Last updated on February 14, 2022
Cemento Atlantico‘s Rotte Interrotte aims to be an audio travelogue of trips to Alessandro “ToffoloMuzik” Zoffoli’s trips to Morocco, Vietnam, Peru, Cambodia, Colombia, India, Guatemala, and Myanmar. It functions very effectively as intended: Zoffoli uses copious field recordings of nature, people, local music, and spaces as foundations for pulsing, engaging electro cuts.
I’ve not been to any of the places that Zoffoli has, but I feel closer to them through the singing of Guatemala’s Garífuna (“Black’n’Red”), Vietnamese lute (“Trung Sisters,” set to a ripping Big Beat kit attack), and Cambodian train noises giving way to flutes and sleek bass-heavy work (“Beat ’em Bang”). Each of these tracks would be perfectly suited to a club or an ethnomusicology class. (This is a good thing.)
It’s not just the evocative field recordings that make the collection so fascinating: the fusions are what make this so intriguing. “Amazonienne” is a sprightly, dance-ready techno cut that is paired with sounds of the Amazon (including singing of the Phia bird). Opener “Umm Bulgares” captures a unique moment where Zoffoli found himself watching a funeral procession in Morocco accompanied by a traditional lute and (coincidentally) a visiting Bulgarian women’s choir warming up next door. Fitting those to another Big Beat drum feel (that tambourine!) makes this an impressively beautiful and unusual electro cut.
Rotte Interrotte expertly blends cultures, sonics, and approaches to arrive at something unique and truly mesmerizing. Zoffoli’s expert hand guides the field recordings and techno stomp into a harmonious, compelling whole. If you like adventurous electronic music, this is it: sonically, culturally, and practically adventurous. Highly recommended.