The Green Kingdom – Prismatic (2 x CD)

On this outing Cottone ventures deeper into the landscape of The Green Kingdom with a collection of beautifully crafted, intricately detailed, organic/electronic instrumentals. Sitting comfortably amidst the field of electro-acoustic music production, what makes Cottone’s work stand apart from his contemporaries is the warmth, emotion and true understanding of melody and harmony so evidently on display within these expansive arrangements. There is a real sense of space and depth to this collection which filters elements of dub, techno, folk and electronic experimentation through the prism of processed guitars, strings, bells and other sampled instruments.

Recalling Susumu Yokota, Shuttle 358, The Boats, Harold Budd and even vintage era The Durutti Column on the album’s cornerstone track, ‘Wetlands’. On tracks such as the sun-drenched ‘Radiance Reflected’ and ‘Bonfire (tec)’, alluring melodies are underpinned by subtle beat constructions. Whilst on ‘The Largest Creature That Has Ever Existed’, deep, subby drones plumb the depths as finespun rhythms and delicate melodies swell, rise and break the surface.

Equal parts brooding and beguiling, optimistic and uplifting, an album that is perfectly timed to welcome the lengthening shadows of early autumn while casting a wistful glance back at the last gasps of summer. These are adventures in modern composition that never lose sight of the importance of melody, harmony, structure and rhythm. Minimalism at its most expressive, lush and emotional.