Typically, EPs are short bursts of musical creativity and experimentation. However, the six-track concept EP ‘D-ctionnaire’ by Italian sound artist Stefano Orfeo Meneghetti and Monsieur Lune from Marseille is far from a conventional album. Created in the idyllic solitude of a remote Italian hamlet in Aune, and crafted in studios by artists from around the world, this unique record is a sonic reflection of the alphabet. A simple, charming idea at first glance, but with every element delicately woven into a network of sounds and textures, ‘D-ctionnaire’ has a rhythmic, organic feel with alternating spoken-word vocal tracks. The artists have drawn on musical influences from around the globe, resulting in a release that doesn’t require listening in a language you understand in order to feel its power.
Opening with “Ventilation (Sharpkeyd Remix)”, the atmosphere in the opening track is almost ethereal. Electronic soundscapes pulsate slowly and methodically, matching the controlled rhythm of the murmured words which glide lightly across the almost beatless mix. In “Sidération (Mumo Beats Remix)”, the hypnotic, sinister French vocals are seamlessly intertwined with a powerful African percussion groove, which pushes the track into a rhythmic trance, somehow both unsettling and soothing at the same time. “Domination (Samuel SamLeuis Remix)” is more ominous still, with the stacked layers of percussive elements heavier and more domineering, but somehow never losing the funk. “Zombification (Pina Vanucci Remix)” is a more out-there experimental offering. This is a track that feels unsettling, edgy, perhaps even a little unfinished or unbalanced. Swirling soundscapes, glitchy elements and an echoing loop of a voice which sounds distant and unstable. There’s a real questioning of what’s real and what’s imagined as the track unravels.
The two final pieces, released under the Café de Anatolia banner, are likely the EP’s most important contributions to the overall whole. “Jubilation” is a warm, organic release, brimming with positivity and uplifting energy. At the same time, it never feels ungrounded, the funk heavy rhythmic motifs, the celebration held in check by African cadences, Latin percussion and electronic tones and texture. Finally, “Bénédiction” is like an elegant and meditative balm, a restful and tranquil sign off to a fascinating sonic journey. Meneghetti and Lune have not just created an EP in ‘D-ctionnaire’, but a multilingual, multicultural exploration where the visual and sonic are interchangeable, where language as a concept is absorbed and remade into pure sound.
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