Simon Balestrazzi
Asymmetric Warfare

New work from the increasingly prolific Simon Balestrazzi, a name that needs no introduction for those who regularly follow the complex Italian industrial and experimental scene. A charismatic character with a rich background in listening that ranges from avant-garde, to folk, to Krautrock, and industrial, he was rightly featured in the recent book Antonello Cresti Solchi Sperimentali Italia, which includes a comprehensive interview with him. After the legendary T.A.C. (Tomografia Assiale Computerizzata), Balestrazzi continued his artistic journey with the intriguing projects Dream Weapon Ritual together with Monica Serra (which in a sense continued the ritual discourse of T.A.C.) and Chandor Chasma, the latter focusing on purely electronic research. Recently, he has released the excellent Ultrasonic Bathing Apparatus under his own name. Now it's the turn of this Asymmetric Warfare, which stands as another indispensable chapter in his research: it is a kind of concept dedicated to the theme of "asymmetric warfare," a concept that has unfortunately become all too familiar and remains highly relevant: the album was in fact inspired by the gradual rise of the IS threat in 2014. The sound sources used come from audio parts taken from videos that could easily be found online: to this, the Sardinian-adopted musician added other sounds using the technique of field recordings, utilizing unusual instruments like microphones from the 60s, piezoelectric pickups, earbuds used as microphones, and various sound objects like amplified metal discs played with a bow, in addition to various analog synths. The result, as can be heard in the 4 tracks that make up the album, is characterized by minimal and subtly unsettling sounds, with dark atmospheres dominated by low frequencies. In the end, the language created by Simon Balestrazzi manages, despite being close to many experimental and dark ambient music experiences, to be personal, and perhaps this is his greatest merit. Highly recommended to followers of label-free experimentation.