M.B. (Maurizio Bianchi) – The Sacral Inhabitat (CD 4iB Records)

In 2020 Maurizio Bianchi was celebrating 40 years of working in music. The 40 years consisting of two periods of work separated by a large break of 15 years. There were some releases under the name Sacher-Pelz in 1979 and 1980 before Maurizio started to release music under own name in 1980. This came to an abrupt halt in 1983 when Maurizio had become a Jehovah’s Witness and there are quotes from around this time when it seems he was expecting the end of the world. However in 1998 Alga Marghen records offered to set up a label for his recordings and Maurizio resumed working in music and at an astonishing rate with a huge plethora of releases.

The second phase of his musical endeavours shifts between different styles, sometimes his work is perhaps calmer and more subdued than his earlier works and at other times it seems as if he is revisiting the sounds and methods of his earlier pieces.

The Sacral Inhabitat is one of the more subdued works. It’s has an almost mournful funeral sound as it starts. What sounds like but isn’t a slowed down loop of some sort of horn type instrument leads us into the first of two long pieces. Other subterranean rumblings, higher pitched squalls join in and crackles, pulses and noise all appear at quite a pace for a track that is has such a slow dragging feel to it. What sounded like a loop develops throughout the first half of the piece but is effectively for this time the heart of the track the other sounds (and there are plenty of them) come in for a short period of time before they disappear to be replaced by others. It’s very deceptive piece; you don’t think much is happening or changing the first time you listen to it then you realise how complex it actually is.
The second piece is less structured and more free form in its nature with similar sounds to the first piece but without it’s main sound holding the pieces together and giving you something to connect to. Because of this it’s not quite as effective and you don’t feel that you’re losing yourself in the piece in the same way.

It’s an interesting album covering ground that not that many bands do nowadays or if they do, they don’t do it to anywhere this level of ability. The pieces here are deceptive in their ability to make you lose track of time and get swept up inside their underwater subterranean feel. The only time I can remember having a similar feel from an album is when listening to William Basinski’s work with loops.
Certainly one to pick up if you come across it and I’ll be looking out for more of MBs recent works. DB

Contact: 4ibrecords.com