Italian experimental artist
Lorenzo Senni
first received a significant amount of critical attention with
Quantum Jelly
, a 2012 LP of glittering synth arpeggios reminiscent of trance at its circa-2000 commercial peak, yet devoid of beats, endless buildups and breakdowns, and pretty much every other element of the genre. Dubbing his style "pointillistic trance," the avant-garde
Ferry Corsten
gradually breathed more life into trance's hollowed-out skeleton with his subsequent releases, adding more bass, counterpoint, and progressive song structures, yet stopping short of constructing full-on trance anthems. He signed with
Warp
in 2016, and his long-awaited first full-length for the label,
Scacco Matto
, is easily his most impressive work yet. Even compared to his previous recordings, his imagination is in hyperdrive here. These tracks are bursting with playful melodies, and they move far beyond the hypnotic repetition of
Senni
's earlier releases in this style, contorting rhythms into fantastic formations. Much like
Barker
did on his game-changing releases
Debiasing
and
Utility
,
makes rich, emotionally stirring dance music without using kick drums. But while
's music generally glides and simmers with excitement,
's work is far more ecstatic and forceful -- more spikes, more jolts, more glee. On tracks like opener "Discipline of Enthusiasm," he punches up the triumphant melodies with sparks of distortion, and hammers sharp curves into the rhythms, making sure nothing becomes predictable. As with a lot of epic trance, the music verges on pure euphoria, yet a bittersweet, longing feeling is still at the center -- "THINK BIG" has cutesy, almost J-pop melodies, but it seethes with distortion and nearly seems to be crying out for help. The album includes tracks titled "The Power of Failing" and even "Wasting Time Writing Lorenzo Senni Songs," displaying the composer's self-deprecating sense of humor and laughing at the grand absurdity of what he's accomplishing. Yet this isn't some ironic exercise in post-modernism at all -- it's simply fresh, exciting, beautiful music. ~ Paul Simpson