An especially intense period of activity for Maurizio Abate, who, after "Standing Waters" (Boring Machines) and more or less simultaneously with the release of his LP in collaboration with Riccardo Sinigallia, experiments with a work that showcases his most experimental artistic side. Assuming, of course, that this can be separated from his overall activity as a musician. After all, when it comes to this artist, references to John Fahey and his devotion to what is termed "primitivism" often and gladly come to the fore. However, this very attitude, which then materialized into the definition of an actual musical genre, should be understood in a broader sense than conventionally recognized. Thus, the genesis and reasoning behind the compositions of a work as evocative and full of wonderful sounds as "The Maadi Sessions" do not surprise, either for their beauty and sophisticated sounds or for being somewhat suspended in an alien soundscape, balanced between Ry Cooder-like settings and Mediterranean echoes.
The album is released by another fine Italian label, Backwards (Fabio Orsi, Claudio Rocchetti, My Cat Is An Alien, etc., etc.), which, like Boring Machines, has a certain attention and sensitivity towards publications inspired by experimental content. In this case, it is perhaps more oriented towards a psychedelic imagery, clearly dominant in this work, developing minimalist compositions from the sensations derived from Maurizio's visits to Egypt and, in particular, the Maadi district of Cairo, at the home of his two friends, Sara and Alberto Boccardi (incidentally, present as a collaborator on the track "At Kanal"). The album, subsequently mastered by Giuseppe Ielasi, was practically born from sessions that indeed took place inside Alberto and Sara's home, where Maurizio let himself be literally absorbed by this incredible energy he encountered on the streets of the Egyptian capital.
A new approach to the instrument (the guitar, obviously) and composition with the valid support of minimal and never invasive electronics, used functionally to expand the sounds and strengthen the echo of those images in constant movement amidst the crowds of Cairo's streets. With the due differences in genre and context, the album reminded me of another great moment for Italian music and an album that, after having at the time relaunched the musical career of Emidio Clementi, ended up buried under the sands of the desert. I am referring to "Stanza 218" by El Muniria (Homesleep Music), which Clementi (along with a series of excellent collaborators, including Steve Piccolo, whose works I would also associate with this one by Maurizio Abate) wrote and recorded in a hotel room in Tangier, Morocco, before returning to a certain monotony with the latest productions with Massimo Volume. Another historical moment and a different story, however, and in this case, instead of showing a certain nostalgia and that call to the distant motherland, it marvels at the world all around, never wanting to leave it behind.
Tracklist
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