At the heart of this work is a shifting, dynamic friction between saxophonist Damiano Grandesso and an interactive system built by Andrea Cera. Throughout the performance, the balance of power continually changes: the machine oscillates between following the saxophone’s lead and dictating terms of its own. Even so, Grandesso stays firmly at the helm of the dramaturgy, steering role reversals and spontaneous shifts in response to the audience’s emotional pulse.
Building on earlier pieces by Cera like Deliverance (1998) and Dueling Zombies (2007), the computer listens and reacts in real time. This listening engine incorporates an algorithm born during Cera’s residency in the European project ReSilence (2023–2025), designed to measure and respond to a specific abstract quality: “intrusiveness”—a blend of timbral roughness, dynamic spikes, and non-linear transitions. The computer’s audio output directly answers what the algorithm perceives as intrusive in the saxophone’s playing, which in turn shapes Grandesso’s physical and musical gestures in a continuous feedback loop of mutual disruption and control. Beneath the sonic surface, multiple layers run in parallel: Grandesso can either follow a synchronized score or break away into full improvisation, with the freedom to override the computer’s behavior at any moment via a dedicated interface.
The project evolved in two distinct phases. The first established its core musical vocabulary—a hybrid blending techno and jazz rhythmic-melodic structures with permutational and interpolative procedures from late-twentieth-century art music, balancing strict composition with free improvisation. This initial stage led to the 2021 release of the EP Fluorescent Lines on the Italian-German label Jazz-O-Tech, as well as placements in the Rai3 series Hic Sunt Leones by Ricci/Forte (2020) and MopStudio’s theatrical production Augmented Me (2022). The second phase culminates in this new performance, which takes that original compositional material and plunges it straight into the unpredictable dynamics of the reactive system.
Phosphoreshent Line
The opener ‘La ballata dell’abisso’ finds Luigi Ranghino return to this label after contributing to JOT013. Grandesso’s sombre sax starts the track on a melancholic mood which is eventually lightened by gorgeous piano keys. A scuffed-up broken beat rises from below and leads you to a place of spiritual awakening. The majestic ‘Results of Psychotropics’ is a richly layered piece with heavy, lurching drums. Delicate sax riffs bring the sense that a new day is dawning while soft arps and beautiful chords add further detail to this soul-soothing piece. The excellent ‘Pink Squirrels’ is an erratic mix of skittish drum programming and freeform sax lines that squiggle about with real vitality as the drums burst to life. It is truly avant-garde. Italian master craftsman Enzalla is known for his deeply introspective soundscapes. He serves up his own vision of ‘Ballata dell’Abisso’ with heavy-hearted chords, knocking wooden beat syncopations and pensive sax that leaves you in awe. Last of all, Berlin-based Marco Bruno is the remixer and founder of the Evighet label. His broken rhythm re-interpretation of ‘Pink Squirrels’ is super slick and crafts IDM-Electro sonorities through the cosmos. The loopy drums take flight as the moody sax lingers amongst the stars and the whole track is sure to take dance floors to the next level. These are five fantastic tracks that blur the lines between the organic and the synthetic in stylish new ways. Jazz-o-Tech is a label that draws on the rich heritage of two of the most visionary and experimental genes in music: jazz and techno. Taking inspiration from the freeform creative nature of those two musical worlds, artists on the label mix tradition with modernity, improvisation with experimentation, and create a new sound known as techno-jazz. Modern music needs to be ambitious. It must aim to deliver a musical message which is one step beyond what has already been heard. It must take you on a new musical journey into unknown dimensions and emotions. That is the Jazz-o-Tech mission.
Hic Sunt Leones
