Friday, 20 December 2024

OUC048 : Vafa Vaghefi - Kasra Faridi - Houman Dehlavi / Seven Skies Vol.II

 

Cover art by Nasser Azizi Joshan - A. L.


OUC048: Vafa Vaghefi - Kasra Faridi - Houman Dehlavi / Seven Skies Vol.II

Second volume (see Vol.I here) with the new compositions from Iranian composer Houman Dehlavi. 10 tunes played by Vafa Vaghefi and 2 by Kasra Faridi.

Houman Dehlavi says:

"Volume 2 of the collection Seven Skies consists of mostly short pieces, prepared by means of various types of musical forms.
The pieces in this volume progress from simple to complex, each incorporating at least one specific technical focus and carefully presented in a distinct form.
The first five Theme -and -variation pieces focus on clarity and simplicity, laying a foundation of musicality and expressive articulation. The five short pieces that follow, enrich the collection with captivating themes and harmonies, adding depth and variety to the musical experience. They evolve in style and structure, reflecting a journey from the classical era through to impressionism.
The collection culminates in Sonata and Waltz, demonstrating well-defined forms from the classical and romantic periods, while bridging toward the neo-romantic and impressionistic elements featured in Volume I. This progression offers a thoughtfully curated and diverse repertoire.
This collection has been made available to music lovers through the kind collaboration of esteemed pianists Vafa Vaghefi and Kasra Faridi, to whom I would like to express my gratitude."

Houman Dehlavi was born in 1971. He learned music from early childhood under the supervision of his father, a famous composer and conductor, and his mother, who is a renowned Persian musician. He studied piano and violin under well-known masters, and learned the fundamentals of music composition from his father, Hossein Dehlavi, and later from Ahmad Pejman, an acclaimed Persian composer. Houman holds a bachelor's degree in piano and a master's degree in music composition from the University of Art. During his education, he benefited from training under masters such as Rafael Minaskanian, Emanuel Melik-Aslanian, and Thomas Christian David, an Austrian musician, by participating in master courses in music composition and conducting. He began his teaching career at various music institutes and privately, but shortly thereafter started teaching at the University of Arts.

Throughout his career, he has composed and arranged a variety of music for piano solos, duets, quaDrtets, string orchestras, symphonic orchestras, and other ensembles that include Persian instruments and vocals. His works have been performed in Europe, Canada, and the USA. Additionally, he has composed music for several theatrical plays and documentary movies. Houman has published two music books for piano and has released two CD albums.


Vafa Vaghefi, born in 1960, started his first piano lessons when he was a child at Mazandaran Center for Art and Culture where later in 1979, he started teaching piano. He entered the university in 1993 and he has received his bachelor's degree in piano performance.
Over the years, he has had a great number of collaborations with many musicians and on recordings of hundreds of projects as a piano soloist. He has also trained many piano students most of whom are now professionally active in artistic activities in different parts of the world.
His passion in teaching has driven him to record several collections of piano works for educational purposes, among which to be mentioned is the complete recording of the Burgmüller Etudes.
"Fantasy for Piano and String Orchestra" is his most recent work as a piano soloist, which was released by Hezardastan Publishing in a collection titled “Days of Not Being” composed by Houman Dehlavi.

Kasra Faridi is a professional Classical Pianist and Composer, born in 1992, Tehran, Iran. He began receiving piano lessons at a young age under the supervision of world-renowned instructors such as Houman Dehlavi, Tamara Dolitzeh, Arpineh Israelian and Gagik Babayan. Notably, Kasra performed his very first piano solo when he was only six years old.Over the years, Kasra has become a sought-after performer at numerous piano soloist festivals, including the prestigious Tehran Soloist Festival, Biennial Festival, Schubert International Music Festival, Youth Festival, Classic to Contemporary Festival and many others.In addition to his love for music, Kasra is also an accomplished theoretical physicist, having graduated with a master of science in theoretical particle physics from Tehran University. His mathematical background has come in handy in his passion for electronic composition and programming, which he received instructions from and taught by Joachim Heintz. Apart from that, he studied general and classical composition under the supervision of Houman Dehlavi and contemporary composition by Kiawasch Sahebnassagh. Kasra's ability to combine both art and science has allowed him to create a unique sound that is unparalleled in the world of classical contemporary music.

Vafa Vaghefi: piano 1-10
Kasra Faridi: piano 11-12
Houman Dehlavi: all compositions

Digital release on the 20th of December 2024.

Track listing:

1: Childhood Dreams Thema
2: Variation.1
3: Variation.2
4: Variation.3
5: Variation.4
6: Sound of Angels No. 1
7: Sound of Angels No. 2
8: Sound of Angels No. 3
9: Sound of Angels No. 4
10: Sound of Angels No. 5
11: Like a Waltz
12: Classical Sonata

Itunes, Spotify, etc.:


And on Bandcamp:

Friday, 13 December 2024

ODG202 : Jacopo Costa / Teachers and Demons


Cover art by Ilaria De Bona


ODG202: Jacopo Costa / Teachers and Demons


Italian poly-instrumentalist and songwriter living in Strasbourg for several years and active in different groups (such as Loomings and Oiapok), Jacopo Costa launched a new electroacoustic one-man band project in 2020. He sings while playing vibraphone, percussion, machines, and everything is processed in real time by electronics. The original approach to writing and playing that is created on this hybrid set results in an atypical mix, halfway between Robert Wyatt and Prince: dreamlike, daring and offbeat songs, conceived like the letters of an imaginary correspondence . 

'Teachers and Demons' is the project's first album to be released.

Jacopo, pic by Grégory Massat

Fascinated since childhood by the acoustic dimension of the world, Jacopo Costa's career has been deeply marked by his encounter with the music of Frank Zappa, the groups of the "Canterbury scene", the Rock In Opposition collective, but also Prince, Burt Bacharach, the avant-gardes of the 20th century, the Beatles, Paul Simon, it is more oriented towards amplified repertoires, especially music from the world of rock but which defies any categorization. His favorite instruments are the drums and the vibraphone; the love for vocal music motivated him to study singing, while the interest in production pushed him to delve deeper into MAO. He has collaborated with orchestras, contemporary music ensembles and groups of different types. He is the founder of Loomings, an art rock band active between 2014 and 2020, and he is currently a member of the projects Oiapok, The Juke Revue, La Bagatelle du Géant and Fracktal.




Put the candle back: 


Jacopo Costa: music
Romain Muller: Mix
Cover photo by Ilaria De Bona

Digital release on the 13th of December 2024.

Track listing:

1: Fun of Me
2: The old Man's Place
3: Demons
4: Sonnet
5: Page 46
6: Sweaters
7: December
8: P Douche
9: Through the Idle Orbits
10: When You're a Pro
11: Clear Colored Boulders
12: Put the Candle Back

Itunes, Spotify, etc.:


And on Bandcamp:

Friday, 6 December 2024

ODG201 : Un vrai semblant / Loin dehors, loin dedans

 

Cover art by Nicolas Marchant


ODG201: Un vrai semblant / Loin dehors, loin dedans


The second album (see ODG192) from Un vrai semblant is once again a deep electronic travel between experimental, noise, ambient and field recordings in 6 parts. 

'Loin dehors, loin dedans' is a perfect title matching the music which is exactly what the title says: Far outside, far inside. 

Listen with headphones to really appreciate the ins and outs!

Digital release on the 6th of December.

Track listing:

1: Part 1 - Cells
2: Part 2 - Surface
3: Part 3 - Earth
4: Part 4 - Faces
5: Part 5 - Walk
6: Part 6 - Waves

Itunes, Spotify, etc.:


And on Bandcamp:

Friday, 29 November 2024

 



Cover art by A.L., pic by Pierre Vervloesem


OVD085: Pierre Vervloesem / Palm Bleach

Five new classical pieces written by Pierre Vervloesem for a ten pieces musicians.
Between contemporary, minimal, crossover but definitively 'Vervloesemesque' music!

Pierre says:
'
5 pieces written for a small volunteer orchestra.
Thank you to all the participants, especially three of them'.

Pierre Vervloesem: bass, composition
Thomas Mayade: trumpet 
Bruno Vansina: saxophones, flûte
Liesbeth Lambrecht: violins
Yves Ethorner: piano
Alain Telligent: percussions
Henri Golleau: vibes
Marc de Triomphe: xylophone, glockenspiel, vibes
Sebastien Vaumieu-Ktulora: marimba
Nicole Apoisson: harp

Digital release on the 29th of November 2024.

Track listing:

1: Palm Bleach, Pt. 1
2: Aboriginal Tango
3: Palm Bleach, Pt. 2
4: Pandas Go Home
5: Palm Bleach, Pt. 3

Itunes, Spotify, etc.:


And on Bandcamp:

Friday, 22 November 2024

ODG200 : Mycelium / Gateways to the deep

 

Cover art by Nicolas Marchant



ODG200 : Mycelium / Gateways to the deep

The Belgian trio Mycelium was founded around the desire to do free improvisation. 

Aurore Leloup is a guitarist and trombonist who plays in jazz and traditional groups.
Lydie Thonnard is a flautist, singer and body percussionist who plays in classical, contemporary, jazz and traditional groups. 
Nicolas Marchant (see also ODG192) is a composer with a background in electronic music; he has worked for the theater and dance companies.

Very quickly the improvisation sessions led them towards organic, grainy and minimalist soundscapes which inspired the name Mycelium. This first album is divided into 5 movements. 
Their electroacoustic sounds and electronic experimentations gives us an intricate and mysterious music partly ambient, partly noisy avant garde... Listen and judge for yourself!


Aurore Leloup : Guitar, pedals
Nicolas Marchant : Electronic, processing
Lydie Thonnard : Flutes, vocals

Digital release on the 22th of November 2024.

Track listing:

1: First pass
2: Second door
3: Third way
4: Fourth bridge
5: Fifth path

Itunes, Spotify, etc.:


And on Bandcamp:

Friday, 15 November 2024

ODG197 : Adam Majdecki-Janicki / Zoneout

 

Cover art by Justin Jackley


ODG197 Adam Majdecki-Janicki / Zoneout

 
Adam Majdecki-Janicki (1985) is a multi talented Polish artist with a penchant for creating mind-bending musical landscapes. His music is a captivating fusion of psychedelic rock, experimental sounds, and poetic lyricism, taking listeners on a journey through a kaleidoscope of emotions. With his DIY ethos and unwavering passion for music, he is a force to be reckoned with in the underground music scene.

He has previously released his work on labels such as Nebular Silence, Superspace Records, Engram Recordings, Illuminated Paths, Silent Method Records, Snow in Water Records, Father and Son Records and Tapes, attenuation circuit, Anticipating Nowhere Records, Fifth Section Records, nostalgie de la boue, Muteant Sounds (net label), Veinte 33 Records, Boiled Angel Records, Herby Records, and Argali Records Netlabel.

After 25 years of artistic work, his debut vinyl LP titled simply “Adam Majdecki-Janicki” was released with Herby Records on December 9 2023. It is a beautiful limited release with exclusive artwork by Justin Jackley.

In 2024, Adam is entering his 26th year of operation as an artist.

His new album, “Zoneout”, sees Adam exploring his more psychedelic and improv side. He uses primarily acoustic and electric guitars, bass guitar, and synthesizers, but also utilizes tapes in the spirit of his 2020 “Eimi” album complimented by Maurizio Bianchi himself. The music is a curious mixture of Kosmische Musik, noise, and folklore. Traces of drone and ambient can also be detected, as well as traces of free jazz, and punk.

“Zoneout” was recorded live January 31-February 5 2024 at the Via Kosmische home studio in Poznań, Poland. Only first takes were used for the final album experience.

“Zoneout” is a fine addition to Adam's long catalogue of works, and a fresh look at what is now 26 years of work as an audio artist.



Digital release on the 15 of November 2024.

Track listing:

A1: First Morning Jam
A2: Tape Structure
A3: Care for Earth
A4: Weird Pipe
A5: Der Schmiere
B1: Die Rauchfahne
B2: Szumy Uszne
B3: Ein Ding
B4: Zones
B5: Porozumienie Miedzyplanetarne
B6: Mindtripeye

Itunes, Spotify, etc.:


And on Bandcamp:
 

Tuesday, 12 November 2024

OUI047 : Daniele Morelli - Hadrien Santos da Silva / Cinema

 


Cover art by Raul Herrer



OUI047 : Daniele Morelli - Hadrien Santos da Silva / Cinema 

Daniele is used to play in solo, duo, trio or more, adapting his delicate guitar play to mostly 'jazz' compositions but loves also to experiment with unusual musicians ( glass music) or loved territories like his new album 'Cinema'. 

Daniele says: 
"I have always been a cinema lover, this is my personal homage to cinema, cinema music, Italian cinema and in general. 
Most of the music comes from the 1972 Italian film Pinocchio by Fiorenzo Carpi. I added other compositions from other films and invited a great friend, Hadrien Santos da Silva, an attentive and fine drummer who I have known for many years. Hadrien accepted the adventure without doubt. We met in a hotel room in Paris to mix it together and this is the result. Happy listening" 

Daniele Morelli has released already 6 albums on Off, see Catalogue page to discover all of them. 

Raised in Latin America (Peru, Mexico), Hadrien Santos Da Silva started with rock and metal, before training in jazz at the conservatories of Angoulême and then Lyon, where he stills live. 
After twenty years, he quickly turned to world music...  more

credits 

Daniele Morelli: guitars 
Hadrien Santos da Silva: drums and percussions 
Lucio Jiménez: mastering 
Cover by Raúl Herrera

Digital release on the 12th of November 2024.

Track listing:

1: Autostop per Rio
2: C'era una volta il West
3: Geppetto Theme
4: Il gatto e la volpe
5: Pinocchio
6: Lucignolo
7: Shindler's list
8: Ultimo tango a Parigi
9: In cerca di cibo
10: Turchina


Itunes, Spotify, etc.:


And on Bandcamp: