Buy the complete Album on Bandcamp: https://macrogramma.bandcamp.com/album/a-spring-diary

"Under the stones lizards lie to the time / dreaming of a fragment of eternity..."
To Yuuki, Ryu, Yoshie. A 2015 seen through the eyes of 2020
Performed & recorded by Matteo Mariano in spring 2020
Ryu Mariano: ending synth solo on “May 1” - Photos: Ryu Mariano - Shodo: Yoshie Asanuma

A Spring Diary

Cat.#: LONTANO-S-CD12
Release date: 16/06/2020
Format: CD, Digital

[Perché Dormiamo?]
Although in very different forms, sleep is an aspect of experience that unites all living beings.
Despite the many extremely plausible theories to explain the phenomenon, sleep still remains one of the greatest mysteries of science.
So, why do we sleep?

[Sisyphos]
Could the punishment inflicted by the Gods on the man who dared to challenge them, coming to deceive without completely dispelling death, be a metaphor for the law of conservation of energy?

[Costruzione1]
A song created a long time ago, starting from small loops left by chance inside a loop station. After years of forgetting about the song, I found it again and discovered it’s much longer and layered than I remembered leaving it.
As if in all this time the modules that built it had gradually replicated themselves and made it grow like a plant. Maybe a distorted memory.
Maybe it wanted to live.
credits
released June 16, 2020

Performed & recorded by Matteo Mariano between 2005 & 2020
Noriko Ogawa: voice on "Perché Dormiamo?", recorded in 2007
Mastered by Andrea Porcu

Thanks to Rich Dodgin

Cover art: "Portrait of God" by Chiara Di Salvo - www.chiaradisalvo.com
(Gran Paradiso sand, pigment, oil, china, gold leaf on wood - 2018)

Matteo Mariano - www.macrogramma.com

Record label: Lᴏɴᴛᴀɴᴏ Series
Publisher: ROHS! RECORDS

Copyright © 2020 ROHS! RECORDS, All Rights Reserved

Trittico

MAGNETIC SERIES – Album – Format: CD, Digital – Releases September 20, 2024

“I’ve always had a deep connection with magnetic tape. Since the end of the ’80s, when I was just a kid, musical experimentation was inextricably linked to that medium, to the tapes that filled my days. Every recording, every edit, every sound etched onto those tapes represented my first naive steps into the world of music. It was a way to explore, to get to know myself and the sounds I could create.

Then, in the late ’90s, the introduction to Minidiscs and, later, HD recording changed everything. Daily interaction with tape seemed like a thing of the past, forgotten in favor of newer, more immediate, and versatile technologies. But that magic, that physicality, was hard to replace.

Over the years, I’ve watched with curiosity as magnetic tape made its return to the tables of ambient and experimental music creators. I realized that many had already rediscovered and embraced this medium, while for others, it had never really gone away. I, on the other hand, was much slower to return. But it was precisely through the works of other artists that I found the drive to immerse myself once again in this dimension, more convinced than ever.

Since 2020, after some attempts to incorporate tape elements into my compositions, I began to explore this path more seriously. I started creating tracks where the use of magnetic tape wasn’t just an accessory, but an expressive end in itself. “Magnetic Series” is not a concept album in the traditional sense, but rather a collection of tracks created between 2020 and 2024, united by a common thread: the manipulation of tape in various forms, from cassette loops to reel-to-reel, from slowed-down/speed-up tracks to entire mix passed through tape.

Beyond the allure of nostalgia and the fun that this medium provides, magnetic tape offers something unique: an intransigence that digital lacks. While digital allows you infinite possibilities, tape forces you to make definitive choices, pushing you into a creative process that permits no compromises. And perhaps it’s this very unyielding nature that makes it so fascinating and valuable.“

Music by: Matteo Mariano (macrogramma.com)
Mastereing: Andrea Porcu
Photo & Desig: Moreno Pirovano
Record label: Lᴏɴᴛᴀɴᴏ Series
Publisher: ROHS! RECORDS

Cat.#: LONTANO-S-CD47
Release date: 20/9/2024
Format: CD, Digital

Copyright © 2024 ROHS! RECORDS, All Rights Reserved

Magnetic Series

Dormant Fear

Tape In C Locrian

--- Dario Sleeps (and Dreams of Eating) ---

This is a track that is very dear to me, composed at the beginning of October 2001.

The title comes from the fact that on the night I wrote this piece, my dear friend and artist Dario Panzeri was staying at my house. While I was composing he was sleeping on the sofa. When I finished, he woke up and told me he had a strange dream about eating a baby.

In a way, this piece could be seen as an unintentional attempt to tap into his dream from the outside. Or vice versa...

The sounds are quite raw and Mix and master are quite poor. I used the default soundbank of Apple QuickTime, along with the default reverb plugin from Cubase VST for Mac. Over the years, I’ve tried many times to replace the original sounds with higher-quality ones, but nothing ever felt quite right—nothing could recapture the mysterious atmosphere of the first version, which was meant to be just a draft but ultimately remained unchanged.

Dario Dorme is part of the soundtrack for The Mills of God Grind Slowly (2001–2004), a short film consisting of seven video animation episodes by Riccardo Arena. It serves as featured music for the episode in which a reworked version of Magritte’s painting L'Empire des lumières slowly transforms into its opposite.

For those interested in learning more about Dario’s and Riccardo’s work, I highly recommend visiting their websites—you won’t regret it.

http://www.dariopanzeri.org
https://www.riccardoarena.org

------------------------------------------------------------------------

--- Dario dorme (e sogna di mangiare) ---
Questo è un brano che mi è molto caro, composto all'inizio di ottobre del 2001.
Il titolo deriva dal fatto che la notte in cui ho scritto questo brano, il mio caro amico e artista Dario Panzeri era ospite a casa mia. Mentre componevo, lui dormiva sul divano. Quando ho finito, si è svegliato e mi ha detto di aver fatto uno strano sogno in cui mangiava un bambino.
In un certo senso, questo pezzo potrebbe essere visto come un tentativo involontario di entrare dall'esterno nel suo sogno. O viceversa...
I suoni sono piuttosto grezzi e il mix + master sono piuttosto scadenti. Avevo usato la soundbank predefinita di Apple QuickTime, insieme al plugin di riverbero predefinito di Cubase VST per Mac. Nel corso degli anni, ho provato più volte a sostituire i suoni originali con altri di qualità superiore, ma nulla mi è mai sembrato giusto, nulla è riuscito a recuperare l'atmosfera misteriosa della prima versione, che doveva essere solo una bozza ma che alla fine è rimasta invariata.
"Dario Dorme" fa parte della colonna sonora di "The Mills of God Grind Slowly" (2001-2004), un cortometraggio composto da sette episodi di video animazione di Riccardo Arena. È la musica dell'episodio in cui una versione rielaborata del dipinto di Magritte "L'Empire des lumières" si trasforma lentamente nel suo opposto.
Per chi fosse interessato a saperne di più sul lavoro di Dario e Riccardo, consiglio vivamente di visitare i loro siti web: non ve ne pentirete.
www.dariopanzeri.org
www.riccardoarena.org

Dario Dorme (2001)

"DNA" is a piece I feel particularly attached to. I composed it back between 1999 and 2000, and it was first presented as the closing track of Eterociclica, a collection inspired by a series of chemical molecules known as heterocycles. Each track drew inspiration from a specific molecule, and DNA aimed to sonically represent the macromolecule itself, with its intricate, modular structure.

The track was written using samples of percussion instruments, piano, Hammond organ, strings, and electric guitar. The only real instrument recorded is the electric guitar. At the time, I had just started exploring digital composition, and MIDI along with notation software were my primary tools — new and exciting territory for me.

Among the sparse and tentative pieces from those early years, DNA has remained my favorite — even 25 years later.

---

"DNA" è un brano a cui sono particolarmente affezionato. L’ho composto tra il 1999 e il 2000, ed è stato presentato per la prima volta all’interno della raccolta Eterociclica, un progetto ispirato a una serie di molecole chimiche appartenenti alla famiglia degli eterocicli. Ogni brano nasceva da una suggestione molecolare, e DNA, che chiude la raccolta, rappresenta una visione sonora della macromolecola, con la sua struttura complessa e modulare.

Il brano è stato scritto utilizzando campioni di strumenti a percussione, piano, organo Hammond, archi e chitarra elettrica. L’unico strumento suonato realmente è proprio quest’ultima. All’epoca mi ero avvicinato da poco alla composizione digitale: il MIDI e i software di scrittura erano strumenti nuovi e affascinanti, che esploravo con grande curiosità.

Tra le mie prime composizioni – timide, sparse – DNA è rimasta la mia preferita, anche a distanza di 25 anni.

DNA (2000)

March 15, 2020. The first hidden sound page from isolation diary.
From A Spring Diary, released May 24, 2020
Performed & Recorded by Matteo Mariano in 2020

March 15 is the first of a series of 4 tracks collected in the album "A Spring Diary". All of these were written during the first major lockdown in Italy that went from March to May 2020. This strange period of closure took me back to the spring of five years earlier, in 2015, when a series of situations and concerns brought my family and me to experience a sort of unspoken "family lockdown" to the outside world.
"A Spring Diary" is a book of notes of discordant moods, between hope and uncertainty, lived between waiting and trying to take advantage of the imposed pause to rework the past.

------

March 15 è la prima di una serie di 4 tracce raccolte nell'album "A Spring Diary". Tutte queste sono state scritte durante il primo grande lockdown che in Italia è andato da Marzo a Maggio del 2020. Questo strano periodo di chiusura mi portò indietro alla primavera di cinque anni prima, nel 2015, quando una serie di situazioni e preoccupazioni portarono la mia famiglia e me a vivere una sorta di "lockdown familiare" inespresso verso l'esterno. 
"A Spring Diary" è un libro di appunti di stati d'animo discordanti, tra speranza e incertezza, vissuti tra l'attesa e cercare di sfruttare la pausa imposta per rielaborare il passato.

March 15

May 1, 2020. The last sound page from A Spring Diary, track released May 9, 2020. Performed & Recorded by Matteo Mariano in 2020. Ryu Mariano: ending Synth Solo.
https://macrogramma.bandcamp.com/album/a-spring-diary

May 1

March 15, 2020. The first hidden sound page from isolation diary.
From A Spring Diary, released May 24, 2020
Performed & Recorded by Matteo Mariano in 2020
https://macrogramma.bandcamp.com/album/a-spring-diary

April 15

March 30, 2020. A sound page from isolation diary.
From A Spring Diary, track released April 6, 2020
Performed & Recorded by Matteo Mariano in 2020
https://macrogramma.bandcamp.com/album/a-spring-diary

March 30

Sleep Whisperers

Composed and performed by Matteo Mariano 

(2021) http://macrogramma.com

MAGNETIC SERIES – Album – Format: CD, Digital – Releases September 20, 2024

“I’ve always had a deep connection with magnetic tape. Since the end of the ’80s, when I was just a kid, musical experimentation was inextricably linked to that medium, to the tapes that filled my days. Every recording, every edit, every sound etched onto those tapes represented my first naive steps into the world of music. It was a way to explore, to get to know myself and the sounds I could create.

Then, in the late ’90s, the introduction to Minidiscs and, later, HD recording changed everything. Daily interaction with tape seemed like a thing of the past, forgotten in favor of newer, more immediate, and versatile technologies. But that magic, that physicality, was hard to replace.

Over the years, I’ve watched with curiosity as magnetic tape made its return to the tables of ambient and experimental music creators. I realized that many had already rediscovered and embraced this medium, while for others, it had never really gone away. I, on the other hand, was much slower to return. But it was precisely through the works of other artists that I found the drive to immerse myself once again in this dimension, more convinced than ever.

Since 2020, after some attempts to incorporate tape elements into my compositions, I began to explore this path more seriously. I started creating tracks where the use of magnetic tape wasn’t just an accessory, but an expressive end in itself. “Magnetic Series” is not a concept album in the traditional sense, but rather a collection of tracks created between 2020 and 2024, united by a common thread: the manipulation of tape in various forms, from cassette loops to reel-to-reel, from slowed-down/speed-up tracks to entire mix passed through tape.

Beyond the allure of nostalgia and the fun that this medium provides, magnetic tape offers something unique: an intransigence that digital lacks. While digital allows you infinite possibilities, tape forces you to make definitive choices, pushing you into a creative process that permits no compromises. And perhaps it’s this very unyielding nature that makes it so fascinating and valuable.“

Music by: Matteo Mariano (macrogramma.com)
Mastereing: Andrea Porcu
Photo & Desig: Moreno Pirovano
Record label: Lᴏɴᴛᴀɴᴏ Series
Publisher: ROHS! RECORDS

Cat.#: LONTANO-S-CD47
Release date: 20/9/2024
Format: CD, Digital

Copyright © 2024 ROHS! RECORDS, All Rights Reserved

Tape in A minor

Tape in A Minor

Tape in G Dorian

Tape In G Dorian

Tape In E Flat Lydian

Although in very different forms, sleep is an aspect of experience that unites all living beings.
Despite the many extremely plausible theories to explain the phenomenon, sleep still remains one of the greatest mysteries of science.
So, why do we sleep?

Performed & recorded by Matteo Mariano between 2005 & 2020
Noriko Ogawa: voice on "Perché Dormiamo?", recorded in 2007
Mastered by Andrea Porcu

Thanks to Rich Dodgin

Cover art: "Portrait of God" by Chiara Di Salvo - http://www.chiaradisalvo.com
(Gran Paradiso sand, pigment, oil, china, gold leaf on wood - 2018)

Matteo Mariano - http://www.macrogramma.com

Record label: Lᴏɴᴛᴀɴᴏ Series
Publisher: ROHS! RECORDS

Copyright © 2020 ROHS! RECORDS, All Rights Reserved

Perché Dormiamo?

Could the punishment inflicted by the Gods on the man who dared to challenge them, coming to deceive without completely dispelling death, be a metaphor for the law of conservation of energy?

Performed & recorded by Matteo Mariano between 2005 & 2020
Mastered by Andrea Porcu

Thanks to Rich Dodgin

Cover art: "Portrait of God" by Chiara Di Salvo - http://www.chiaradisalvo.com
(Gran Paradiso sand, pigment, oil, china, gold leaf on wood - 2018)

Matteo Mariano - http://www.macrogramma.com

Record label: Lᴏɴᴛᴀɴᴏ Series
Publisher: ROHS! RECORDS

Copyright © 2020 ROHS! RECORDS, All Rights Reserved

Sisyphos

Costruzione1
A song created a long time ago, starting from small loops left by chance inside a loop station. After years of forgetting about the song, I found it again and discovered it’s much longer and layered than I remembered leaving it.
As if in all this time the modules that built it had gradually replicated themselves and made it grow like a plant. Maybe a distorted memory.
Maybe it wanted to live.
credits
released June 16, 2020

Performed & recorded by Matteo Mariano between 2005 & 2020
Mastered by Andrea Porcu

Thanks to Rich Dodgin

Cover art: "Portrait of God" by Chiara Di Salvo - www.chiaradisalvo.com
(Gran Paradiso sand, pigment, oil, china, gold leaf on wood - 2018)

Matteo Mariano - www.macrogramma.com

Record label: Lᴏɴᴛᴀɴᴏ Series
Publisher: ROHS! RECORDS

Copyright © 2020 ROHS! RECORDS, All Rights Reserved

Costruzione 1

Sound Designer & Composer. Creates instrumental music and soundtracks for film/videos and for art exhibitions.

Macrogramma

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