The new album ‘Aesthesis’ from Shapednoise aka Sicilian artist Nino Pedone is out on Numbers.
Over the nine tracks and thirty seven minutes, there’s a controlled collision of noise and metal with rave and hardcore. Pedone’s penchant for the peak energies of gritty techno and modern rap/trap bleed through, with earth-shattering blocks of bass and beats conveyed within his practice of sonic sculpture. ‘Aesthesis’ melts these sounds down, evolving them into something new of his own – a complex, hybrid being designed to be played loud.
The first listen, CRx Aureal, is one of the most arresting cuts from the record: a nightmarish thrill embracing a sense of constant movement, with intense shards of sound ricocheting and morphing, forged together through a series of metallic refrains. This flirtation with the extremes of sound has engulfed Shapednoise’s entire creative output and lifestyle – from his albums and EPs over the last decade, to his two labels Cosmo Rhythmatic and REPITCH, having recently dropped critically acclaimed releases by King Midas Sound, Shackleton & VTSS.
Listen & Buy ‘Aesthesis’ now —
Bandcamp / Boomkat / Bleep / Spotify / Apple Music
Pedone describes ‘Aesthesis’ as “informed by a set of key elements that intwine all the tracks together, like steps in a long research process. It is intended as a sensory experience where the senses act as an interface, sound as space.” His experimentation with unorthodox rhythmic structures and radical cinematic design reveals actions grounded in direct experience, but “inspired by a kind of speculative realism”. In seeking to master the wild heights of noise and the weight of subsonic frequencies, Shapednoise aims to “generate a sense of unreal-yet-tangible space and time, where the physicality of the music builds up a place that exists between people and objects, rather than the other way around.”
A series of artistic collaborations are heard throughout the album – from the caustic R&B of album opener ‘Intriguing (In The End)’ which features vocals from multimedia artist E. Jane’s alter ego MHYSA (of NON & Halcyon Veil), to Justin K Broadrick (founding member of Godflesh and ZONAL) on ‘Blaze’, and album closer ‘Moby Dick’; a collaboration with Scottish legend Drew McDowall (ex-Coil and Psychic TV member), and Rabit (founder of Halcyon Veil).
A live version of ‘Aesthesis’ debuted in the main hall of Kraftwerk at Berlin Atonal 2019 on Thursday 29th August, with Shapednoise joined by filmmaker Pedro Maia – who also produced this short video – turning the sounds into a full spectrum AV show.
Shapednoise – Aesthesis
8th November 2019
NMBRS62 – LP & Digital
1. Intriguing (In The End) feat. Mhysa
2. Blaze feat. Justin K Broadrick
3. Elevation
4. Rayleigh Scattering
5. The Foolishness of Human Endeavour
6. CRx Aureal watch short video
7. Blasting Super Melt
8. Unflinching
9. Moby Dick feat. Drew McDowall and Rabit
Follow Shapendoise – Instagram / Twitter / Spotify
Photography by Leonardo Scotti
