Lucio Capece, Mika Vainio

Editions Mego issues the first album by duo Lucio Capece and Mika Vainio. At first glance, the two seem unlikely partners. Two standard-bearers at opposing poles of extremity, both sonically and geographically. Lucio from Argentina and rooted in the traditions of jazz and improv, while Mika, hailing from Finland, sourced in early '90s electronic and industrial scenes. However, they both share an alarming attention to detail when it comes to their audio compositions, and neither are afraid of pushing boundaries of abstraction to the limit. Recorded over a 2-year period in Berlin (their common chosen home), Trahnie is as startling as it is visceral. Delicate as it is extreme. Huge blasting slabs of concrete sax geometrically oppose sonic taps of electronic sound, which bring about a fascinating sound palette. The opening "Ujellus" is both piercing and soothing; "Juurake" combines pure sweat with cold emotion; tense environmental scrapes flesh out on "Ahuyenta Temores." From the pounding machinist overdrive on "Tolmavuo" to the poignant melancholy of "Mañana." It's all here. Lucio Capece: soprano saxophone, bass clarinet, preparations, mixer-sax feedback, sruti box; Mika Vainio: electronics and treatments, electric guitar, cymbal.