Tagged: elisaluureviews

The cover art gets you started — standing in a tall building, looking at the city through huge windows as the sun lies low on the horizon, the moment stretching out. Elisa Luu's music has this sense of intimacy and discovery about it, something like swimming underwater with a school of porpoises, but with a deep intelligence that’s never sentimental or sanctimonious. There are definitely no pan flutes or whale songs in Luu’s ambient creations, as they are composed of synthetic, impossible-to-identify electronic gestures. Her tool kit of curious, tactile sounds continually catch you off guard; you’re always trying to figure out [...]

Excerpt (translated from the Italian): "While her bright debut Chromatic Sigh (2009) had all the contours of startling revelation, in the three years since that disc, the Roman artist has refined the familiar juxtaposition and manipulation of sounds... Un Giorno Sospeso develops the colourful electro-acoustic layers of composition, creating a universe of tones and microsounds in constant motion... Among the many interlocking compositions, Elisa returns to surface traces of jazz, accentuating the warmth of environmental sounds, as if suspended in a dream... Whatever the nuances that draw the listener, what's most striking is how sensitive Elisa [...]

Excerpt: "Hidden Shoal Recordings continues to consolidate its reputation for unearthing consistently exciting, engaging and intriguing material with the forthcoming release of Un Giorno Sospeso by Elisa Luu... The eight tracks on Un Giorno Sospreso have a grand electronic air, counterbalanced by skittering textural flairs and enigmatic organic tones. The melodic base is solid, and there are reassuring hooks for the listener to grab onto if they require them. The approach to many of the tracks is quite dynamic; many of the pieces steer away from their introductions, developing into different beasts from what you expect [...]

Excerpt: "Luu creates spellbinding compositions; this time a warm whirlwind melody with suggestive lazy-beat rhythms, topped with a delicate garnish, and glazed with precise instrumentation. An indeed fine blend of analogue-digital. She's one of a few female electronica artist competing the entire male armadas of the genre. Elisa Luu's sure got some Midas touch. She's a Queen Midas." Luna Kafe

Excerpt: "an ethereal amalgamation of electronic music, freewheeling psychedelia, and modernistic elements.  It’s a superb composition with a wavelike structure and evolving melodies.  Fans of Eno and Steve Reich will probably like Elisa Luu." The Dadada

Elisa Luu's new album Un Giorno Sospeso , now available as a digital download and to pre-order on CD from the Hidden Shoal Store , has just received a glowing review over at the excellent Fluid Radio . The album's lead single, 'Se Fosse Per Me', which is available for free download , has also just been reviewed over at the equally excellent Luna Kafe and The Dadada .

Excerpt: "Another beautiful instrumental from the Roman electro-ambient artist, from her upcoming new album. Warm harpsichord and vibes tones wrap around slow droning guitar sustains, with space-static swells arriving from the wings. A gorgeous journey, laden with emotion. Backed with the cosmic 'Pixie Space Rock' from last year's wonderful Chromatic Sigh album." Underground of Happiness

Excerpt (translated from the French): 'Elisa Luu does not hesitate to tackle various genres, spending time on the edges of an atmospheric, post-rock sound, with intermittent drums and electric guitar parts or programmed rhythms... Textures develop to embellish the guitar, flute and other instruments.' Ether Real

Elisa Luu's ' Chromatic Sigh ' makes  Ondarock 's 'Best Albums of 20092! Read the full list  here . Elisu Luu - The Garden   Elisu Luu - The Garden 

Excerpt: "It takes mere moments for Elisa Luu's Chromatic Sigh to make a strong impression when its title track blossoms like some brilliantly hued meteor shower, its metallic materials slowly exploding into a panoramic field of glistening haze... It's a full-blown plunge into digitally-crafted electronic composition, with Luciani weaving flute, sax, and guitar sounds into the quietly radiant fabric of her material. Moments of blissful reverie are captured in “Perhaps” and “Arteline,” both of which breathe like the softest of sighs, while the ruminative “Slow Bass Flute” carves a slow and stately path through a sleepy forest, its [...]

Excerpt: "A stellar work of ambience, Chromatic Sigh refracts the sound of cool intelligence. As far as descriptions go, you can trot out the usual suspects, like shimmering and sparkling, because they apply in abundance. The artist, Elisa Luu from Rome, Italy, composes with a maturity and patience that you can hear on this refined debut... There’s something cyclical about the music on Chromatic Sigh , and electronically this places listeners in the wondrous open spaces that still boom quietly in our natural world. These spaces are Elisa Luu’s sonic gift to the chumps stranded in suburbia [...]

Excerpt: "Luu (aka Elisabetta Luciani) is an accomplished musician, largely focused on jazz, who only turned to electronic music in the last few years. It’s a welcome turn, and Chromatic Sigh marks the arrival of an interesting new voice in the genre. The title track kicks off the disk with a pastoral keyboard melody riding across a rising tide of drone in an ear-pleasing dichotomy…There’s a nice sense of playfulness throughout Chromatic Sigh , and Luu’s playing—on all instruments—is graceful and confident. She is an artist to watch, and I eagerly await more from her. Chromatic [...]

Excerpt : "Chromatic Sigh is an absolute joy to explore, full of emotional resonance. It has a perfect balance between experimentation and melody making it equally satisfying on both an emotional and intellectual level. It’s the work of a composer who knows exactly what she’s aiming for, and knows exactly how to achieve that aim. A terrific debut from a major talent. " Music, Musings & Miscellany

Excerpt: "Just what you need to de-stress yourself of the ravages of the day’s trials and tribulations, a more perfect way in which to head off to the hills in search of sleep we cannot at present better... Its gorgeous stuff, timid and trembling, frail and fragile - the ice sculptured craftsmanship eking out a beautified solitary elegance much recalling the early career work of Mum... most alluring and lulling stuff. We await the album with baited breath." Losing Today

Excerpt: "a new path in the world of electronica...'The Garden' might be a digital botanical garden, with a broad spectrum of scents and colours. During the 5 minute track, a lot of artificial flowers and plants have had their time to grow... a swirling, melodic (and rhythmic) piece leaving the right urge for more." Luna Kafe

Excerpt: "On the evidence of this EP, Elisa Luu is an astonishingly talented artist, crafting immersive and emotive soundfields with ease. Fingers crossed that she can muster an album of similar quality sometime soon." Luna Kafe

Excerpt: “There is a balance of songness and sound, of an experimentalist’s emphasis on texture and a composer’s on tone, that makes Elisa Luu’s Floating Sounds (Phantom Channel) one of the most immediately awarding and arresting netlabel releases of the year thus far.” Disquiet