Rawness from within, drilling through the mists as the sky leaning towers arch upwards, the tenements singing in the rain, as figures glide through to the invisible rhythms that bind us all to this earth. Hazy dreich spits out, canvassing the morning light with warm drizzle which signals in the new day. The headphones placed around the ears being to transmit a beautiful, pure form of energy, with rattling snares and kicks intermingled with emotional synths, and as the sunshine rises, everything seems to make sense…
Grab your copy HERE.
Some House producers seem born with hardware at their fingertips, and one of the genre’s most dedicated and intuitive students within the contemporary era is none other than Alessio Corni, who is perhaps better known under the mysterious alias Peter Raou. The music that he has conjured up over the years remains a striking balance between studies in the absolute extremes of rhythmic balances within the frequencies of House music, and the emotive qualities that are found in conventional and unconventional chord progressions. His music invites you in, and sure enough you find a space where the possible and the near mythical intertwine, so much is the methods he employs within the drumming and melodic layers. To glide from one album to the next is to witness and experience an artist constantly living on the edge of the possibilities, nurturing that interface between existing and potential which leaves a very exciting feeling in the soul. His records, half of which were self released, have this buoyant DIY rawness to them, further deepening the underground aesthetic that certainly leaks through from the top right through to the bottom. Expressive, to the point, and stacked with meaningful surprises, Corni’s music effortlessly meanders around the epicentre of House, and comes out with strains in its hands that bring essence and originality to the genre. His dedication to the craft resonates from the deepest lows right through to the highest of highs, and this kind of approach really does align itself to the deepest of joyful emotions.
His previous work does much to create a very compelling world, one which is deeply inspired by the hardware in which he utilises, and most recently has drawn inspiration from the social culture of Leith and Scottish Slang in general. The underground notions touched on before are alive and well on ‘424 Live’ and ‘RJWM’, both of which are released on tape and help to set the stage of expressionism that will be a defining feature of things to come. The transition towards vinyl has seen two beautiful records come to light – ‘Skagboys House’ and ‘Skagboys Begin’, both of which accelerated the dreaminess alongside some emphatic polyrhythms which lifted spirits to new heights. Aside from his impressive solo endeavours, Corni has released on some excellent contemporary House labels, such as 12Records (as a member of MHCrew), ALLEY VERSION (as a member of Fax From Basement), Underground House Dept., Inhale Exhale Records and Bogoture Records. His web of releases ensnares you within its rich and vibrant framework, an absorbing and deeply engrossing sound that touches upon the perimeter between humanistic emotions and raw, passionate hardware regimes, and as a totality its something which works so beautifully.
The stage is always set for the next phase with Corni’s music, and with his record ‘Cables Wynd House’, a new pattern of his audial language begins to take shape, and its a very beautiful one at that. Continuing on with Corni’s love affair with all things Leith, the title of the EP refers to the iconic ‘Banana Row’ housing estate that towers up within the district of Edinburgh, a brutal and gorgeous structure which binds lateral lines with social interaction and everyday living. Much like the impressive structure it is paying homage to, the record itself is, in our eyes, Corni’s most complete work to date, with his already accomplished sound spread out and explored to its absolute limits on this 4 tracker. Kicking things off with ‘Closed (Zarkoff Poetry Vocal)’, the immediate context is filled with his classic drum patterns, with the bass following soon after, and then the chords kick in. The space is filled with this beautiful harmony, a floating etherealness that strikes right through the heart, and as the vocal sample slides into view, everything just makes sense. Try listening to this one as the warmth of the sunset occupies your world view. ‘Body Techno’ comes next, and this cut contains some of the evolutionary work which Corni has displayed significantly in his previous works, with a dense mid section giving rise to rich acid tones and heavy set bass notes and cymbal patterns. ‘Glue City’ evokes the same feelings as the opener, building upon an expertly crafted rhythmic and bass sequences with sublime melodic overtures which once again find a wonderful balance between one another. ‘Pills’n’Drills’ lands at the end, and this one is glorious, reminding us of that very specific early to mid 90s Detroit House and Techno feel, with a steady yet fast paced beat leading the line as life affirming synths roll across the top. Sheer bliss is achieved in these 4 tracks, that speak of life and its many twists and turns, along with a reflective sense of emotion and what we feel transposed alongside what the music is conveying to us on the same level.
So why not join us as we meander through essences, flavours and meanings, joyously walking along to a soundtrack that gives over so much and fuels our imaginations with passion – its House in its most glorious form, raw and undulating, clean cut and tender, and never ever wavering…..
