12/05/2012
COG@Altes Finanzamt

18/05/2012
SOLO@Ausland
+ Tsembla
http://www.ausland-berlin.de/tsembla-andrea-belfi

23/05/2012
Andrea Belfi+Simon James Phillips@Naherholung Sternchen
http://www.simonjamesphillips.com/
http://www.naherholung-sternchen.de/about.php

http://www.fluid-radio.co.uk/2012/02/andrea-belfi-wege/

Experiments conducted by psychologists and cognitive scientists suggest that infants as young as two months of age can discriminate between different rhythms. Indeed, rhythmic elements such as the mother’s breathing and walking can be perceived while still in the womb. There is no doubt that the ability to place temporal events within a sequence and recognise patterns emerging from them is an important evolutionary skill – memory would be impossible without it, for example. Yet this still doesn’t seem to account for the rhythm’s power to stir the emotions and elicit pleasure.

“Wege” translates as ‘path’ or ‘way’ – another concept that would be completely meaningless without the ability to distinguish between discrete spatiotemporal events and sequence them. On one level, Andrea Belfi’s third album is mostly about hitting things – tapping them, scraping them, beating them, slapping them, shaking them. To this end he has devised a unique “cyclic electro-acoustic system” using parts of his drum kit, allowing him to generate all manner of sounds using the traditional percussionists’ toolbox of sticks, mallets, brushes, and skin stretches, and by using a modular synthesizer as a filter. But just as important as the sounds themselves are the ways in which they are organised temporally, arranged one after the other to form a winding path leading the listener through the album.

Such creative use of rhythm can completely transform the effect of a track. An example is the second half of the second piece, “B” (the four tracks are named alphabetically). The languid slide guitar and strings would be almost too languid were it not for the racing, nervous energy supplied by the rapid cymbal rhythms. The juxtaposition of fast and slow, or temporal density with sparseness: sitting still and staring out of the window of a train that cannot move quickly enough, bathed in sunlight. Belfi’s rhythms are complex and diverse, focusing the attention on the razor-sharp edge of now.

It’s not all about percussion: instruments such as bass and synth, along with the aforementioned slide guitar and strings, are used to provide melody, and various non-rhythmic noises burble away in the background. It could be argued, however, that even these elements are arranged according to a logic that is more rhythmic than melodic or harmonic – even the spoken voices that appear in “A” and “C” produce a rhythmic pattern, as if triggered by a beat.

Rhythm may well be written into the DNA of every human, as fundamental as a heartbeat, yet with “Wege” Belfi demonstrates a rare understanding of its subtleties and complexities. And did I mention something about pleasure? Damn right I did. This is one of the most engaging, playful, and enjoyable albums I’ve heard for some time, and listening to it is like having your brain shifted up a couple of gears. A fantastic start to the year from the Room40 label, and a new career highpoint for Belfi – recommended!
- Nathan Thomas (@nlt_1840) for Fluid Radio

Vital Weekly–english–
byFrans de Waard

Andrea Belfi is a drummer who (hopefully) doesn’t need any introduction. He played with David Grubbs, Stefano Pilia, Machinefabriek, and Attila Faravelli. ‘Wege’ is his fourth release in which he explores the possibilities of a system he developed which allows him to play drums, synthesizer and feedback at the same time. He uses speakers to create feedback on the drums which are then filtered through the synthesizer, all to which Belfi can drum along. Belfi has a style that is very much his own, using a lot of tom sounds and handheld percussion. The more I play this, the less convinced I am that its all played at once. The cover lists a bunch of additional recordings provided by some of the people mentioned above, so somewhere along the lines, something has been added. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m really excited to announce the release of WEGE, my new solo CD on the great australian label ROOM40. Composed, recorded and mixed between 2009 and 2011, the album is in between a live performance and an electroacoustic composition, with a strong narrative character. It features guests Valerio Tricoli, Machinefabriek, Attila Faravelli, Greg Haines, Stefano Pilia, Andrea Faccioli, Stefano Roveda, Stefano, Tedesco, Manuel Giannini (Starfuckers).

Please visit http://room40.org/store/andrea_belfi_wege
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And this is the first nice review on Vital Weekly by Frans de Waard:
“Andrea Belfi is a drummer who (hopefully) doesn’t need any introduction. He played with David Grubbs, Stefano Pilia, Machinefabriek, and Attila Faravelli. ‘Wege’ is his fourth release in which he explores the possibilities of a system he developed which allows him to play drums, synthesizer and feedback at the same time. He uses speakers to create feedback on the drums which are then filtered through the synthesizer, all to which Belfi can drum along. Belfi has a style that is very much his own, using a lot of tom sounds and handheld percussion. The more I play this, the less convinced I am that its all played at once. The cover lists a bunch of additional recordings provided by some of the people mentioned above, so somewhere along the lines, something has been added. Its of course not really important to know how it was made, it makes no claim of being recorded at once. It has a great stillness around it, the simple yet highly effective beats of beats, sparse electronics from feedback, and making this is into a fine record of improvisation meets post rock meets electro-acoustics in four delightful pieces of music. I wouldn’t have mind hearing a bit more.”

I will present my new solo release at NK in Berlin on Saturday January 21st.
The album is called WEGE and it is released by ROOM40

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Andrea Belfi might be better known to some of you through his recent work with David Grubbs (Gastr del Sol, Bastro, Red Krayola) and Stefano Pilia and their excellent Onrushing Cloud LP released in 2010, and yet some of you might have witnessed Belfi here at the very same place, NK, last time he was round these parts. Either way, this spectacular location has a knack of hosting some memorable shows and tonight has all the right ingredients. Joining Belfi are Clifford Torus (drums, synth) and Marinos Koutsomichalis (sound/visual artist).

http://www.blitzgigs.de/2012/01/21/andrea-belfi-at-nk/