Feeling stressed? Put your feet up and have a listen to Non Sequitur (released 29th May, 2014), 44 minutes and 13 seconds of one continuous piece of music.
Described as “progressive instrumental synth-pop”, it’s the work of Italian composer, Andrea Remondini. This is his debut full-length CD and is self-produced.
Taking the listener through different and sometimes recurring melodies and variations of melodies, sounds capture various moods using a variety of synth effects and tempos. It’s like a stream of consciousness but, of course, must have been very carefully constructed.
Given Non Sequitur’s retro feel, it’s not surprising that Andrea Remondini is an admirer of early Mike Oldfield and Jean-Michel Jarre, without copying them.
Non Sequitur’s cover art manages to be both playful and a bit sinister; you don’t know what to expect. Sometimes dramatic, sometimes quiet and delicate, the music ranges from a single synth piano to two or three instruments or more, with background vocals on occasion. It’s a tour through the orchestra and a fun challenge to try to pick out different instruments. I thought I heard keyboards, percussion, woodwind, xylophone, tubular bells, crashing cymbals, electric guitar and kettle drums.
Remondini is a master of atmosphere and knows how to present melodramatic, melancholic and upbeat tunes. Melody is the priority here, and it never gets overly complicated. For me, it’s gentle Sunday morning music to mentally limber up to. As for public performance, I think it would work better as a film score or as contemporary dance music rather than a concert piece.
From his early foray into electronic music when a young boy in the mid-1980s, Remondini progressed to enjoy a long successful career as a musician, songwriter and sound engineer. Working in the world of dance music, he has collaborated with DJs from Italy and elsewhere in Europe, gaining chart entries in various European countries. However, he wanted to produce his own sounds outside of dance music, so he established his own recording studio and Non Sequitur was born.
Other musical projects and collaborations in Remondini’s back catalogue include Greece 2000 by 3 Drives on a Vinyl, I Feel Love by CRW, Komodo by DJ Picotto and Home Again by Jimmy Somerville.
If you like an ever-changing soundscape that you can mostly chill to, with some drama here and there, you will enjoy Non Sequitur.
https://andrearemondini.bandcamp.com/track/non-sequitur-extract