Carlos Cipa has an edge over so many neoclassical projects which have been broadly influenced by repetitive and minimalist American styles: like instrumental pop music, to say nothing of jazz fusion, the presence of instrumental sounds other than keyboards; and he has added some flavour to so many tracks, in the same way that a brilliant sauce can liven up an apparently tasteless dish. This record will take you on a journey through a world of rather muted sounds, which alternates refreshingly between great, hypnotic statements of melancholia, and somewhat briefer interludes (Fanfare, or the stunning Awbsmi), which seem to capture the ephemeral impressions of city life, as if the spirit of the town was in dialogue with an imaginary world beyond, a world under construction, made of dreams and dreamed escapes. These interludes always form a magnificent prelude to the great meditations which follow, and which can be jumping off points for mental meanderings (like Slide, where the pianist-composer from Munich tries daring new sonic experiments). The three final tracks are more developed, and the closing track, Paon [peacock] has nothing wild about it at all: the jazzy trumpet and droning, percussive piano bass , is an attempt at a reconciliation of two worlds. It conjures up an image of the town at the end of the night, the dawn opening up, freeing itself, casting off the rags of the night before. Have you seen the stunning film by Christoph Hochhäusler (also a Munich native) from 2010, Unter dir, die Stadt? These Retronyms by Carlos Cipa could form a perfect new soundtrack for it, ten years later. © Pierre-Yves Lascar/Qobuz