0068 // Morkebla

Photo by Stefano Majno.

Italian artist Alberto Rosso, aka Morkebla has both an eye and an ear for the futuristic. His Ono-Sendai Cyberspace LP, was littered with references to William Gibson's Sprawl series, setting the context for Rosso's data-moshed beat experiments. Even from the title of his most recent offering, it's clear he hasn't changed interests. A Field of Secondary Craters sees it's release on Edinburgh based Czaszka Records, following several months of encouraging discussions. "I was contacted by the label in Spring 2016," he begins when asked about his contact with the label. "I was already working on some material and finally ended up sending them some tracks. They showed huge interest and support, which is something precious. I love to work with labels who are truly passionate in their work and follow every release very carefully - Czaszka is surely one of them."

Rosso says the album is an assortment of tracks constructed across his life, rather than a snapshot of a particular moment in time. The release's name is an attempt to reflect this. "I imagined how the music could be transposed into a visual metaphor" he states. "It could be like a small planet with different craters over its surface. A few days later, I was looking at some pictures taken by NASA satellites, and found one picture that had exactly the same name, A Field of Secondary Craters".

His interest in space and sci-fi extends back to childhood, adopting music production as a pastime around eight years ago. "I was mainly into experimental sounds and field recordings" he reflects on his early days of production. "Then I focused on more rhythmical, non-dance ambient music. I think my tastes haven't changed that much over years, because I have always enjoyed a wide-range of genres. I have become quite picky with what I buy and listen to, especially because it’s getting more and more difficult to find sounds that you don't forget easily."

The mix he has provided for us covers three quarters of an hour of amp-textured synthetics and leftfield beat experiments, providing a cross-section of Rosso's recent listening habits. "I wanted to focus on a short time retrospective with some of the music that strongly shaped my last few months" he starts when asked about the mix's construction. "But whenever I began to focus on it, I kept on losing track of what I intended to do. Then I started to imagine this mix as a painting; it’s full of chiaroscuros from each track. Whether you’ll like it or not, I think it represents 100% what Morkebla is now."

Tracklist

S Olbricht - Floa 1 [UIQ]
UMFANG - Riffs [1080p]
Wolfgang Tillmans - Make It Up As You Go Along (Salem Remix) [Fragile]
Stavrogin - Tailgate [3BS]
Beatrice Dillon - Curl [Alien Jams]
Blindoldfreak - Everything Ends Here [Modular Brain]
2814 - Inside The Sphere [Dream Catalogue]
Morkebla - The Ground Under My Feet Became Water [Czaszka Records]
Body Boys - Syringe II [Indole Records]
Secret Boyfriend - Little Jammy Centre [Blackest Ever Black]

• Published
• Nov 15, 2016

• Credits
• Words by Theo Darton-Moore