Mad Madam Em
Absolutely amazing album!!! The songs are masterfully arranged and produced, and De-Franco's sound is so lush and texturally rich. Lovers of downtempo and ambient electro definitely don't want to miss out on this one!
Favorite track: Sunlight Song (feat. Rel O'Keefe).
Allan Donald
Takes you away to that special place, now I will share this with my guests. Contributing to their holistic experience with FFFE, Australia.
Gossen Rijkeboer
Such a variety of tracks and still it stays 1 album. Beautifully produced and arranged. De-Franco is an example of how the new generation of indiemusic producers are. It's all about sharing and caring and this Ozy artist is an inspiration to allot of people including myself.
Favorite track: The Tipping Point.
Sunlight Song (Feat. Rel O’Keefe)
All I want is a future, to escape this loveless night Wanna taste the freedom, I wanna feel the sunlight, wanna feel the sunlight
I’ve been thinking about you, as the day fades into night I’ve been dreaming a new dream, underneath the sunlight, underneath the sunlight
It’s a pretty little picture that we just let burn Now we’re tripping on the edge of no return You’re saying what’s the point gotta let it go It’s a question of fate but I just don’t know
There’s a million little pieces lying all around When the sun came up then the walls came down It was falling from the sky like a silver stream And all that I remember it was 8:15, 8:15
Melodic, evocative, sumptuous electronica... this perfectly describes De-Franco’s debut album Solastalgia.
Immersed in a captivating blend of acoustic and electro instrumentation, De-Franco fuses primal elements of progressive, minimal and tech house to create a boldly haunting sound. Add to this some cherry-picked smatterings of ambient, glitch, pop and jazz and the result is a rich, luscious brew that invokes deep sensations of loss, decimation, and ultimately the possibility (however faint) of hope and atonement.
De-Franco explains: “The album title came about from reading a New York Times article about Professor Glenn Albrecht and a philosophical term he’d coined, Solastalgia, in response to mining activities in the Hunter Valley in Australia. And whilst not an environmental album per se, I certainly wanted to explore a range of emotions in relation to aspects of that pain he described, that loss, that feeling of helplessness.”
Composed, performed and produced by the man himself, Solastalgia has been crafted with focussed love. Soul soothing one moment, bent out of shape the next, each piece is intelligent, deliberate and introspective.
From the opening track Solastalgia, through such titles as Anthem For No One, Conquistador (featuring Mexican classical guitarist Daniel Medina), The Tipping Point and Elemental Lullaby, emotions are delicately examined through sophisticated choices in instrumentation, melody and beats. The only composition flirting with convention, Sunlight Song, features an ethereal, plaintive vocal from Australian singer Rel O’Keefe, imploring us to reach for the light from the dark of despair. The lyrics with their oblique allusion to Hiroshima delivers chills.
De-Franco cites electronic heroes including Ennio Morricone, Massive Attack, Air, Jean Michel Jarre, Trentemøller, Pink Floyd, Vangelis and Yann Tierson to name a few. “I’ve always been attracted to tunes with great melodies – instrumental or vocal, electronica, rock, pop – it doesn’t matter. If the melody stirs me, then I’m in.”
So close the doors, shut off the lights, turn up the volume and embark on your own, personal journey through the intoxicating and heady sensory experience that is Solastalgia.
credits
released December 19, 2014
All tracks written by Denis Franchetto except Sunlight Song written by Denis Franchetto and Rel O’Keefe.
Guitars, keyboards, programming – De-Franco
Vocals on Sunlight Song and other vocal samples – Rel O’Keefe
Acoustic guitar on Conquistador – Daniel Medina
Cello on Underside and Elemental Lullaby – Rory Dungan
Spoken word on The Tipping Point – Professor Glen Albrecht
Produced, recorded and mixed by De-Franco. Additional recording by Scott Mullane. Mastered by Matthew Gray. Photography by Sylvia Zirkelbach. Artwork by Slick.
She has done it again! She has made a album that's even better then all the greatness that she has already created. It's a must listen and buy! Digibilly
Dreamy and mournful, where Witch House & Dream Pop intersect. You know those albums you bought over the years that only really had one great track? This is *not* one of those, so it was really hard to pick a single favourite. evilhippo
Pairing wonky synths with crisp samples, the California-born, Berlin-based producer specializes in minimal house with a carefree spirit.
Bandcamp New & Notable Jun 22, 2022
London producer channels personal loss into cavernous, cathartic electronic music that nods to dubstep and deep house. Bandcamp New & Notable Jan 25, 2023