“If the snake bites before it is charmed, the charmer receives no fee.”

What aspect of emptiness is Tricoli recording here? Wind, toil, failure, space – pause – space for joy, space for anger, potential for more or less space – wait, and what am I feeling? His Revox tape machine is seemingly encrusted with the fearful sands of time. It’s a wonder the thing works at all. Maybe it is clean underneath; maybe, just maybe, the digital heart of the analog beast is what we are actually hearing.

We wonder then what it is waiting for. How does Valerio keep this uncharmed snake from biting? By watching, recording, and remaining transparently present to the situation. That third thing in the room – Tricoli’s voice, some human remnant, whatever – is translating, keeping us transfixed on the possibilities.

PAN might outdo itself on this one. VT’s performance was easily the highlight of the remarkable PAN_ACT stay at the Goethe Institut. But nothing was quite preparatory enough for the quicksand of this Ecclesiastes-referencing teaser for upcoming double-LP Miseri Lares. This music is otherworldly. This record is hopefully part of our reality soon.