Meanwhile, the electronics bestow an airy disposition on the tuneage.
Languid atmospherics settle upon each song, immersing the serious piano chords in a fog of ethereal majesty, enhancing the overall
elegance of the music.
These tones drift with little variance, maintaining a sighing resonance with the central tunes, following their congenial progress with subtle association, ebbing and rising in tandem with the piano’s emotional state.
A certain transference goes on between the piano and the tonalities, flavoring each other with their personal character.
The piano adopts a discrete intangibility, while the wafting ambience picks up a touch of regal eloquence.
This trade-off serves to further unify the music into an undulant presence of pacifying mien.

Yet there are instances where the textural atmospherics move beyond their fragility and attain a notable substantiality, sometimes rivaling the piano’s lilting occupancy. The compositions are tranquil and stately, crafted for appreciation by an intellectual audience.
The application of ephemeral atmospheric electronics only increases the music’s introspective demeanor.
There are no surging tempos here, no surprise crescendos, just steadfast structures of soothing influence.

by rik - ping things - Canada
In honour of the tenth anniversary of ad21music, label head Bruno Sanfilippo has released "Ambessence Piano and Drones", a collaboration with Mathias Grassow. Blending together drones and piano work, this disc is a wonderful summation of the label's sound, serving well as both a celebration for existing fans and an introduction to ad21music for a new audience.

"Ambessence Piano and Drones 1" opens the disc, weaving Sanfilippo's beautiful piano work throughout the course of a steady drone supplied
by Grassow. Bruno's piano has a subtle charm here, displaying an emotional nature that I've come to associate with his work.
From the start it's clear that this is an excellent pairing, the two working well together to blend musical ideals and shape them into something new.

"Ambessence Piano and Drones 2" features a more drone based feel, the piano still very apparent but acting more as a counterpoint to the sound of the drone. As it rises and falls in strength and volume, the drone develops a more natural tone, the sound of wind or the tides,
some sort of powerful force that holds sway over all others. A particularly dark and beautiful track.

In "Ambessence Piano and Drones 3" the piano takes centre stage again, a mournful melody played overtop a low drone.
It's a stunningly beautiful piece, a heartbreaking melody accompanied by a dark and dreary mechanical tone that somehow brings to mind
a dark machine overtaking the countryside. Around the five minute mark, the piano is dropped from the track and the drone shifts slightly, reversed sounds sprinkled throughout the soundspace leading us to the end. A very stirring and evocative work that's surely
one of my favorites on the disc.

A repeating piano loop opens up "Ambessence Piano and Drones 4", layers of melodic piano weaving in and around themselves.
Occasionally a low tone rises up through the sound, but for the most part the soundfield is filled with a tapestry of piano sounds rising and falling beautifully throughout the track, enveloping and encircling the listener in quite beautiful ways.

"Ambessence Piano and Drones 5" starts quietly with a slow drone that builds up from nothing until it reaches a steady state of being. Sanfilippo's piano blends in seamlessly, providing sparse melodies that fit in perfectly with the proceedings.
A delicate, fragile and very very wonderful work.

There's a certain regal sound to the drone that opens "Ambessence Piano and Drones 6",
a feeling of rich tones and deep reverb. The track has a very full sound that suggests caverns or chambers, places filled with mystery and secrets. It's an evocative sound, one that's almost theatrical in nature. Certainly another wonderful track that stands
out as one of my favorites in this collection.

A percolating whirl of sounds opens "Ambessence Piano and Drones 7", alternating ascending and descending arpeggios to form a backdrop to
a sparse melody. There's an uplifting quality to the track, a sense of hope and possibility and of course that's always a good way to end
things. A very beautiful track to end a very beautiful disc.

I've been a fan of ad21music's catalog for some now, and have very much enjoyed all
of the work I've heard from them in the past. "Ambessence Piano and Drones" is another excellent release from the label, a release that I'm sure fans of both artists will appreciate very much. I strongly recommend it not only as an excellent introduction to the label but also as an example of how differing styles can be brought together in ways that compliment and develop on each other's strengths.