A Conservatory graduated musician and composer, Francesco Mariano plays double bass, flute, guitar and synths in his own compositions which blend various styles, including ambient, new age, soundtrack and electronic music. Mariano’s work cannot fall neatly into a box. While loosely considered electronica, it harbors a more natural, more introspective quality than traditionally contrived electronic music. Fittingly, this is something which itself seems to develop organically across the course of the artist’s growing catalog of singles.
The feeling of constant motion is entrenched in Francesco Mariano’s compositions, it’s also manifest in the fleeting appearance of his unusual use of vocals, while the transient effects that populate the tracks insidiously are a testament to the music’s level of detail. While the feelings that populate Mariano’s songs obviously stem from a personal viewpoint, they’re felt universally, making his records potentially more accessible to most.
Their polished production matched only by the levels of subtle nuance that reveal themselves with each listen. As delicate as they are confident, Mariano’s arrangements are no less than compelling. Each song is a perfectly crafted, emotive piece of work.
“Room 107” features shimmering electro keys, intricate percussion, and a funky groove, spiced with flourishes of big band brass. That Francesco Mariano is utterly at home highlighting his talent in electronica with expertly crafted drum patterns, luscious atmospheric sounds and eloquent synth sections, is made clear on “Killing Me Softly”.
“Electric Dream”, has an impressively effected vocal section, which drives the track in a beautifully hypnotic fashion, leaving the listener wishing the trip would last that little bit longer. “La Vida Fanciulla” also makes good use of the vocoder before the female vocals set in to support the insistent percussion.
Along with dropping traditional song structures, these songs often develop under their own logic, while still cohering with an accessible sound. Perhaps the best example of this refinement can be seen on the single “The Colonial”. This builds in both a cinematic and classic orchestral mode without losing the mainstream listener’s interest along the way.
Francesco Mariano’s tracks stay away from try to being the dance music end of electronica, while at the same time avoids becoming background elevator muzak. He finds the perfect middle ground on a track like “Nine Lives”. With “Wollen Sie Mit Mir Tanzen” Mariano feeds listeners an eclectic composition with plenty of playful keys and banging percussion.
“Love Affairs” is an ethereal track, with the beat and resonating bassline fully dropping in to drive the rhythm. In accordance with Francesco Mariano’s work ethic in the studio, output quality is beyond masterful. As it is, on the dynamic and dramatic “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang”, which has a distinct vibe that flutters gracefully throughout the song.
Just to prove he can do it, on “High Voltage”, Mariano combines a series of rhythm bound sounds that delivers the track into the dominion of dance floor worthy electronica. This collection of singles was everything I expected and more, delivering a highly impactful assortment of different styles and sounds.
Throughout his catalog, the producer confirms the will to discover new solutions in the development of his music. Francesco Mariano gathers his experiences as a musician, creating polished pieces, in which he smoothly transits from meditative ambient to high energy electronica in flawless, graceful and majestic ways.
OFFICIAL LINKS: FACEBOOK – SPOTIFY – APPLE MUSIC – YOUTUBE – SOUNDCLOUD
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