THO.MAS
Variations

“Variations” by THO.MAS transports us from the very first synth note to a disorienting dimension, filled with kaleidoscopic lights, the smell of incense, and futuristic images. I'm speaking about the debut of a young Italian DJ, something that is hard to believe, not only because of the English titles of the fourteen tracks. The originality and magic of the ideas brought to life by Thomas Costantin are something that has been waiting to happen for quite some time in Italy. Since the 70s of Battiato's “Sulle Corde Di Aries”? Since the 80s of Krisma's “Clandestine Anticipation”? Well no, let's say at least since the 90s (see various trip hop works by 24 Grana, Ustmamò, and associates).

“Variations” is an album completely detached from today's concept of making music. That is, one approaches a genre with the anxiety of having to please someone else and that's it. Therefore, trap and similar fleeting fashions that a year from now will be replaced by other “inspiration-killing temptations.” Because that's precisely the word that needs to be considered... inspiration. One must play, create, and imagine while dealing with one's visions, one's sound universes, one's idea of art.

“Alpha” is the marvelous water lily that gently welcomes us into Eden. The first keyboard flutters slowly create the framework of the sonic flow that will soon launch our minds into a dark lunar dimension. “Missing (feat. Air! Capitaine)” transforms the environment into a sort of afro-funk dance, where the mysterious minimal component divinely persists. The alienated, ethereal voice, at times almost sacred, reminding me of John Balance's mystical vocal timbre from Coil, is the cherry on top.

“Tarot Du Jour” and “The Butterfly Cage” are two synthetic watercolors that frame the windows of the mind. They perfectly symbolize an incipit to fantasy, desire, and thought. This is not the typical verse/chorus song that can be listened to while brushing your teeth. Here, we are talking about something else. We are going beyond. This is Art that must be absorbed, perceived, absorbed. The purpose of all this? To improve oneself. To grow. To mature. To be something better.

“Trip To The Moon,” a single with an amazing video, is a track that deserves every good thing on this Earth. The voice that alternates between deep and more ethereal tones, that touch of catchiness that is obviously needed and the other sonic wonders to discover are the ingredients to create a hit that could play on the dance floor for entire decades. But the treasures of “Variations” do not disappear here. Here comes another gem named “Caterpillar.” A backdrop where Thomas has immersed everything. The vaporous synths of Gary Numan, the robotic dances mixed with inspired electro spirals, and a cybernetic atmosphere that may not be as dark as Clock DVA's “Buried Dreams” but comes pretty close.

The wise IDM of “Notte All’Opera” has nothing to envy from Apparat, “Ira” is an earthly paradise where minimal and afro-funk marry, and the synthetic symphony of “Waltz Of The Cauliflower” is the symbol of THO.MAS's flair. The artificial escapes and the aphrodisiac scents of this lunar trip continue with the cryptic film of “Mickey’s Darkroom” and the chillout suspensions of “Mother Nature.”

Suddenly the images become more fragmented, a sweet nausea assaults the head, but soon it is jolted by another visual shock. “Elevator” is the installation of an alien skyscraper where muses and arcane animals run to worship the vision in the sky of the mystical deity. The anesthetized psychophysical state tries to grasp the echoes of the introduction of “Futur Amore (feat. Leo Hellden & Idilee),” managing to glide on elegant harmonies that definitively clear the dawn. The only real thing about all this is the precious genius of THO.MAS., the rest is a design formed solely by our imaginative oceans.