ALESSANDRO CORTINI Vinilo y CD

Review: Daniel Avery is one of electronic music's most talented artist right now. Whatever he doe sis worth hearing, even if it is an unlikely partnership with Alessandro Cortini, the Nine Inch Nails synth artist. This is their debut work together and is a fascinating coming toter of their own respective worlds - the ethereal pads of Cortini and more rugged electronic drones and textures of Avery. It was all done remotely, with no real concept, over many years, and is a delicate yet hugely powerful album of absorbingly bleak ambient, occasionally frosty textures and moments of true synth beauty.

Review: Trailed as a direct sequel to his previous solo album, 2017's "Avanti", "Volume Massimo" sees Nine Inch Nails member Alessandro Cortini offer up another immersive trip through droning guitar textures, repetitive synthesizer motifs, exotic sitar parts and fuzzy electronics. It's effectively a series of "maximal" instrumental soundscapes with sounds so large and layered they rise above the "meditative" tag pushed by Mute's PR team. This is no criticism, though, just a reflection that while contemplative at times, one of the most joyous things about the album is Cortini's ability to build thrilling walls of sound.