Giuseppe Ielasi, Domenico Sciajno

Right After is a remarkably subtle album of duo electronics by two relatively young Italians with roots in avant-garde improvisation. While Giuseppe Ielasi began his career as a guitarist and Domenico Sciajno was an improvising bassist of note, both gradually moved into the area of pure electronics and sound manipulation. A fine balance of pristine, crystalline sounds and earthy scrabbling noises is shown from the first track, ²at a greater distance² which offsets pinging, high pitched tones that oscillate in one¹s ears with rough scratches and rubs, all of which manage to cohere into a satisfying whole.

The music is, in a sense, entirely abstract with only the occasional throbbing pulse barely hinting at a regular rhythm and no traditional melody to be found. At the same time, however, there is an odd familiarity to the pieces, as though the duo is evoking an urban nostalgia filled with the cast-off sounds of contemporary, industrial life. There are a couple of relatively violent eruptions but more often the works are on a smoother keel, veering this way and that with the adroit real-time decisions of their creators. In fact, the listener is well advised to remember that these are improvisations, as well formed and ³rounded² as they are. When the final track ends at almost exactly the same territory where the first began, one can¹t help but be impressed at not only the distance traveled, but the grace and imagination with which it was crossed. Right After is a valuable contribution to the catalog of electronic improvisation. (All Music Guide, Brian Olewnick)