Lowlands by Varv

OUI032: Varv / Lowlands

Varv, a duo composed of Andrea Cappi (keyboards) and Francesco Mascolo (drums), is a crossover project where the jazz background of the two musicians is stripped of its most classic characteristics and used to explore distant territories, blending elements of electronic and progressive music. The tracks tend to evoke vaguely dystopian realities where written and intelligible parts alternate with moments of sound manipulation and improvisation.
"Lowlands" is the duo's first album and presents itself as a soundtrack to image-stories related to the relationship between humans and the land, understood here as a reservoir of past experiences and, at the same time, as a ground permeable to future creations. The album reflects the desire to experiment and organize the material in a personal way, especially from the timbral perspective and the blending of different musical genres.
The first track, "Drizzle," is based on rhythmic chord progressions that vary frenetically, creating a groove with a strong impact that decomposes in the central part before reappearing at the end. It's a piece that, with its changes in color and rhythmic treatment, summarizes quite well the foundations of the duo.
"All fulness," a piece with a more lyrical character where Matteo Pontegavelli's trumpet introduces new nuances, dragging the music into more abstract and indefinite territories.
"Permeability," the duo's very first track released as a single in 2022, and "Childhood," a ballad with a delicate melody that recalls a distant childhood carefree attitude.
"Limestone" is the fifth track on the album: here a simple chord progression sedimentates and evolves slowly, creating the right space for listening that can focus on minimal timbral variations where everything seems suspended before drastically changing towards a second part where the drumming impacts forcefully.
"White Kitten," is the most free and abstract on the album. The two musicians dialogue on a nuanced canvas where sound alterations and synthesizer sequences alternate in a game of contrasts between chaos and tranquility.
"Ready Arteries" features saxophonist Daniele Nasi collaborating, emerging between keyboard riffs and drum breaks. Here, the album's sound is pushed towards a further direction on the fringes of dance music.
The album closes with "Kings of Weno," where a melody with a rock heritage tells the dream of a frenzied escape from the city towards a distant Pacific island.

Tracklist

1.	Drizzle	6:26

2.	All fulness	10:04

3.	Permeability	6:43

4.	Childhood	5:51

5.	Limestone	5:10

6.	White kitten	9:41

7.	Ready arteries	3:58

8.	Kings of Weno	6:58

Credits

released May 24, 2024

Andrea Cappi (keyboards and compositions): graduated in jazz piano at Parma Conservatory. Founder of MULTIBOX, FLOWN and other projects. He works in various contexts, preferring jazz and improvised music with its various forms and genre contaminations. He performs as musician and composer in various festivals and music clubs.

Francesco Mascolo (drums): graduated in jazz drums at Mantua Conservatory. He is active in several projects that range between contemporary jazz and crossover music. Co-founder of the SYNTAX 4et project. He regularly performs in various festivals and music clubs.

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