Neuguitars 2024 #15 Heavy guitars, dark ambient and drones in the sound art of Gianluca Becuzzi

"Sound is deep, in the dark" The Cure

Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,

By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,

“Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou,” I said, “art sure no craven,

Ghastly grim and ancient Raven wandering from the Nightly shore—

Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night’s Plutonian shore!”

Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”

These scattered reflections could only begin by quoting the poem “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe. The object is the album “Hekate by Gianluca Becuzzi, one of the darkest, obscure and most resonant things listened to so far, during this 2024.

I would say to start with the introductions: Gianluca Becuzzi is an Italian musician and sound artist whose creations range between ambient, industrial and experimental electronics. His career, which began in the late 1980s, has contributed significantly to the international experimental music scene. A native of Florence, Italy, Becuzzi has developed a unique style that blends electronic sounds with ambient textures and industrial elements, creating immersive and nuanced soundscapes. His music is often characterized by a deep emotional sensitivity, which shines through layers of intricate sounds and evocative atmospheres. Among his works there are both solo works and collaborations with other artists, which testify to his versatility and his ability to experiment with a wide range of sonic influences. Through albums and live performances, Becuzzi has proven, over time, to be an innovator in the field of experimental music, constantly exploring new techniques and creative approaches.

I mentioned "The Raven" because this "Hekate" of his begins with the sinister crackling of crows in the distance, a truly interesting start to an album that can be listened to on multiple levels and which shows us how Sound Art and the use of drones have now reached a very high level of sophistication. A beginning perhaps not so strange if we think that this album was dedicated to Hekate, one of the most enigmatic and powerful figures of Greek mythology, a complex myth that embodies the essence of magic, mystery and transformation. In Greek mythology, Hekate is, in fact, often associated with borders and passages, both physical and metaphorical. She is represented as a triple figure, with three heads or three bodies, symbolizing her ability to navigate between worlds and rule over sky, earth and sea. But Hekate is also known as the queen of witches, the mistress of the dark arts and black magic. In her darkest form, she is invoked in magical rituals to gain power, protection, or secret knowledge. Her presence is often associated with sacred places such as road crossings, crossroads, and crosses, where her influence is believed to be strongest.

Even today, her presence permeates popular culture, art and literature, inspiring a wide range of interpretations and revealing her everlasting influence on the human imagination.

A guide, therefore, a form of inspiration, the result of the use of different forms of language, with the aim of presenting a form that is not an end in itself. It seems that Sound Art has remained the only form of contemporary music capable of better synthesizing the artistic synergies expressed by the times we live in, even better if integrated with massive forms of guitar drones. “Hekate” presents six tracks, of which two, the first “Three Faces Goddess” and the last “Evil: Nature And Myth”, easily cross the ten minute threshold, tracks characterized by extended, grainy and heavy drones that make Glenn Branca's music seems fast. They are spacious, post-industrial, noisy music, characterized by minimalism and attention to sonic detail, and which require careful, assiduous and well-calibrated listening.

There is a lot of substance in this work, where the sounds overlap sheets of pure musical granite. “Hekate” conveys a sense of comfortable nocturnal heaviness, a heavy ambient that is finally not dystopian, but immersed in the reality of our society. Becuzzi, with the roar and power of his sounds, seems to remind us that music is an ambiguous medium that cannot be used in a rational way and with sufficient precision, and whose power is in a certain way scary, because we don't know how master it.

If you look at his extensive discography (which you can track down and listen to on Bandcamp Music | Gianluca Becuzzi Music | Gianluca Becuzzi (bandcamp.com) ), I realize how with his constant commitment to breaking the mold and challenging conventions, Gianluca Becuzzi continues to promote careful research in the fields of experimental music, leaving an indelible mark through a coherent and tenacious path and artistic attitude. “Hekate” is a remarkable work that I invite you to listen carefully. I almost forgot: congratulations to Valentina Ramaciotti for the album image and to GLB and Studiografico M for the artwork. The independent Italian record company Dissipatio continues to pleasantly amaze.

Long live Hekate. Long live the Raven.

And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting

On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;

And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon’s that is dreaming,

And the lamp-light o’er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;

And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor

Shall be lifted—nevermore!