Tutti I Colori Del Buio — II

This tape’s physical presence is nicely understated and “quiet”; the simplest of packaging - a folded sheet of thick paper, with a low-contrast xerox image of a woman’s screaming face, in a cd wallet - making it unobtrusive in appearance and size. The sounds within “II”, however, are anything but muted.

The first side opens with a hard, hard wall of noise. It thunders and crawls oppressively out of the speakers, not too fast, not too slow; but steadily and unremitting. The bulk of the wall is comprised of very crumbly mid-frequency textures, which I can’t help but feel would be quite calming and “fluffy” if left on their own. However, they are perched over a surging bass undercurrent, which gives the track its grinding atmosphere. At times, a lurching, hypnotic throb can be heard; hiding in this despotic low end. Above all of this, the treble-y frequencies are actually rather delicate and subdued, like a insistent scratching. The piece stays very static for its duration, but as the end approaches the track intensifies; until two odd little “zip!” sounds announce it’s done.

Turning the tape over, we are again met with hardness and domination. An unyielding wall, with the remorseless bass churn taking a more prominent role than in the first track. If anything, there’s two elements to the low end: thick bass or lower mid-frequencies that circle on the verge of breaking up, and a low end drone, that hovers underneath. The line between the first of these and the middle frequencies proper is a blurred one, but the middle ground of the wall stutters and loops; creating lumbering rhythms that appear and disappear throughout the track. The treble elements are again somewhat cowed, clinging on to the powerful low end for dear life; but, compared to the first track, they are much more constant and rushing. The whole piece has a broken up, stuttering feel to it; with the lowest frequencies giving it an ominous, lurking dread.

Tutti I Colori Del Buio is named after a 1970’s Giallo film, and is the work of Sean E. Matzus - a name you’ll recognise from a lot of Texas HN/HNW outfits. His two tracks here on “II”, are both unforgiving walls of thick bass-led churn. Whilst there is clear attention to detail and textural concerns, the emphasis here is on unrelenting power. Though a power more based around bass dread and oppression, than an all out assault.