P41 - Long Way Home (2018)

“Ladies and gentlemen, we’re floating in space”: we may well use this line that served as title for a true masterpiece, the album Jason Pierce delivered through his Spiritualized persona (with a little help from Dr. John or the Balanescu Quartet) way back in 1997. P41’s “Long Way Home”, operating on a brand different territory, evokes similar feelings. And a similar aim to, well, think big. Just as Pierce expanded the boundaries of indie pop with a cinematic and grandiose approach, P41 managed to do the same within the tech-house context. Motion is the key: this album has been composed in motion crafting songs while on-the-go, especially during stop-overs at airports spread all over around the globe. Plus, its sonic landscapes are constantly moving: as the 4/4 house signature is continuously enriched with textures, percussive jewelleries, atmospheric pads, unpredictable samples coming from different musical environments. It’s a motion that goes deep and defies gravity, at the same time. P41’s touch is soulful, elegant. The accurate stride of the kick drum is just a gentle guide that drives into a garden of earthly (and digital) delights communicating with intricate percussive treasures. The accuracy paid to every single sonic facet is maniacal. This actually should come as no surprise, considering that P41 – the Rome native Edo Pietrogrande – is one of the most respected sound engineers in the business, and greats such as Francesco Tristano and Octave One have chosen him as their live sound electronical-engineer of reference. It’s not just about studio (or live) sound wizardry, though: P41 has played in club and events like Brancaleone and Room 26 in Rome, Studio 80 in Amsterdam, Amore Festival, off Sonar nights, Barrakud sharing the stage with dons like Laurent Garnier, Carl Craig, Jon Hopkins, Simian Mobile Disco. Under various aliases he’s released through the years on Get Physical, Ibadan, D:vision, Soul Research, DIY; now, he’s focusing on the development of the P41 (“Parallel 41” shortened) disguise. “Long Way Home” is the expression of an artist at the top of duties, of his awareness, of his desire to effortlessly move away from the sometimes-too-recurrent flatness of certain tech-house paradigms. Just take a listen: you may notice he’s succeeded indeed.