Gianluca Piacenza is a classically trained Italian musician based in Piancenza, Italy. An accomplished pianist, sound designer, and composer, Piacenza’s work showcases a natural propensity for cleverly textured and beautifully orchestrated tracks, that blend acoustic instruments with stunning digital effects. The release of ‘Dream’, a budding five track album, is his first foray into the world of indie artistry, and an incredible showcase of his talents.
Fusing gentle, linger melodies with subtle electronic textures, ‘Dream’ opens with the lavish soundscape of the title track. A quiet, harmonious song, it wavers between ambient and serene before slowly fading into a series of softening piano notes. On ‘Reflections’ and ‘This Is Real’, Piacenza’s sense for tradition and his classical influences shine through, with a complex arrangement of emotive notes and powerful tones seeping through the dream-like state of his sound reverberates against more somber moments. In the final tracks of ‘Mutations’ and ‘Lullaby’, the tone turns more noticeably experimental, as the blend of acoustic textures and electronic utterances shift towards a medley of manipulated natural sounds and soft synthesizers. There is a wonderful moment when the cascading sounds bloom together, and from the maelstrom of tones comes a vibrant, orchestral soundscape that is as beautiful as it is captivating.
While only five tracks long, ‘Dream’s holds within it a wealth of talents, ideas, and innovations that linger for hours after they’ve faded. The combination of intricate composition, subtle layering of textures, and the mingling between the natural world and the electronic is incredibly captivating, and the sonic world that Piacenza has created is undeniably brilliant.