- Dramatic techno from an Italian maestro.
- Although best known for ambient techno experiments, Donato Dozzy has maintained a steady flow of club-focused releases during his career. There's no indication that this is coming to an end. If anything, recent releases like 2018's Filo Loves The Acid album suggest a withdrawal from the depths of the '10s and a return to the dance floor. On Variations, he presents two club tracks in his signature hypnotic style.
One of them is a rework of "Parola." The original appeared on Dozzy's 2015 collaborative album Sintetizzatrice, a collection of ambient pieces composed exclusively with the voice of his collaborator Anna Caragnano. Reviewing the album, Will Lynch speculated that the results of the collaboration would have been more engaging if Dozzy had incorporated Caragnano's vocals into his usual production method, instead of letting them stand alone as the solo instrument. "Parola" gives us a taste of what that album could have been like, as Dozzy combines the trippy looped vocals with linear, heady techno. It's a fairly straightforward rework, but the results are magic.
The other track is a remix of a forthcoming production called "12H.5.," which sees Dozzy in a big-room melodic mood. The dramatic choral pads are stirring, but they might be a little too Tale Of Us for fans of Dozzy's darker, trippier side. You'd be forgiven for expecting something a little more inventive from the Italian master on this occasion, although it will be interesting to hear what the original mix sounds like.
TracklistA Donato Dozzy & Anna Caragnano - Parola (Rework)
B 12H.5 (Remix)