ShapednoiseDifferent Selves

The last few years have been quite hectic in the life of Nino Pedone, aka Shapednoise. His numerous collaborations with Black Rain, Franck Vigroux, Demdike Stare’s Miles Whittaker or AnD, have deservedly put his terrific musical offerings on the map. Additionally, he has created his own label Cosmo Rhythmatic, which showcases the abstract, noisy and organic side of REPITCH. Despite all these time-consuming activities, he has also gathered the time, energy and inspiration needed to put out some unique works. The last one to see the light of day is “Different Selves”, a tremendous and eclectic 9 track LP released by Type Recordings last December in digital and 12” formats.

With this album, which could be seen as Shapednoise’s most daring and inspiring work to date, the Berlin-based Italian sound sculptor manages to bridge the gap between the basement and club scenes. Supported by an exceptional mastering effort by Matt Colton, the outcome is a 50 minute profoundly jaw-dropping trip. As mentioned, eclecticism and experimentalism can be found everywhere on this album. In fact, Nino skillfully explores strange territories by combining techno and noise with evocative background layers, thus increasing the deepness and violence of the sound.

The opening track, “Enlightenment”, features Godflesh’s frontman Justin Broadrick and is an immersive trip into the unknown. The two engage in a dialogue of low frequencies, strings and fat atonal pulses, finally turning the song’s soundscape into a truly dystopian nightmare. Justin fits Nino’s creative endeavors like a glove. A mere few seconds into the second piece, aggressiveness becomes evident. ”Intruder” is a fascinating fragmented composition built upon heavy wood-like beats that get lost in a myriad of filthy distorted effects. “Dream within A Dream” resembles an industrial mantra and is based on a repetitive two kick rhythmic structure that intermingles with harsh factory effects. This track is a sick one. Indeed, at one point the noise fills everything up to a demented level of intensity, trepanning the listeners’ skulls and blasting them with kicks that sound like searing explosions. “Travels in the Universe of Soul” is an atmospheric beatless invitation to visit unfamiliar realms of bleakness and agony: a short composition, but one that is wisely placed among the more hostile pieces to give people a chance to take a deep breath before going on – a disturbingly deep breath, to be honest… “Escalation”, the closing track, is just something else. Nino chose the most neurotic and overwhelming track to pull the curtain down. In “a few words”, this is just a brutal frantic infinite combination of sounds, effects, distortion and high bpm that could take anyone out of working order. So, watch out!

“Different Selves” keeps Shapednoise’s trademark hostility and distortion, but those familiar with his previous works will notice the boundaries being pushed. Industrial, techno, noise, dark ambient – Nino tries to merge all these genres along with their intrinsic essences and the outcome is great. Shapednoise is not, and will not ever be, a squared musician in terms of compositional approach, so nobody should get startled by the sonic journey this album represents. Just open your mind, feel the energy and – why not – embrace violence.