Tomat – 01-06 June

The solo debut from Italy’s Davide Tomat is a more conceptual, abstract affair than anything his other projects N.A.M.B. and Niagara have produced. Six days of improvisation in June 2010 – hence the title – have been distilled into eleven tracks, each one named after an event that took place on one of those six dates at some point in history; the patenting of the radio and the publication of 1984 being two examples.

Since the essential elements of these pieces were put together before Tomat researched the dates, the conceptual dimension to 01-06 June feels fairly superficial. Musically, however, it wrings moments of beauty and sublimity from its spartan origins: Tomat claims that 90 per cent of the sound is comprised of heavily-processed vocals, and that simple approach forms the basis for some genuinely otherworldly dronescapes. 01-06 June may be somewhat confused, but its erratic-yet-intuitive style often yields unexpected rewards.