Steve Pepe - Arabia per Delfina (2022)

Random Numbers is proud to present the latest release of fellow Italian Steve Pepe, real name Manuel Cascone. After some brilliant EPs on Hivern Disc, Macadam Mambo and inside Out Records, we are honoured to have him over for the album that has already enchanted us.

"Arabia per Delfina" opens the dance with a languid sound, which slithers in slowly but persistently. Protagonist is a solitary synth whose bright and sensual frequencies rise from the darkness, lighting up the room like the sultry moon in the summer nights.
The Arabic influence is clear, supported both by the title and the sonic timbre: anything but stereotypical, is reinterpreted by Steve Pepe through his New Wave sensibility.
What follows, “Sospesissimo”, softens the initial intensity slightly through its wobbly and playful groove. Here the guitar strings seem to move in slow motion, conveying a slight feeling of dizziness. Elements from jazz and downtempo music are expertly arranged into a bizarre and synaesthetic choreography of gestures.
The percussions hinted in “Sospesissimo” become more insistent, almost unruly, in “El Pelusa”, which pushes us effortlessly towards a frenetic and liberating dance.
This cornucopia of Latin-infused sounds marks the contours of an iconic character, Diego Armando Maradona, AKA Mano de Dios, and culminates in a carnivalesque explosion of euphoria.
"Carpenter" enhances the peak reached by its predecessor with a more reserved and introspective verve, but no less fascinating. As a composition with oneiric nuances, deep volumes and chiaroscuro, "Carpenter" demonstrates the double-edged nature of this album and, consequently, the wide emotional spectrum that Steve Pepe manages to convey in his productions.

Almost sneaking up on us is “Verso”, with its classical violins and the fearless cacophony challenging the harmony of the track. Fearless is also Steve’s voice, which channels the intensity and excitement of a journey that’s about to begin, but whose destination is yet unknown.
A slight hint of existentialism comes into play just before we approach the next track, "ZimaNeta", which marks the end of this sonic journey.
Here it is again, that very same languidness grasped in the opening. If “Arabia for Delfina” lets us glimpse the moon, “Zimaneta” goes straight for the entire Milky Way with its multitude of glimmering dots. In this spacey exploration made of a thousand colors, all the musical elements encountered along the way are revealed once again for a final farewell.