DFA - Work In Progress
Tracks
1) ESCHER 10.08
2) CALEIDOSCOPIO 9.16
3) TRIP ON METRO' 6.37
4) LA VIA 15.25
5) PANTERA 8.10
6) RAGNO 11.26
BALDASSARI Luca: Bass
BONOMI Alberto:Organ, Synthesisers and Vocals
DE GRANDIS Alberto: Drums and Vocals
MINELLA Silvio: Guitars
Homepage: http://digilander.iol.it/dfa/
Recorded live at NEARfest 2000 - Lehigh University, Bethlehem,
Pennsylvania, U.S.A. Saturday June 17, 2000
Produced by
Moonjune Records
Through the heyday of progressive rock in the seventies, Italy,
like several mainland European countries, produced bands of both
artistic and to a lesser extent commercial worth. Bands such as
'Banco', 'PFM' and 'Area' not only gained much recognition during
the classic period but remain as revered and celebrating
benchmarks of the genre. Of course as prog died a tie-dyed death
and scuttled back into the shadows of self-financed and minor
label obscurity so did many of its more seminal players. And
although Italy has enjoyed a similar minor revival to the rest of
the progressive community, through the nineties and onwards, it
has not spurned the quality to go with the quantity excluding the
ever excellent Deus Ex Machina (check out the sublime De
Republika album)
DFA, formed in Verona, have gone some way to change this
statistic producing some fine and highly memorable progressive
rock / fusion compositions which are captured here 'live' from
NEARFest 2000 (and made up of tracks taken from their debut album
'Lavorsi In Corso' and the critically acclaimed follow up, 'Duty
Free Area'). Both albums characterised by a combination of
complex design and excellent performance, which have been
transformed into the live environment here, with seemingly
effortless ease and with a healthy dose of improvisation to boot.
The quality of the musicianship is extremely impressive providing
both moments of extreme power and sensitivity. Silvio Minella's
guitar serves up a menu of complex Frippian movement, Hacket
lyricism and jazz technique up there with the best of the genres
fret masters. Alberto Bonnomi's analogue driven keys remind of
classic period Tangerine Dream as well as Wakeman in the moments
of greater aggression. Luca Baldassari's bass work is proficient
and always context rich as is Alberto De Grandis' drumming that
at times nods a head towards Bill Bruford.
As for the music we are presented with six long tracks here
varying between the six to fifteen minute mark. The real joy of
the music comes in the clever blurring of well composed
progressive rock and open passages of free-form fusion without
losing cohesion or appearing over contrived. Influences range
from an obvious appreciation of early period Crimson to a spacey
Tangerine Dream underbelly. Beyond that echoes of Floyd and
classic period Camel place the band next to modern peers such as
Djam Karet (especially) and to a lesser extend 'The Ozric
Tentacles'. And like 'Karet' a strong feel for mood and texture
is evident throughout.
Opening track 'Escher' is stunning. Its jagged Crimson riffs
blending in and out of more pastoral synth driven movement
whereas tracks such as 'Caleidoscopio' and the superb and epic
'La Via' show up the bands superb sense of atmosphere and
narrative development. 'Pantera' is a subtle and cleverly
constructed jazz fuelled montage mapped out over a consistant and
infectious bubbling rhythm section that builds from a soft
opening to a colourful and busy conclusion led by some excellent
solo key work.
A truly excellent set is finished up with 'Ragno' that hammers
the senses for six minutes with all types of atonal
instrumentation before taking the pace down to an almost largo
minimum, filling the void with warm and vast synth atmospheres,
before concluding with a finale of jaw-dropping complexity.
The use of vocals is kept to an extreme minimum throughout and
those presented are bearable in the native Italian tongue. I have
to admit that this came as a massive plus point. One of Italian
prog's most distinctive characteristics is built on the use of
rather heroic and often operatic-tinged vocal styling that to me
often diverted much of the potential enjoyment found in the music.
DFA's message is clearer - we let the music speak for itself.
And it does that and then some.
Gareth February 2002
Copyright Bathtub of Adventures 2001
If you don't
have the BoA navigation to the
left of your screen click below to reload