Andrea Belfi
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DISCOGRAPHY
Andrea Belfi "Between Neck & Stomach" CD (Hapna records 2006)

1-Sandlglass
2-ExtraEvil listen
3-Broken Shoes
4-Sleeping With ExtraEvil listen
5-Her Own Desert
6-Footprints

Between Neck & Stomach is grounded on two core elements: the first is the material collected during the unique experiment of turning a house into "a living creature with its own voice" (just one example: a synth emitting one continuous note shaking a cupboard filled with pots, pans and plates). The second core element is the choice of just one thematic note per song, around which each track is built and balanced.

In this challenging album the acoustic elements and the electronic ones mingle, intertwine and sometimes switch places: the acoustic sounds are treated as they were electronic, and the actual electronic ones are played at the very moment. Rhythmic patterns go beyond the mere beat as AB shapes them in cycles, ever-circling but ever-changing, both reassuring and surprising. This album sketches imaginary landscapes where drums, guitars and voices blend into a bunch of eclectic tracks, which, in spite of their radical minimalist roots, are definitively worthy of the name 'songs'.

Andrea Belfi's skills in composing and editing is electro acoustic works were clearly perceivable in his 2002 debut album, Ned n°2, warmly welcomed and well reviewed by magazines such as The Wire, Bananafish, Sound Projector

REVIEWS

  • The Wire (December 2006)
  • Vital Weekly (December 2006)
  • Boomkat (December 2006)
  • Blowupmagazine (October 2006)
  • Sodapop (October 2006)
  • SandsZine (November 2006)
  • Undomondo (November 2006)
  • Cracked (November 2006)
  • Subjectivisten (November 2006)
  • Alternative Nation (November 2006)
  • Bad Alchemy (November 2006)
  • RockLab (Ottobre 2006)
  • Tiny Mix Tapes (November 2006)
  • Digital Industries (December 2006)
  • Sonhors (December 2006)
  • Debug (December 2006)
  • Kinda Muzik (December 2006)
  • All Music Guide (December 2006)
  • Sentireascoltare (Marzo 2007)
  • Monochrome magazine(October 2006)
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    REVIEWS


    All Music Guide (December 2006)
    27-02-2007

    Rosalina Mar's drummer Andrea Belfi has delivered with Between Neck & Stomach an album of delicate sound constructions in tune with Häpna's unwritten aesthetics: dreamy sound pieces sitting restlessly between abstract constructs and pastoral tunes, electronic treatments and folk music on the porch at sunset. Belfi being a drummer, it should be no surprise if percussion occupies the center stage throughout the album, from the ominous snare drum-pressed roll of "Sandglass" to the treated metal cling-clangs of "Sleeping with Extraevil." The other main instruments are harmonium (evoking previous Häpna releases signed or involving Andreas Berthling), guitar (evoking Giuseppe Ielasi's two Häpna CD's), and voice, all wrapped up in electronics ranging from a gentle popcorn to harsh wails. Belfi's music is attuned to the label's artistic direction, fine, but it also follows its own course. In that regard, the 11-minute "Extraevil" provides a highlight, for its careful pacing, immersive mood and highly skilled composition. On the other hand, "Sleeping with Extraevil" feels somewhat more predictable, plus the start-stop samples, loop-driven structure and overall sound palette simply get too close to Ielasi's territory for comfort. Thankfully, "Sandglass," "Footprints" and the aforementioned "Extraevil" all showcase a talented composer with a fresh voice. Also working for Between Neck & Stomach are its smooth listening curve, thematic unity, immersive quality, and short duration, all factors that make it easy to listen to in one sitting, despite the demanding nature of the music.
    ~ François Couture
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