Bola
Gnayse

"Gnayse" is an album of soft, refined electronic music. Unfortunately, Darrel Fitton (aka Bola) doesn't have the same fame in Italy that other electronic music gurus enjoy. I myself am fortunate to have this CD because I live in Dublin, where, I'm sorry to say, the alternative electronic scene is much more followed and appreciated. In fact, it doesn't even sound that alternative here to listen to certain types of music since I have found myself more than once talking about electronic artists and unknown names with various people.

Since I’ve been here, I’ve been able to follow this musical trend much more easily, simply because it’s possible, without excessive difficulty. Musically, Italy doesn’t seem to be doing very well and unfortunately, it also suffers from clear musical "informative gaps" regarding some styles, which is a real shame and also makes me somewhat sad.

After copying and pasting a bit of research on the net and having read several positive reviews about this album (all in English, because you can't find anything about this artist in Italian :-/ which is also the reason that drove me to write this review) I decided without too much fear or doubt, to buy this CD.

The music sounds essential and rarefied but not too much, like the quieter Boards Of Canada. The atmosphere is however less psychedelic and often darker, but also intimate, personal, fragile, and sensitive. The album generally doesn't shine with much light, often sounds shady and subtly unsettling, with long pauses of waiting and moments of "suspense" with long fades of electronic effects, minimalist melodic whistles, music for abandoned cities where time never passes. Some tracks last just two minutes, two and a half minutes, but reach incredible peaks of emotion, maybe it's the novelty of the discovery, but so far I don't think I've ever heard an electronic album more heartfelt than this, not even the much-cited Plaid.

The most immediate references in this musical context are the already mentioned Boards of Canada and in general the more melodic side of all Warp music, last two decades Skam, IDM or not, seasoned with a pinch of extra "heart". There are also piano breaks, naturally of electronic emulation, in these pieces I see even a bit of Brian Eno, from whom he might have taken inspiration for some compositional solutions.

It's an album entirely of slow music, the only track equipped with a somewhat stronger rhythmic charge is the last one, "Effaninor", and it's also the track that along with "Effanajor" shines with a certain "suffering" optimism and a twilight light that at least is not nocturnal like the others.

The most touching compositions turn out to be "Sirasancerre" which begins under the trill of a thousand electronic particles and a "morse" noise in the distance, acting as a beacon, which will soon leave space to melancholy strings.
"Heirairerr" lasts a little more than two minutes and is largely a piano composition, even if slightly modified, in this track you can breathe all the "dramatic" charge that on other distances the album releases.

After the light parenthesis of the already mentioned Effanajor, "Opanopono" is the ideal continuation of the discourse started with Heirairerr, perhaps a pinch more "springy"?, an image that could be associated with snowdrop flowers emerging from the melting snow after a long and cold winter.

"Pfane pt1 and 2" continue the "crystalized" dramatic discourse with other piano compositions broken only on one occasion in the passage to "Pfane 2" by electronic noises. "Pfane 2" resumes the suggestions of the first part enriching them and bringing them to really very high levels, perhaps the highest of the album; I think it is really difficult not to be touched by this composition.
"Papnwea" lasts quite long (approaching 8 minutes) and begins its discourse on very dark, restless territories but then turns inevitably melancholy, with the sudden scene change announced by the entrance of the piano while a vocoder-filtered voice pronounces "PAPNWEA".

Highly recommended for electronic music lovers but not necessarily, at least in this case, the latest Kroungrine is already more techno.

If you want to listen to some samples to get an idea, visit the Skam website. There should also be a full track available to listen to, if I'm not mistaken, number 8.

Enjoy listening.