InTRO is the latest CD from Bruno Sanfilippo, an Argentinean composer and musician now living in Barcelona, Spain.

Sanfilippo claims the like of Wendy Carlos, Vangelis and Mike Oldfield as influences. The music of Intro, though, is more reflective and ambient than these influences would suggest.

Sanfilippo describes the tracks on InTRO as soundscapes. Sanfilippo masterfully combines synthesizers, keyboard, environmental sounds and a variety of acoustic instruments to create music that brings to mind the environmental soundscapes of Steve Roach and the dark ambient music of Brian Eno.

The CD collects seven tracks. Each track’s name starts with InTRO and then is completed by a word or phrase that seems to relate to the track. InTROworld, for example, has a world music feel to it, layering pulsing synths with percussion and exotic string melodies. InTROpiano, on the other hand, is solo processed piano, with synth and electronic effects accompaniment.

From the start, InTRO sets a relaxing, reflective mood. While each track on the CD has a very unique feel to it, Sanfilippo maintains a consistent mood, which means the CD makes an ideal sountrack for relaxing and thinking.

Eno has suggested that ambient music must be listenable as well as ignorable, supporting various levels of attention, and the tracks on InTRO are excellent examples of this idea. While the music on InTRO is often beautiful, it doesn’t have the glossy surface charm of some new age music, but a deeper, mysterious attraction.

Highlights of the CD include InTROpiano, which recalls Vangelis Memories of Green and the Brian Eno/Harold Budd classic, The Pearl; and InTROvoices, which uses wordless voice sounds to create a choral and even orchestral texture.

Bruno Sanfilippo’s InTRO is one of the finest ambient releases we’ve heard this year. It’s not widely distributed, unfortunately, but is available via the AD21 Music site, where streaming previews are also available.

Tracks:

• InTROworld
• InTROmental
• InTROsacro
• InTROpiano
• InTROvoices
• InTROvisions
• InTROpassion