Deca
Antimateria Psichica

I have always been quite skeptical about this trend of binaural music, mindfulness sound, and the like, if only because of the speculation by a lot of people who talk about it as something mystical and transcendental without understanding it. While I believe in the scientific bases of the "power of frequencies", in most cases, I have the feeling that there's a lot of fluff around.

I make an exception for cases—like the one at hand—that involve credible and experienced artists. Especially considering that it is not a mere commercial exercise from some self-styled guru, but a real concept album with a specific stylistic identity. "Antimateria Psichica" is the twentieth album signed by Deca aka Federico De Caroli, an Italian composer who recently has alternated between unsettling electronic-esoteric music titles and intimate collections of piano pieces, confirming his recognized gifts as an eclectic and prolific author.

I purchased the CD a few days ago, certain that I would find connections to "Lucifero Alchemico" from 2021. On the cover, Deca himself with virtually invisible facial features and his eyeballs held between his index finger and thumb. A large Moon in the background amid thin branches and a mesh of lines. With these premises of an eerie and symbolic context, I prepare myself to listen. In the liner notes of this strange CD, I read that it is strongly advised to listen to the music in a relaxed state using hi-fi equipment and headphones to enjoy the psychotropic effects of the sound. Psychotropic effects?? What are we talking about? The usual binaural fluff?

There are 9 tracks, and they each last exactly 6 minutes, except for the first and the last, which last 4 minutes. In total, 50 minutes of music. Somewhere, in other reviews, I read that "Antimateria Psichica" is a unique mental and sensory experience for each person. I can confirm this since I realized I listened to this hour while progressively descending into a state of suspension; so much so that I didn't realize that I must have heard half of the album as if I were in a trance. The soundscape is that of an industrial, experimental electronic work, and it works that way because there are interesting, evocative atmospheres with very refined and bizarre sounds. But the substantial difference is that the sounds work in depth and leave you with a very strange sensation. So much so that you immediately want to replay certain passages and then it's as if the music stays there even when the CD has ended and continues playing at a subconscious level. In particular, the parts "Camera Atropo" and "Plasma Hydra" resonated in my head for a while, and I couldn't wait to listen to them again on the disc multiple times.

Is there truth in the power of sound frequencies? What's certain is that this Deca, even with forty years of career behind him, still manages to renew himself and not live off recycling. This new album has its very particular place; certainly, it might not appeal to everyone and is not suited for those looking for some form of sound entertainment, of any kind. It is an experiment that mixes art and science and does so with great formal and qualitative balance.