Lorenzo Montanà – VION Review

What does Lorenzo Montanà sound like?

Cinematic composer who blends the organic and the electric into their own world.

The review of ‘VION’ by Lorenzo Montanà

‘VION’ is the 29th studio album of Lorenzo Montanà, who’s been making music for the last few decades. His brand of electronic music glides effortlessly across ambient, leftfield, and IDM, whilst adding in classical and jazz elements along the way. When I stumbled across ‘VION’, the main hook for me came from the mix of brushed jazzy drum percussion and experimental electronica. Indeed, the album was originally conceived as an exploration of jazz brush drum patterns. From there, the idea developed into a rich and sumptuous global jazztronica experience.

‘Like Dew’ opens the album with the brushed drums front and centre. Whilst a sturdy electronic bassline underpins the track, every other instrument falls somewhere between chamber pop and ethereal classical. Strings, harps, glassy tones, and unusual watercolour textures serenely pour out of the speakers like warm milk. It feels luxurious, like a weighted blanket of swans and opens the album beautifully. From there, Lorenzo switches to glitched beat patterns and bubbling aquatic synths for ‘Arenaria’. Music boxes and fits of metallic tones break out over the glitches and sizzling, moody basslines. There is a constant ambient backdrop of distant metal pipe thunders and a hollow bass hue that juxtaposes the playful tuned percussion with a cyberpunk feel. Evocative and cinematic.

The Italian composer and producer then moves into his waltzing finest with ‘Nympalidea’. This track is a particular highlight. Using an array mbira-style synth, rolling arpeggios ripple and wave their way over a bold and romantic waltzing jazz drum kit. As the track progresses, more long-tailed soundscape drones back up the rippling waves of the mbira, making this an uplifting, almost celestial waltz of stars. I have a very niche comparison – the Age of Mythology soundtrack. It uses jazzy, rustic percussion and ethereal ambient effects similarly. Lorenzo Montanà just brings his inner Adam Fielding to the party. ‘Xardin Harmonisos’ follows on with a hyper-processed reimagining of a Japanese forest. Distant bells and gongs provide an otherworldly effect around the forest sounds.

‘Vilu’ is probably the most direct, hook-laden track. Merging bombastic, brushed beats with a catchy motif of synths allows Lorenzo to straddle chill out, modern jazz, and electronica equally. It’s such an earworm, and fans of bands like GoGo Penguin and Glass Museum will be right at home. ‘Soot’ plays with quirky, jagged beats that sound at times like flat, tiny taikos, but then plays relaxed electric piano over the top. As the electric piano soothes, the rest of the instrumentation curls and slithers slightly off key to hint at a curious unease and wonder. Add in some sparse guitar in places and you have a curio worth exploring.

‘Evolutra’ has Lorenza Montanà embrace his cinematic sci-fi roots with a dense, thick, layered mood piece. From the would-be Metal Gear Solid stealth backdrop to the slow, metallic reveal of chords like beams of light, this track lives for the tension. It never truly lets that tension go, instead choosing to play the track out like a long crawl rather than a hide and dash, but it works well. Instead, the dynamic approach is saved for closing track ‘Lypso’. Lorenzo stays with the stealthy approach but plays with filters and warble effects on wiry and burpy synth lead. I’m not sure where the jazz elements of these final two tracks are, but they make a fine pair of cinematic stealth soundtrack pieces to round off the album.

Whilst ‘VION’ does stray from its original concept at times, Lorenzo Montanà never strays from delivering captivating music. Whether it sounds like you’ve visited a cyberpunk back alley, a space station medical bay, a Japanese forest, or you’re in a futuristic jazz bar, the atmosphere and groove are solid throughout. Whilst I can’t find jazz brushed rhythms throughout, I can always find a fluid pulse to ride along with. The tracks feel alive and three-dimensional. Lorenzo does a great job merging the organic with the electronic, so you aren’t always sure which is which. That makes for a compelling canvas to let your imagination run wild on. ‘VION’ is an imaginative jazztronica album ripe for anyone who can travel in their mind.

Recommended track: Nympalidea

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