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Ken Field & Alieno de Bootes — Alien Field
(Cuneiform Rune 3359, 2022, CD / DL)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2022-09-01

Alien Field Cover art

Alieno deBootes (real name Alessandro Pizzin) is a Venice-based keyboardist and producer, born into a musical family, who has been active in the music scene since the 80s, first with his experimental pop band Ruins (not to be confused with the Japanese band of the same name) and then several other musical projects that followed (Hex, Hakkah, Grampus, Wind Project, and The Bootes Trio). More recently he has dedicated himself to working as a cross-genre independent producer, and over the years has released a significant body of solo recordings. Saxophonist (and flutist) Ken Field is probably best known to Exposé readers for the four albums he produced with his band Revolutionary Snake Ensemble, or the eight releases with Birdsongs of the Mesozoic, though he has produced nine solo releases over the years begi nning with Subterranea in 1991. The two future-collaborators first made contact about twenty years ago and remained in contact over the years, but it was the pandemic of 2020-21 that afforded both the opportunity to begin working together remotely, during which time the nine tracks at hand were produced. The set launches with “Short Trip to Bootes,” a powerful yet dreamy introduction to what the duo has on offer — deBootes’ immersive synth sounds wrap around the saxes and other woodwinds nicely as the piece proceeds along its eight-plus minute path. The mood remains solidly in relative explorative ambient territory for the next few tracks, “Dwelling” and “Hmmm” with dreamy synth textures punctuated by the floating melodies of woodwinds, with “The Transducer Experiment” being a bit more synth-dominated with some curious textures and sequences. Following the powerful thirteen-minute spawling dreamscape titled “The Garden,” the album takes a different turn for its final tracks, moving into a more jazz and funk informed direction as additional musicians are brought in to play bass, drums, and soundscapes on the remaining four, first appearing on “Krunsch” and culminating with the twelve-minute closer “A New Cosmo,” probably the most ambitious and explorative piece of them all. Alien Field is an album that delivers on a number of levels, and hopefully deBootes and Field will consider doing a follow-up or two at some point in the future.

Filed under: New releases, 2022 releases

Related artist(s): Ken Field, Alessandro Pizzin (Alieno de Bootes)

More info
http://cuneiformrecords.bandcamp.com/album/alien-field

 

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