by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Peter Kruder and Roberto Di Gioia are old acquaintances, with a friendship going back nearly 20 years, but they have never worked together in music until now.

The two created a number of demos, with Munich-based Di Gioia playing piano against his Viennese-based friend on electronics. They discovered the impact of their music when playing to friends, all of whom were impatient to hear the new album. Said album was not a thing then, but thanks to good-natured nagging it became a project, culminating in the release of ,,——–,,.

The origin of the album name is not known, retaining its air of mystery.

What’s the music like?

Conversational. These two artists have a knack of finishing each other’s sentences, even though the musical means they are using are very different. Di Gioia, naturally, will often lead with his thoughts on the piano, but Kruder more than matches him with electronic insights and studio perspectives.

The music itself is deceptively simple but searching too. Bella Arp has softly oscillating arpeggios with a searching melody, while Endless has a bell-like figure that Di Gioia spins through some atmospheric sound patterns from Kruder. Sequenz shows that the pair can do movement too, spinning a syncopated figure that steadily gains momentum.

Kusine Limusene, the most substantial track on the album, contrasts a thoughtful piano phrase with very low electronics, the two elements striking up a conversation before the second stage of the track features block chords on the piano, which suggest Di Gioia to be an admirer of Claude Debussy. This is backed up by Rache, where those full-bodied chords assume greater prominence, before retreating to the background so that Kruder’s spacious backdrops can be admired.

Clock Tick Tock is a little more sinister, its minimal material stripped back to suggest the onset of time. Meteoriten Schluckauf is more fragmented still, but even more effective, as the piano and electronics talk in a kind of musical morse code.

Shorty shows how effective and meaningful these two areas can be, with an elegant line on the keyboard in octaves from Di Gioia shadowed at a difference by a low bass drone. Lonely Jupiter has a similar balance, though Kruder pans out the production for a more expansive view. On occasion Kruder places the piano in a kind of weather system, or goes further still by suggesting the instrument might be falling through space, as in No Love On The Enterprise.

Does it all work?

It does, in a way that having an intimate conversation can make each party feel better. There is music of deep feeling here, and the relative simplicity of the music means it is expressed that bit more powerfully.

Is it recommended?

It is. A fascinating meeting of musical minds.

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You can explore purchase options and listen to clips at the Decks website