When I think of Netherworld, I immediately make a link with Glacial Movements. Operating from…
When I think of Netherworld, I immediately make a link with Glacial Movements. Operating from Rome (Italy) Alessandro Tedeschi released the first Netherworld production during the early millennium years. He set up Glacial Movements in 2006 and started to release dark-ambient and cinematic productions. “Algida Bellezza” is the musician’s return to the ambient universe of Netherworld. It became a delicate and poignant production inspired by the birth of Alessandro’s daughter. He asked an interesting question about a possible existing ‘parallel between the beauty, innocence and fragility of a newborn baby girl and that of the flora and fauna present in the fragile Arctic ecosystems’. I talked about it all with Alessandro Tedeschi and his mate Matteo Spinazzè Savaris who mixed, mastered and co-produced the album.
Q: “Algida Bellezza” is the first Netherworld-album in years! How do you
explain this long silence? Do you think such a long break can also be benefic
to find new music ideas and to create new compositions?
Alessandro: To be honest, between the “Alchemy Of Ice” and
“Algida Bellezza”-albums, I released two other albums, which both
were published for the techno / “Dub Iceberg”-series of the label. One is
“Himuro”, composed together with my friend Eraldo Bernocchi and the
other is “Zastrugi” (2015) for which I composed all the songs, but
which were then mixed and mastered by my friend Matteo Spinazzè Savaris.
It’s been a long time… but since I’m also the artistic director and
founder of Glacial Movements, I have preferred to give space to other artists
over the years. I had many demos to produce from great artists, and doing it
all alone takes time, energy and dedication. I also have a stable job that
occupies my day for at least 8 hours, and I also have a beautiful family, so I
have to be good at knowing how to handle all these things well. I have never been
a very prolific artist, I prefer to wait for the right moment to release a
complete album. But above all, I must also have an idea to propose to myself
and to the public.
Moreover, regarding “Algida Bellezza”, the realization time
was actually longer than usual. I had created the whole structure of the five
songs in a very short time (in the first week of my daughter’s birth in 2015),
but then I decided to entrust the rest of the work to my friend and sound
engineer Matteo Spinazzè Savaris. Considering that he too has many other jobs
to pursue, the long silence is explained.
Yes, I really believe it… in my opinion taking a long break, can only
be good for myself and also for the expectations of the people who support me.
Silence is essential.
Q: This new work is probably one of the most special- and intimate ones
you’ve ever composed as it’s entirely dedicated to the birth of your daughter!
Has your daughter be the click to start composing again? How did it really
happen and does this major event in life had an influence on you as musician
and human being?
Alessandro: “Algida Beauty” would never have been composed
without my newborn daughter in my arms. She was my muse during the composition
of the soundscapes of the entire album. This happened during the first few days
of her life… I was rocking her, and at the same time I was scrutinizing and
composing the tracks using only one instrument, the VP9000 connected with an
Eventide. This beautiful event has completely overwhelmed my life, a sudden impulse
of emotions I felt it needed to be propagate in the ether. It was as if that
sweet, tender and fragile beauty was talking to me. There are not enough words
to describe those moments. My daughter and I in a way translated this into
sound. I certainly feel the influence on me above all as a living being. Every
day there is something new to discover together, being the father of a child is
something really special. It’s a fantastic adventure, impossible to get bored.
There are so many things I want to teach her, but it will take time as it
should be.
She is now four years old, and she has already shown interest in what I
do musically. She enjoys the synths and plays Tibetan bowls. She is curious,
and somehow remembers me when I was a child. As a human being she has
profoundly influenced my life. She is a ray of light. From a musical point of
view, everything I wanted to express through sound is in the 45 minutes of the
album. I have a lot of other stuff to work on … we’ll see what happens in the
future!
Q: “Algida Bellezza” is not just an album dedicated to your daughter,
but still a conceptual work with a deeper question dealing with the existence
of a possible ‘parallel between the beauty, innocence and fragility of a
newborn baby girl and that of the flora and fauna present in the Arctic areas
and therefore even more fragile on the planet’? How do you imagine this
parallel and how did you try to transpose it into music?
Alessandro: This is an excellent question, which gives me the
opportunity to describe the concept of “Algida Beauty” more in depth.
In reality, the idea of linking the two things happened after the
composition of the songs. Being an album that was supposed to come out on
Glacial Movements, but that was actually inspired by an event that had nothing
to do with glacial issues, I needed to find the link. At first, it was not easy
to find it at all, but one day I read on an scientific blog, that the umpteenth
gigantic block of ice had come off the Antarctic coast, and that this event
would then inevitably compromise the fragile ecosystem of the whole world. I
strongly believe that we are living in the worst period in human history
(second only to the universal flood), global warming is unstoppable and
irreversible and in addition to affecting the environment, it is also affecting
animal species. Such as polar bears, walruses, orcas, whales and even sled dogs
in Greenland, whose population has increased from 30,000 to just a few
thousand.
The latter is represented in the cover image of the album, whose photo
was taken by photographer Carsten Egevang who is narrating the critical
situation in that territory. All this criticality, fragility, but above all the
beauty of these places and animals, has triggered in me a connection with what
had just happened to me, namely the birth of my daughter. The beauty of a
newborn child is at the same time also fragile and defenseless. She needs
attention and care from her mom and dad, so we must preserve her by keeping her
safe. The same thing should be done by all humanity towards the Arctic and
Antarctic ecosystem, but it is too late; we have not had respect for nature,
and we will therefore be punished for this. Unfortunately, I am almost certain
that my daughter will not be able to see the icy beauty of our planet.
The title of the songs I have chosen therefore refer to the Latin names
of some animals at risk of extinction, such as “Orcinus Orca”, which
I can define the darkest song of the album. In my opinion, what has been
described so far, can be perceived while listening to “Algida
Bellezza”. There are ethereal and melancholic passages that alternate with
darker and more threatening moments.
Q: That brings me to say “Algida Bellezza” sounds dreamy and relaxing,
but indeed, still filled with darker passages. I know this is just my
subjective feeling as listener, but here again it’s interesting trying to find
the link with the concept of the work! Do you recognize the ‘dreamy & and
relaxing” elements plus the ‘darker passages’ and what do they stand for?
Alessandro: You hit the mark. It’s not just your impression, but it’s
what I wanted to get to the listener. The dreamy element is present in that I
describe distant and almost immaculate, pure and wonderful landscapes. They are
covered in white…. but unfortunately still for a short time, and therefore
there are also more obscure elements, which indicate the environmental danger
that we are all facing. The piece that most of all represents the darkness is
“Orcinus Orca”.
Matteo: I felt “Algida Bellezza” like a trip in the deep world of our
consciousness; like a soundwalk in a meditation state of mind touching the very
profound soul of the human being.
Q: Tell us a bit more about the different stages of the composition
you’d to go through? What did you keep in mind as the major difficulties you
encountered and eventually some challenges in the accomplishment of this work?
Alessandro:I have to say I haven’t had any. Everything was born
and evolved in a very fluid way precisely because I was truly inspired. I had
never experienced this before.
Matteo: We are matter and are all connect to each other. Mankind doesn’t know that
matter, and energy exist in many different vibrational frequencies and levels,
but all occupies the same space. It’s like going through dimensions,
visualizing different forms of matter liquid, gas or plasma.
Q: Can we consider “Algida Bellezza” as a referential work to illustrate
the sound, influences and maybe philosophy of Glacial Movements? And how do you
perceive this new work compared to earlier Netherworld-productions?
Alessandro: Hard to say… I have produced forty record releases and
each one could be referential. What I’m sure of is that this album is certainly
more intimate and personal than my previous ones, as the feelings that made
this possible are tied to my daughter. Probably this work touches strings
different from other works.
Matteo: I love using the binaural recording technique to immerse our mind and body
in a wider ‘vision’ of primordial landscapes. This new work continues the
legacy of exploring the connection that exists between sounds, mind and the
energy of Earth. The ability of the human being to receive the vibrations of
the surrounding world.
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