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Ladies and gentlemen: The Dining Rooms.  The great Italian downtempo elitists from Μilan.

Considered to be great architects of delicate sounds, Stefano Ghittoni and Cesare Malfatti present the most exciting mixture of electronica, through their entire discography, from their 1998 debut album ‘Subterranean Modern Volume Uno‘ to ‘Do Hipsters Love Sun (Ra)?‘ (2015).

Numero Deux‘ is dedicated to great Jean Luc Godard and his magnificent film noir and is tripping in a trip hop magical way, into acid jazz & magnificent cinematic spaces. Strange instruments and lazy dub rhythms at the opening track ‘Pure & Easy‘ prepare us for the rest of the album. The second song is the first shock of ‘Numero Deux‘! Fantastic drum & percussion start, that ”burn” the repeat button in a frantic way! Analog/vinyl sound warmness, rhythmic and seductive, hypnotic and groovy, ‘Invocation‘ is the first highlight. “Il sole sei tu, e la luna sei tu, e il vento sei tu“. Hail to one of the most unbelievable electronica masterpieces ever recorded!! Gentle acoustic guitar drives into ecstatic yet velvet trip hop beats. A faint, delicate piano floats into nocturnal, ambient oceans of endless serenity, and celluloid fascination. Absolutely heavenly, one of the most impressive and emotive downtempo-trip hop-cinematic masterpieces I’ve ever heard. ‘Lucy‘ and the self titled track, are tripping into cool yet dark pathways, while ‘Verso Il Sole‘ with Vincent Dalschaert’s vocals, is surrounded by playful pianos, and up-tempo freestyle rhythm. When we refer to “cinematic music”, we listen to the gorgeous highlight ‘M. Dupont‘. A “grandeur” melody flying over deep and dark ambient-orchestral fields, followed by the freestyle epic rhythm.  Just genius, with not much left to say. ‘Catania City Blues‘ is a bluesy guitar interlude with urban people sounds, that lead us to the last great song of the album: ‘Chorus Of Flames‘. The initial two ambient minutes are filled with the almost acapella whispering voice of Marta Collica, followed by an endless dive into a celestial ambient darkness with impressive atmospheric drums. Like a slow-motioned dive into the sea abyss in the middle of the night. So impressive…

Smooth and trippy, jazzy and mysterious, atmospheric & cinematic like Goddard’s awesome films , ‘Numero Deux‘ is a timeless trip of refined beauty for the late hours.

Infatuating.

Theodoros Rentesis