die creates meditative music to dispel bad vibes. I remember that in 1994, I got my hands on an issue of the legendary magazine—dedicated to electronic music—Deep Listenings created by the late Gianluigi Gasparetti, who then also became an ambient musician with Oöphoi. In that issue, there was a complimentary CD by Alio Die, "The Flight Of Real Image," which, at the time, opened the doors for me to a new type of listening. Experimental and ambient music, in fact, differs from "official" music by encouraging listeners to open their minds to deep listening where they can experience true dreamlike states. Among his works that I have most appreciated, I would cite "Password For Enteogenic Experience" (1998), the collaboration with Robert Rich "Fissures" (1997), "Le stanze della trascendenza" (1999) and "La sala dei cristalli" (2010) with Mariolina Zitta. Musso now has a vast discography behind him and continues to release new material. I have negligently overlooked "Time Zone Portal" from 2017, which confirms his stylistic coordinates and from which his love for nature emerges, as usual. Now, "Amitabha" is released, a new collaboration with Gino Fioravanti aka Aglaia, a therapist, writer, painter, and yoga teacher whose interests span between alchemy and mythology. The music of "Amitabha" is very meditative and is characterized by quiet and meditative electronic settings: it is the encounter and synthesis of ancient and modern where, thanks to the special sensitivity of these two artists, buried mythological suggestions are brought back to light. Unplug and let yourself go to the transcendent sound of tracks like the ethereal "Il portale dell'invisibile," the lengthy "Celestial Stream," and the somber "Reflections From The Abyss": you will explore the abyss and have a new listening experience. Available on Bandcamp: https://aliodie.bandcamp.com/album/amitabha.