Review about cd "-PRAHA-" from Terapija (July 2012), Croatia.

Što je umjetno, a što izvorno? Koji su zvukovi nastali mašinski, a koji snimljeni u prirodi, organski? U najnovijem izdanju sardinijskog osobenjaka Raimonda Gaviana, koji djeluje pod umjetnickim imenom Svart1, se do nerazdvojivosti miješaju realnost i san, košmar i suptilna harmonija. Njegovo polje djelovanja je dark ambiental. Jedna vrsta zvucne terapije, pomocu koje pokušava rašclaniti u najmanje gradevne jedinice ono što nazivamo stvarnost, dogma, misao, osjecaj. Pri tome on ne bira sredstva i pomagala, nije ogranicen. Zvuk, slika i video-projekcija su njegova oruda. Koristi se kako synthesizerom, gitarom, tako i kompjuterom i drugim uredajima, ali i zvukovima snimljenim izravno i neposredno na terenu. To može biti u prirodi, ali i, kao u ovom slucaju, mašinsku jeku. Tajanstveni pogon (ili pogoni), koji neumorno dominira nad prvih desetak minuta ovog polusatnog naživo-snimka. "Praha" je nastao kao live set održan u Pragu proteklog ožujka u okviru specijalne 'industrial night', organiziranoj od strane Arkham Productions. A njegovo izdanje je preuzeo sarajevski Mrtvaja Records. Prije toga Svart1 je prošle godine imao gig i u zagrebackoj Tvornici, gdje je predstavio svoje tadašnje najnovije izdanje zvano "Der Schnitter". Što je java, a što san? U "Praha" ova dva pojma se preplicu - i medusobno poništavaju. Nije nikakva tajna da ciklicni, neprekinuti zvukovi, ritmovi i melodije izazivaju stanje transa. Stoljecima covjecanstvo se koristi tim sredstvima. Uzdignuti se 'na jedan kat više'. Vidjeti ono što je skriveno. Osjetiti ono što je daleko. No, u ovom slucaju to je strogi nihilizam. Pokušaj kroz zanijekanje otkriti pravu istinu. Samu srž stvari. Konstelacija od neprekinutog protoka hipnoticnih informacija u vidu bizarnih, atonalnih zvukova, kakofonije raznih abrazivnih šumova, udara i efekata. Te u drugom dijelu ove kompozicije, mracno tribalne perkusije u obliku iskrivljenih techno-ritmova, cije uzroke možda treba tražiti u tome što je ovaj cudni umjetnik nastupao na dva velika sardinijska festivala elektronske glazbe, i gdje je moguce inspiriran plesnom elektronikom. No, taj ritmicni element je ovdje dobrodošla protuteža mracnoj i goletnoj atmosferi. Koja se pred završetak pretvara u cistu ambijentalnu i harmonicnu meditaciju. Ali koja ipak i dalje podzvucno zadržava svoj tipicni prijeteci i hladni karakter. Ovaj ljudski sakupljac i kanalizator zvukova cilja prije svega na to da slušatelja odvoji i izdvoji od njegovog okruženja. Dovede ga u jedno transu slicno stanje i usadi mu u um zajednicke uznemirujuce projekcije. I to, mora se priznati, s inženjerskom preciznošcu.
Naravno, da bi se u potpunosti osjetilo ono što ovaj snimak pruža, potrebno je 'biti u tome'. To jest, nemati straha od dark ambientala, industriala i slicnih glazbenih žanrova. Potrebno je biti pristaša eksperimentalne i 'egzoticne' glazbe. No, oni koji to nisu, vjerojatno nece ni procitati ovaj tekst do kraja. A kamo li htjeti poslušati ovaj snimak. Svima drugima je za preporuciti ovaj najnoviji projekt od zanimljivog sardinijskog individualiste.



Review about cd "-PRAHA-" from Kulturterrorismus (July 2012), Germany.

Nachdem im Jahr 2011 “Der Schnitter” von Svart1 sehr gut zu munden wusste und mittlerweile noch durch etliche Videos des italienischen Protagonisten Raimondo Gaviano, dem alleinigen Mann hinter Svart1, angereichert wurde, erweitert das noch junge Projekt die Diskographie nun mit einer im Cafe V Lese in Prag aufgezeichnete Live-EP mit dem knappen Titel “Praha“, die im Grunde als Appetithappen auf kommende Werke fungiert. Wie zu erwarten improvisiert und ohne Cuts befindet sich ein einziger, unbetitelter Track auf der auf 30 Stück limitierten CD-r, die in schlichtem, aber stilvollem Pappschuber samt Kathedralmotiven daherkommt. Musikalisch bleibt sich das Projekt zum Teil treu: noch immer deutlich verwurzelt im (Death) Industrial besteht der gesamte Track aus Sägen, hintergründigem Stromknistern, Fabrikhallensounds & Maschinenrhythmen. Um die Weite der Atmosphäre auszubauen ist alles durchzogen von flächigen Soundfeldern, die durchgängig sakral bis choral klingen und somit die Verbindung zum Motiv und damit dem selbstgewählten Thema der Jenseitigkeit herstellen. Das dazu passende abgedruckte Franz-Kafka-Zitat “A first sign of the beginning of understanding is the wish to die” unterstreicht genau diese Richtung nochmals – allein wie schon zuvor auf “Der Schnitter” ist dieses Thema im Industrial in keinster Weise Neuland. Davon jedoch abgesehen ergießt sich die halbe Stunde der EP sehr angenehm dem geneigten Hörer, und bleibt dabei zwar nicht so variabel, wie zuvor auf dem Tape (und erreicht schon gar nicht dessen teilweise deutliche Rhythmusarbeit), trotzdem aber wandelt sich das Tongut, wenn auch linear, von rau und kratzig zu einem in der Intensität immer weiter abnehmenden Stück, das schließlich gänzlich sphärisch mit sanften Soundscapes und klassisch angehauchten Tonsamples geheimnisvoll aszendierend ausklingt. Fazit: Dass es sich hierbei um eine Livesession handelt, merkt man dabei mitnichten – “Praha” besitzt einen übergreifenden Spannungsbogen, funktioniert kompositorisch wie atmosphärisch perfekt. Zwar wird nicht ganz die Klasse des Vorgängers erreicht – für sich genommen stellt die EP aber eine gelungene Überbrückung zum nächsten Vollzeitwerk dar.



Review about cd "-PRAHA-" from Chain D.L.K. (June 2012), Italy.

SVART1 is the pseudonym of Raimondo Gaviano, an Italian musician who lives and works in Sardinia. The title of his latest work that I present today is Praha. Svart1 is a representative member of best music scene into this big island of Sardinia, located at the center of Mediterranean Sea, which has especially into experimental grey-area and around the electronic music, some known musicians and also many followers and fans.
This last work of Svart1, titled Praha, is a limited edition CD produced by a non-Italian label, the Mrtvaja Records, a small and independent Bosnian label, born in 2009. The Mrtvaja label produces really fine limited editions of works of experimental electronic and electro-acoustic music. Svart1, in this case, works for Mrtvaja Records but hi has realized various productions for others independent labels and als more self-realised productions. All his discograpy is visible on his personal website. Svart1 during his career have also various collaborations with other artists of the Italian and European electronic scene.
Gaviano, as I said earlier, working in Sardinia like many other electronic musicians his countrymen and also for this reason is really used to have a necessary great productive autonomy and often also move beyond the narrow confines of this island to interweave many contacts and collaborations with others musicians who working overseas.This work Praha is an example of this easy "way of life" to migrate overseas for Sardinian artists. Praha contains a recent live of Svart1 recording in Prague (into the Cafe V Lese) during March 2012 for an event organized by Arkham Productions (www.arkham.hys.cz).
The Arkham is one of the most renowned cultural promotion agencies of that city and, on the same occasion, also the Czeck artists of the Seismic Wave Factory performed a live with the VJ's of the Fuck TV project (you can found some infos about those projects on www.industrialgallery.com). This album Praha is a very good work for me. And his tracks are a perfect testimony of the genuine and sincere approach to the electronic music of our Svart1. A careful listening to this record reveals very positive for the mind as a persuasive mantra, at times more hypnotic, familiar and comfortable for discerning ears as a carpet of self-constructed rhythms that are never predictable or consistent.
For example, into the opening track, an audio sample of a simple running sewing machine turns into a cyclic pre-apocalyptic drone portends an impending flood. And all the work is a successful and enjoyable example of the best minimal noise with grafts of electronic ambient that are always expertly blended to work together without any mannerism. A great job so this Praha, which I recommend, however, to hear before a random search on Youtube videos work by Svart1/Raimondo. Because the artistic research of Raimondo Gaviano is never just or only music. And for this reason surely a single CD audio is not able to give a full idea of his works. For those, like me, who knows and follows it from many years it is difficult to separate these two aspects of sound and video image which, in this case, are always intimately linked.
The self-produced video by Raimondo Gaviano, run behind him during his live performances and are little masterpieces. Each concert, for the spectator, is indeed a beautiful multi-sensorial experience that is based on the close union between music and the video processing of extreme or dreamlike images that emphasize and amplify fueling our imagination in a growing fact of endless cinematographic references and citations. Finally i recommend also you to not stop only at this album Praha, last work of Svart1/Raimondo Gaviano, because I hope, after this review, please you to go on the net, for a search around his other works.
Because Svart1 is a complete artist. A good electronic musician but also a great video maker and a fantastic manipulator of digital images. The post-industrial atmospheres that his work created for us, by masterly use of a thin, black and white very dry, or with a color change into a soft focus often dissolving in a strong light and dark, thwarted and diverted, are the best description possible of the ruined worlds that surrounds us and surrounding our post-industrial way of feeling this strange modern life. You have to see the work of Svart1 not just listen.