Expanding on some 4 albums with Important Records (including 2 collaborations with stalwarts of modern electronic music Merzbow and Lawrence English), two with Hospital Productions and one with Point Of Departure - 2017’s Avanti - one of Bleep’s albums of that year: the prolific Alessandro Cortini returns to join Daniel Miller’s Mute Records with VOLUME MASSIMO.

Here we see him deviate slightly from the industrial noise he’s previously honed to a fine art and venture towards a brighter cinematic sound full of saturated, processed synthesisers and undulating melodies. Some parallels can be drawn to recent work from Pye Corner Audio in the slowly unravelling melodies (Amore Amaro) drawing you ever closer. Or to seminal Boards Of Canada material, sleep deprived electronic excursions to a place not yet known.

Translating to ‘Maximum Volume’ gives us some kind of idea of the power of these productions. Maintaining an enveloping romance found in the decayed textures and sonic artefacts akin to artists such as Leyland Kirby. This may also be reflected in some of the tracks, Batticuore for example being the Italian for increased heart palpitations due to strong emotion.

A welcome return from one of the maestros of electronic music with an expertly produced record of exquisite beauty.