The Washing Planck - GaSosTuForGy (2025) [Hi-Res]

Music’s primary purpose is to evoke emotion: when a listener is moved, its goal is achieved. It can be melodic, joyful to dance to, or heavy and dark for tougher souls. In short, evolution has given us many choices over time. The media keep stubbornly pushing what contracts dictate, but today, thanks especially to the internet, we can seek out exactly what we want. We can no longer claim there’s nothing worthwhile—just look among the endless offerings to discover a new interest. It takes time and dedication, which is true, but it is often rewarded.
I made this preamble because I, too, love to sail in search of new sensations, only now, from music, I want something more. Emotion isn’t enough; I love to be surprised. I feel at home in the progressive‑rock vein, but also in experimentation, because sometimes I’ve enjoyed the surprises.
Of course I’m not talking about music you can hum or whistle; it’s a propellant for traveling with the mind.
And so I come across the Monza duo, The Washing Planck, made up of Domenico Diano (synthesizers, saxophone, electric bass) and Matteo Mariano (synthesizers, electric guitar, programming). Mariano is the sound designer for the Macrogramma project and collaborates with ROHS! Records, while Diano is a multi‑instrumentalist and a member of the retro‑prog band The Grand Socks.
In this new work titled “GaSosTuForGy” (short for Grand Socks Through the Forbidden Gateway) they bring Berlin‑style electronics, ambient textures, elaborate ethnic timbres, drones and unlikely funk touches into play.
Usually, when many styles are combined, there’s a risk of creating a sonic agglomeration without head or tail; at that point the artists’ compositional and instrumental skills come into play, and if they are high, they can truly deliver great surprises.
Through these eight tracks, The Washing Planck prove they have all the cards to take us on a sonic trip where, around every corner, a surprise awaits.
This, in the end, is more of a listening recommendation than a review, because in such rich material it would be a shame to reveal every detail; I’ll only say that the sax parts are perfectly embedded in the electronic context and the combination often opens up gigantic scenarios to get lost in.
The term “music for the mind” is often used, and here it fits better than ever.
“GaSosTuForGy” is exactly what I’m looking for in today’s music: a work that alienates me from reality, surprises me, and still rests on a historical foundation. It doesn’t lack references to the past or connections to prog, and the suite “Project B (Part 1‑5)” reveals some of them.
A reviewer at the end recommends the album to a specific type of audience; in this case I leave everything to your curiosity. I can give a few hints, yes: Jean‑Michel Jarre, psychedelic Porcupine Tree, but I think that’s enough.