BY BJM MARIO BAJARDI
Mario Bajardi is a man of many musical talents. He is a violinist, film score composer and award winning music producer. Early in his career he was a finalist at the International Competition of Electronic’s Pierre Schaeffer Prize and ICMC – these awards are given to the artist who explore new horizons in music. His music and sound composition approach is constantly evolving as seen in the case of ‘Metamorph’ an electro-acoustic and designed sound library Mario coproduced for Twisted Tools. His ‘Inverse’ EP will be his second EP for ONDE following last year’s ‘Glass Orchestra’ EP and his debut album ‘Archives’ which was released in 2012.
‘Inverse’ opens with ‘Rest’ featuring vocalist Eleze who has previously released on Ministry of Sound and Ego. The intro is awash with ambient textures as a gentle piano and Eleze’s crystalline voice float on the surface of the background swells. The female vocals and ambient textures bring to mind Bonobo’s recent tracks with the vocalist Szjerdene.
The high comparison continues on the following track ‘Standing’ which was taken from a theatrical soundtrack, for ‘Riccardo III W. Shakespeare’ which was composed and produced by Mario in 2013. The pizzicato strings and long wavering notes rise and fall together before fading away into ‘Interlude’ which opens with a snippet of natural recordings.
Cinematic swelling strings then morph into electronic pulses and waves before the two intertwine.
Drawing from a wide range of influences gives Mario a broad palette of inspiration to draw from. He lists some of his own influences as composers like Bach, bands like The Cure and fellow film scorers such as Hans Zimmer. His cinematic approach can be found on ‘Crusty’ which opens with what sounds like a field recording of faint sounds of the city. It then builds and swells with the same emotion found on Jon Hopkins’ Mercury Music Prize nominated album ‘Immunity’. ‘Crusty’ then progresses into an industrial style breakdown before bursting back into the light and back to life with Mario’s signature strings.
‘Inverse’ features glitchy electronic pulses with an array of buzzing sounds flitting around the track – sinister low synth rumble before being joined by a burst of background strings which break through the futuristic white noise. ‘Inverse’s chaotic use of electronic sounds is reminiscent of Luke Abbott’s recent releases on the Border Community label. ‘Missing’ then closes the EP with plucked strings and fast strokes of the violin’s bow creating a tension building that creates an evocative and cinematic final track.
Sound artist and producer, Carlo Ascrizzi, creates a slow burning remix of ‘Crusty’ which introduces dark skittering drums and glitches, deconstructing and stripping away the brightest elements; switching the mood of the track from midday to midnight. His interpretation gives us intricate and complex sound textures, reminiscent to his sonic works
Mario’s sheer talent shines through in his music which balances elegant electronics with evocative natural instrumentation. His experience of composing for film gives his music a cinematic feel with textures overlapping and sounds floating in from all angles. His years of hard work have led to this expertly realised body of work. BJM Mario Bajardi’s ‘Inverse’ EP is one of this year’s most accomplished and impressive collections of music.
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