Universo Astratto marks the full-length debut of Tema Due, the collaborative project of Nicola Conte and Nico Lahs, and builds on the foundation laid by their 2025 Schema Records EPs. The result is a double LP that feels expansive in both scale and intention, weaving together strands of electronica, spiritual jazz, African-American rhythmic traditions, and richly textured percussion into a deeply immersive listening experience.
Rather than simply extending their earlier work, Conte and Lahs push their sound into more ambitious territory, shaping a record that feels like both evolution and declaration. The album’s opening moments immediately set the tone, nodding toward the spiritual depth of jazz lineage while folding it seamlessly into contemporary electronic production.
A key strength of Universo Astratto lies in its extraordinary lineup of collaborators. Pianists Giovanni Guidi and Pietro Lussu, along with Dario Bassolino on keyboards, bring harmonic depth and fluidity, while percussionists Gabriel Prado and Abdissa Assefa add layered, organic rhythm structures. Magnus Lindgren contributes winds and Hammond organ textures that expand the album’s sonic palette, and saxophonist Pasquale Calò adds further melodic weight. The vocal contributions are equally striking, featuring Lalin St. Juste, Siya Makuzeni, Nina Miranda on “Share Your Love,” and Toco, who also revisits “Macumba de Oxalà” in a newly reimagined version drawn from the duo’s earlier EP.
Across its runtime, the album resists reduction to a typical club record. Instead, it operates as a conceptual space where rhythm and intention merge, treating dance music as a vehicle for heightened awareness. The interplay of tribal percussion, jazz improvisation, and electronic structure creates a sense of movement that is both physical and reflective, inviting repeated listening to uncover its subtler layers.
With Universo Astratto, Tema Due articulate a clear artistic statement: club music can be expansive, reflective, and transformative without losing its grounding in rhythm and groove. It is a record built for immersion, designed to move bodies while also encouraging a deeper, almost meditative engagement with sound.
Release date: 8 May 2026
Label: Schema Records
Format: 2xLP / Digital
Tags: house / electronic / spiritual
No comments:
Post a Comment