DIVUS - 2

I can think of no better way of resuscitating the blog than with a new release from one of my favourite labels...the mighty Boring Machines. The label has been a mainstay in the Italian experimental scene for well over a decade now and nary a duff release (and will forever be in my heart for releasing Heroin In Tahiti's 'Sun and Violence' album). This particular release is, obviously, the second release from DIVUS following their eponymous debut in 2017.

DIVUS is a meeting of minds: electronic musician Lucianno Lamanna (Lunar Lodge, Balance, LSWHR) and saxophone player Luca T. Mai from experimental leviathans Zu. This melding of electronica and jazz has resulted, in this case, in an album of sombre moods and dense atmospheres.

Right from the get go with 'C1' we are immersed in layers of electronic noises..a metronomic ticking sits cheek by jowl with a reverb laden 'bubbling' over which lays an almost human heartbeat. This deft layering creates an almost instantaneous feeling of 'home'. When Mai's saxophone enters the fray the song takes on an altogether different dimension; one of subdued drama and suspense. This sultry recipe is repeated throughout the album. On some tracks Mai is given free rein with his sax while others, such as 'C3' are an outlet for Lamanna's techno noise...heavy and dark. Throughout the album there are flashes of Zorn circa Painkiller (without the grindcore) and that cannot be a bad thing. The overall effect is one of chiaroscuro..the dark being the techno/industrial electronics and the light being the mellifluous tones of the saxophone.

All that being said, '2' is an album greater than its parts...the musical conversations between Lamanna's electronic wizardry and Mai's mastery of the sax have created an album that ebbs and flows delightfully and you can't but help get carried away with the current. It is simply a wonderful album that benefits from full immersion listening..several times. Kudos once more to Onga from Boring Machines...his vision for the label continues to throw up gems like this time and time again.

'2' is vailable on vinyl and download from the Boring Machines Bandcamp page here..at the time of writing all shipping as been suspended until April 3rd due to the c***** v**** .