VALENTINA MAGALETTI - Kansai Bruises

“Kansai Bruises” is born as a joint venture between instrumental improvisation and Intelligent Dance Music: on one side Valentina Magaletti, the acclaimed percussionist and producer from Bari now based in London, whose already illustrious c.v. takes in Tomaga, Moin and Vanishing Twin; on the other Koshihiro Hino, the Japanese musician known as a member of radical math-rock outfit Goat, here appearing as YPY, his electronic project rooted in abstract techno.

The album comes out on the London label AD93 and is, at its core, a percussion record. It could almost be read as one extended thirty-six-minute solo, were it not for the seventies-style nightmares that such a description risks conjuring up for anyone with an allergic predisposition to the idea. The outcome of the collaboration is, in fact, quite far removed from that: the heart of the record lies rather in its ability to keep a firm, recognisable rhythmic centre while everything around it keeps shifting. The dialogue between the two builds a constantly reshuffling weave, in which the acoustic and the electronic chase each other, overlap, and challenge one another.

On the title track it's Magaletti who takes centre stage, building an almost melodic momentum on the toms, made up of micro-variations and accents that seem to sing as much as to keep time. On “Lantern Lit Run”, by contrast, Hino takes over, with a dense, gripping glitch haze that towards the end locks into vaguely martial snare patterns, perfect for shaking things up. “Her Own Reflection” is more balanced between the two right from the start: built on continuous back-and-forth exchanges, it hits the mark thanks to a lively, urgent momentum that draws you in with its relentless unfolding.

What emerges is a surprisingly stimulating listen: the eight tracks can work as background music, but they also reward a more analytical approach – should one wish to follow closely the shifts in the rhythmic discourse. A record that doesn't demand attention, but earns it without making a fuss.