Paolo F. Bragaglia & Ganzfeld Frequency Test – The Man From The Lab (Album – Minus Habens Records)
Genre/Influences: Experimental, Minimal-Electro, Cinematographic, Ambient.
Format: Digital, CD.
Background/Info: This album resulted from the collaborative efforts between established Italian composer/producer Paolo F. Bragaglia and a couple of producers. The concept deals about a retro-sci/fi dystopian world getting us back to the 70s.
Content: “The Man From The Lab” is mixing pure Experimental Electronics and minimal sound treatments. The bleeping sequences and Ambient atmospheres sound like evoking Electronic pioneers and I can’t get away from the feeling this work has been inspired by Tangerine Dream. That’s maybe not a coincidence as Edgar Froese started releasing his music in the 70s. The instrumental tracks sometimes reveal a few spoken-like samplings.
+ + + : It’s quite a long time ago I heard new stuff from Minus Habens and it was a cool surprise listening to this work. I like the minimal approach, mixing different influences together. But “The Man From The Lab” is clearly evoking the early days of Electro-Ambient music. The analogue sound treatments and effects bring this period back alive. It sounds minimal and experimental, but always accessible.
– – – : The debut part of the album is definitely more exciting than the second one so in the end it all became a bit predictable and monotone. The addition of a few vocals might be an idea.
Conclusion: This work deals with a cool concept and has been adapted into some cool vintage songs.
Best songs: “The Mixture”, “The Man From The Lab”, “Black Swan”, “Monkey”.
Rate: 7.
Artist: www.paolobragaglia.com / www.facebook.com/paolobragagliamusic
Label: www.minushabens.com / www.facebook.com/MinusHabensRecords
About Paolo F. Bragaglia
Paolo F. Bragaglia is an Italian electronic composer and producer from the Marche region. Side-Line reported in Paolo F. Bragaglia returns with OST ‘The Man from the Lab’ on Minus Habens Records that he is the author of seven albums and has collaborated with Mauro Pagani, who guested on his 1999 debut “Magnum Chaos”, as well as Steve Piccolo, Monica Demuru, Howie B, Roberto Paci Dalò, Robert Lippok, the Orchestra Filarmonica Marchigiana and the dancer Simona Lisi.
He founded the Acusmatiq electronic music festival in Ancona in 2006 and directs it, and set up the Museo del Synth Marchigiano, dedicated to vintage electronic instruments. His earlier Minus Habens titles include “Mystère Du Printemps” in 2006 and “Yug” in 2011, the latter by his electro-acoustic duo project Synusonde.
“The Man From The Lab” was released on 5 November 2021 by Minus Habens Records as a digital download and on CD. Bragaglia composed, wrote, arranged and produced the nine tracks in spring 2020 and supplied the voice on “Black Swan”. Paolo Ojetti mastered the album at Castaway Studio, Massimo Macellari handled the graphic design and trailer animation, and Marco Bragaglia the photography. The tracklist runs from “Monkey” to “The Dawn Of The Mouse”. The artist describes the record as the soundtrack of an imaginary television series set in a secret experimental biology laboratory in a dystopian late 1970s.
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