Andrea Belfi started studying drums at the age of 14. Between 1998 and 2001, he lived in Milan where he attended Alberto Garutti's contemporary art course, which helped him develop a wider understanding of art. Between 2000 and 2008 he featured in Rosolina Mar, an instrumental rock trio. Since 2002, Belfi has been developing a solo live-set, where he uses his drummer's skills along with his long-time research into electroacoustic devices and synthesizers. He has released three solo albums so far: in 2002 he self-produced, under his own label Chocolateguns, his first solo record Ned n°2, which received excellent reviews (The Wire, Bananafish). His second solo album Between Neck & Stomach was released in September 2006 by the Swedish label Häpna. This album was well-reviewed by publications such as The Wire, Vital Weekly, Boomkat, and All Music Guide. His last solo record Knots, recorded & produced by Giuseppe Ielasi, was released by Die Schachtel. Between 2006 and 2008, AB conceived, with the visual contribution of Mirco Santi, his project Stillivingrooms, which could be described as an audio/visual event between a sound installation, a performance, and a private screening of old family films. It has been presented at Netmage Festival in Bologna (January 2008), and at the Claudio Buziol Foundation in Venice (May 2008). In 2009 he started a number of new collaborations with a wide range of artists, including a trio with American musician and sound art teacher David Grubbs (Gastr del Sol, Bastro, Squirrel Bait) and Stefano Pilia (3/4hadbeeneliminated). He is also a member of the trio Il Sogno del Marinaio together with Pilia and the electric bass legend Mike Watt (Minutemen, Firehose, Iggy And The Stooges). He is also in a duo with the Dutch musician Machinefabriek and in another duo with German improviser Ignaz Schick. He started a duo named Tumble with electroacoustic composer and improviser Attila Faravelli and is in a band named Hobocombo meant as a tribute to the American percussionist and composer, Moondog.
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FLOAT 002LP
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Float presents the next release from drummer and composer Andrea Belfi following on from his 2017 debut album Ore. Strata is an organic evolution of the unique synthesis of hypnotizing drumming and ensnaring electronic patterns Belfi has become renowned for. Strata's inception is due to Belfi's playful experiments with Gnawa rhythms -- a music tradition from North Africa that draws from ancient African spiritual and religious songs -- with which Belfi created basic guide tracks that were later expanded upon. Strata's remit expanded from these core rhythmic ideas into a mini-LP, spread across six tracks spanning 25 minutes. The introductory track, "Shale", consists of melancholic synth counterpoint and soft drones. The title track "Strata" kicks in with suspenseful bleeps and restless hi-hats before pacey drums ramp up the tension toward explosive highpoints. "Fault", a short interlude, features more meditative moments. Notably, this track sees Belfi playing a self-built trimba, a triangular percussion ideated by legendary street musician Moondog. "Outcrop" is built around a pulsating electronic dub beat. The drop of a syncopated kick and mounting polyrhythms underpin the solemn "Ravine", before the album comes to a close with "Plateau", a driving and sinister conclusion that revisits elements of Strata and the trippy momentum of the Gnawa rhythms. The internal structure of Strata is fittingly built on layers of repetitions and variations across all tracks: "Shale", "Strata", "Fault", and "Plateau" share the same harmonic and melodic structure, while "Outcrop" and "Ravine" are both explorations of the traditional song formula. All tracks except for "Plateau" -- which can be understood as a techno remix of "Strata" -- were recorded as live studio takes incorporating the sound quality of the studio space. The album was recorded by Simon Goff at Vox Ton in Berlin and mixed by Rocco Marchi at Obst und Gemüse in Bologna. Capturing the impetus of Belfi's formidable live performances, Strata's skillfully builds up momentum to its explosive final release.
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FLOAT 001CD
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Andrea Belfi (born 1979) is an international respected electroacoustic musician and composer. He began playing drums at the age of 14. He studied art in Milan, before becoming involved in experimental music and since 2002 he's been in collaboration with a wide range of artists, currently residing in Berlin, Germany. His new album Ore is released on the new UK record label Float which was founded by Sofia Ilyas, who was previously the label manager at Erased Tapes Records. The new label exists parallel to Float PR, the London based agency dedicated to the promotion of unique artists and projects, and Andrea Belfi is the first signing. Titled Ore, the album places the drums as its centerpiece, while textures are embellished and mutated through electronic manipulations and dark, eerie sonic details. Over the years, Belfi has built a sound-world that artfully combines a modest drum set-up with an equally concise electronics component. He has searched long to produce and refine the acoustic timbres of his music, but has now reached a certain point of fulfilment, courtesy of his Saari drum-kit from Finland. Melded seamlessly with the acoustic elements are a Nord modular and sampler. On Ore, Belfi attains a masterful synthesis of these two sonic realms. Belfi has gained a reputation for his energetic and charismatic performances, both as a solo musician and within numerous collaborations. 2016 saw him tour with Nonkeen, the German three-piece band headed by Nils Frahm. Belfi became an instant highlight following a sold-out gig at London's Barbican Centre, lighting the stage with an impressive and explosive drum solo that became one of the most memorable moments from the evening. "When I started the record I really wanted to find something very direct. I was looking for something very raw, something sonically and acoustically complex. The title Ore actually was suggested by my wife. I had to look up the meaning and loved the concept -- something raw that you can extract, and the refinement into a precious material. It's a very simple metaphor but there's a lot there, you can just put that word out and you don't have to explain too much. You give an input to the listener, and just leave it to the imagination." Mixed by Francesco Donadello; Mastered by Nils Frahm.
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FLOAT 001LP
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LP version with download code. Andrea Belfi (born 1979) is an international respected electroacoustic musician and composer. He began playing drums at the age of 14. He studied art in Milan, before becoming involved in experimental music and since 2002 he's been in collaboration with a wide range of artists, currently residing in Berlin, Germany. His new album Ore is released on the new UK record label Float which was founded by Sofia Ilyas, who was previously the label manager at Erased Tapes Records. The new label exists parallel to Float PR, the London based agency dedicated to the promotion of unique artists and projects, and Andrea Belfi is the first signing. Titled Ore, the album places the drums as its centerpiece, while textures are embellished and mutated through electronic manipulations and dark, eerie sonic details. Over the years, Belfi has built a sound-world that artfully combines a modest drum set-up with an equally concise electronics component. He has searched long to produce and refine the acoustic timbres of his music, but has now reached a certain point of fulfilment, courtesy of his Saari drum-kit from Finland. Melded seamlessly with the acoustic elements are a Nord modular and sampler. On Ore, Belfi attains a masterful synthesis of these two sonic realms. Belfi has gained a reputation for his energetic and charismatic performances, both as a solo musician and within numerous collaborations. 2016 saw him tour with Nonkeen, the German three-piece band headed by Nils Frahm. Belfi became an instant highlight following a sold-out gig at London's Barbican Centre, lighting the stage with an impressive and explosive drum solo that became one of the most memorable moments from the evening. "When I started the record I really wanted to find something very direct. I was looking for something very raw, something sonically and acoustically complex. The title Ore actually was suggested by my wife. I had to look up the meaning and loved the concept -- something raw that you can extract, and the refinement into a precious material. It's a very simple metaphor but there's a lot there, you can just put that word out and you don't have to explain too much. You give an input to the listener, and just leave it to the imagination." Mixed by Francesco Donadello; Mastered by Nils Frahm.
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FLOAT 001LTD-LP
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LP version. Red vinyl version with download code; Exclusively made for independent record stores. Andrea Belfi (born 1979) is an international respected electroacoustic musician and composer. He began playing drums at the age of 14. He studied art in Milan, before becoming involved in experimental music and since 2002 he's been in collaboration with a wide range of artists, currently residing in Berlin, Germany. His new album Ore is released on the new UK record label Float which was founded by Sofia Ilyas, who was previously the label manager at Erased Tapes Records. The new label exists parallel to Float PR, the London based agency dedicated to the promotion of unique artists and projects, and Andrea Belfi is the first signing. Titled Ore, the album places the drums as its centerpiece, while textures are embellished and mutated through electronic manipulations and dark, eerie sonic details. Over the years, Belfi has built a sound-world that artfully combines a modest drum set-up with an equally concise electronics component. He has searched long to produce and refine the acoustic timbres of his music, but has now reached a certain point of fulfilment, courtesy of his Saari drum-kit from Finland. Melded seamlessly with the acoustic elements are a Nord modular and sampler. On Ore, Belfi attains a masterful synthesis of these two sonic realms. Belfi has gained a reputation for his energetic and charismatic performances, both as a solo musician and within numerous collaborations. 2016 saw him tour with Nonkeen, the German three-piece band headed by Nils Frahm. Belfi became an instant highlight following a sold-out gig at London's Barbican Centre, lighting the stage with an impressive and explosive drum solo that became one of the most memorable moments from the evening. "When I started the record I really wanted to find something very direct. I was looking for something very raw, something sonically and acoustically complex. The title Ore actually was suggested by my wife. I had to look up the meaning and loved the concept -- something raw that you can extract, and the refinement into a precious material. It's a very simple metaphor but there's a lot there, you can just put that word out and you don't have to explain too much. You give an input to the listener, and just leave it to the imagination." Mixed by Francesco Donadello; Mastered by Nils Frahm.
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12"
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LTNC 008EP
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"Seething, thrilling, hypnotic dance music, in the mighty tradition of Carl Craig's 'Bug In The Bass Bin'. Two constantly shifting blends of Belfi's richly rhythmic snare-work with stately drones and shimmering electronica. Themes and traces constantly loom and recede, underpinned by a deep, pulsating bass drum, and tautened by a widescreen sense of drama (with Morricone in mind). ('Cera persa', in Italian; 'casa perdue', in French: 'lost-wax' or 'investment' casting, by which a sculpture is duplicated.)"
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MIA 029CD
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Natura Morta, "dead nature" or "still life." This album can be understood as a powerful study of the minute details of the art of electro-acoustic composition, as much as the Renaissance "nature morte" were a masterful display of the artist's skill in portraying the glow of a ripe fruit, or capturing the light beaming on a vacant chair. Six tracks, to be listened to as two long explorations in the art of variation and repetition. Layers of drums and percussions intertwine with synth waves, making the portrait come to life, detail after detail, until a complex figure emerges from the white canvas. The constant, unsteady sounds, wavering noise, swirling cymbals, and distant feedback gently pull the listener into the picture, letting them enjoy every detail of these beautifully-staged compositions. Recorded at EMS studio, Stockholm, ZKM in Karlsruhe and at the legendary Funkhaus in Berlin, this album mixes influences from both Italian minimalism and the electro-acoustic contemporary scene. Somewhere in between the electronics of Keith Fullerton Whitman, the percussive repetitions of Jon Mueller, and the atmospheric sensibility of Pan-American.
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MIA 029LP
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LP version. Includes download code.
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RM 446CD
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Wege translates as "path" and it's a fitting title for the latest rendering from master percussionist and experimental composer Andrea Belfi. The album's four pieces act as orientation points through some imaginary sonic landscape. Wege is Belfi's fourth LP (the first with Room40), and stems entirely from compositions completed at two artist-in-residence projects in Austria (Hotel Pupik) and in Brussels (Q-O2 Werkplatz). The album is built around a cyclic electro-acoustic system, through which Belfi has developed a complex musical network of possibilities. With this electro-acoustic system, influenced in part by Steve Reich's "Pendulum Music," Wege's four pieces revolve around spiraling interconnections of synthesizer, feedback and drums. Belfi explains further: "This device creates feedbacks on two drums on my drum kit, and I can modify it by stopping and stretching the drum skins with hands and various kinds of sticks, mallets and brushes, and/or by filtering the feedback with a modular synthesizer." Edited in a quiet apartment in Greifswald (Germany) a small town on the Baltic Sea, the record bears marks of the stillness of the surroundings in which it was finalized. There is a sense of hushed awe and a subtle reference to the wind-swept coldness of the landscape in these pieces. Wege was mastered and mixed by Giuseppe Ielasi.
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HAPNA 029CD
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This is Italy-based Andrea Belfi's second full-length release. Belfi is the drummer of Rosolina Mar and is a member of Medves along with Giuseppe Ielasi, Stefano Pilia, Renato Rinaldi and Riccardo Wanke. In 2002, Belfi embarked on a vast project, which, in time, would become Between Neck & Stomach. The first recordings took place at Valerio Tricoli's (member of 3/4HadBeenEliminated) house in Bologna. Between Neck & Stomach is grounded on two core elements: the first is the material collected during the unique experiment of turning a house into "a living creature with its own voice" (just one example: a synth emitting one continuous note shaking a cupboard filled with pots, pans and plates). The second core element is the choice of just one thematic note per song, around which each track is built and balanced. In this challenging album, the acoustic elements and the electronic ones mingle, intertwine and sometimes switch places: the acoustic sounds are treated as if they were electronic, and the actual electronic sounds are played at the very moment. This album sketches imaginary landscapes where drums, guitars and voices blend into a bunch of eclectic tracks, which, in spite of their radical minimalist roots, are definitively worthy of the name "songs."
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