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LP
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GBR 038LP
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Keeping his carbon footprint at a minimum, Santilli sails from Sydney to Hamburg via ten textured vignettes delicately drawn with guitar, bass and organic percussion. Relaxing, reflective and endlessly beautiful, Tidal explores elemental inspiration through a humanistic gaze. Whether you know Max Santilli through Ken Oath duo Angophora, previous releases Surface and In Circles, or this is your first time making his acquaintance, you'll agree he's right at home on the Growing Bin Records. The multi-instrumentalist crafts exquisite acoustic music in tune with the finer moments of Windham Hill and ECM; a perfect fusion of talent, balance and the emotion shared by each release on the Hamburg label. As befits its inspiration Tidal is an organic affair, related through bright acoustic guitar, hazy chimes and hand played percussion. Where the Australian draws you in with hypnotic repetition, the subtlety, warmth and tonal variation serve as a welcome reminder we're living off grid. Though expert fretwork often takes center stage, especially on the delicate "Warm You Give", it's the blend of kalimba, woodblock, hand drums and shaker which truly transport the listener through open waters; a rhythmic breeze carrying us through the maritime drones and bowed squall. At times the salt air is spiced with cardamom and cloves ("Sea") or lemongrass and galangal ("Valleys"), as you skirt the Indian Ocean or the Java Sea. "Lapse" provides subtle hints of fourth world jazz as mallets take the lead, leaving the guitar to provide its own shimmering texture. Clear your mind, clear your schedule and make some time for Tidal, an opportunity to breathe in time with the planet.
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LP
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ITLINTL 004LP
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For the latest release in their ongoing International series, Into The Light Records takes the listener to Sydney and the dreamy, softly spun musical world of talented multi-instrumentalist Max Santilli. Surface is Santilli's debut album following years spent working alongside Jacob Fugar in Ken Oath Records-signed downtempo duo Angophora. It draws on a personal archive of home recordings made between 2016 and 2018 using a range of guitars, synthesizers, and acoustic percussion instruments. As you'd perhaps expect, it's an intimate and personal set that wraps drowsy, slowly-shifting musical flourishes around gentle, sun-kissed rhythms and suitably spacey chords. Santilli offers subtle nods towards his various inspirations -- think the mesmerizing ambient-jazz fusion of Michael Bierylo, Steve Hillage's timeless early ambient works and the intricate acoustic guitar playing of Steve Tibbetts and Miguel Herrero -- while forging his own distinctly lo-fi and otherworldly path. As a result, Surface is an album of impressive depth and diversity, held together by Santilli's reflective, emotion-rich vision.
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