Otherworldly experiments in sound design from Mattia Cupelli, based in Rome. “Cells” is from Cupelli’s newest album, Artificial Hades—it typifies the album’s overall sense of menace and its exploration of data as living entity. Save for a few moments of elemental reprieve, most the record is true to its title; it sounds like the white-hot forging of new elements and their painful journey from the underworld up to the earth’s surface. Not for the faint of heart, but also full of beauty.

I’ve also included a track from another recent collection EP III 2017_2020. “Eon” gazes upward more and is slightly gentler than the material on the new album, but is perhaps and even more impressive demonstration of Cupelli’s command of restrained distortion.

Both records are available on bandcamp or for streaming. I recommend exploring Cupelli’s whole catalog, there’s tons to explore.

Mattia Cupelli – “Cells” (sc)

Mattia Cupelli – “Eon” (sc)