Two years after “Odd To Love” inspired by Emily Dickinson’s poetry, Tenedle (a.k.a Dimitri Niccolai) returns with “Traumsender” a project that pays homage to Robert Wiene and German expressionism. The music of the album is in fact “surrounded” by a visual, graphic and emotional concept that partly recreates the atmosphere of the historical masterpiece of 1920 “The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari”, as the musician personally tells us. Born in Florence but established in the Netherlands for almost ten years, Tenedle is an author, singer, performer and producer who has always experimented with various artistic disciplines often in close contact with music. For some time intrigued by the ambitious idea to revive a theatrical version of the film, Tenedle finally opted for an album that pays homage to some peculiarities, recognizing the difficulty of reviving the unrepeatable “visionary folly” of Wiene from scratch. There is therefore a clear fil-rouge that unites “Traumsender” and Wiene, that atmosphere permeates the thirteen traces, but Expressionism is not the only reference. The title of the album in fact means “despatcher of dreams” and derives from the reading of “The Middle age imaginary” by Jaques Le Goff, an important starting point for the creation of the album. The dream, the irrationality and therefore an imaginary “other”, have profoundly influenced the composition of the thirteen songs that flow smoothly with references to: Sylvian and Bowie in the first place, but also the best synth-pop of the early 80s for a deliciously sound back. Beautiful “Let Go” and “Zen” introspective dominated by the piano, captivating the hook of “Last Woman On Earth”. Particularly worthy of mention are the excellent interventions on the trumpet by the Dutch jazz artist Bert Lochs, which embellish some traces. “No Ground” and the excellent “Spring Will Never Come” are an example. “Traumsender” is a work coordinated and managed entirely by Tenedle himself who has taken care of every musical and extra-musical aspect. In addition to the aforementioned Lochs, they also contributed: Debora Petrina, Susanna Buffa, She Owl – Jolanda Moletta, Laura Taviani, Edoardo Bacchelli and Gabriele Marconcini. From the strictly musical point of view “Traumsender” is a solo record but it is born and develops thanks to the meeting with other musicians as Tenedle tells. “I do not usually write in company and I do not even like to share the production process too soon, but at a certain point there are songs that call voices, instruments, and I absolutely have to follow those” calls “. Fortunately I am surrounded and continue to meet wonderful people and artists out of the norm, who continue to make me beautiful gifts with their presence “. Born thanks to a Crowdfunding campaign, from the support of MusicRaiser and Solchi Sperimentali with Antonello Cresti, this album is a beautiful portrait of an Italian artist who has been following his own unique path for years.
Marco Calloni
http://www.blogfoolk.com/2018/04/tenedle-traumsender-sussurround-live.html