Andrea Remondini

When most of us were 12 years of age, our fondest memories were of Saturday morning TV, week-long crushes and sleepovers. But while we were embroiled in pillow fights and fort building, Andrea Remondini, a composer and multi-instrumentalist from Verona, Italy, was busy getting to grips with a multiplicity of knobs, switches, buttons and keys on the synthesisers of his day. Gratefully, all the years of pottering, and driving his parents up the wall with his disorderly trialling no doubt, has seen him refine his craft to deliver his classically influenced, full-length CD, ‘Non Sequitur’ which, like the title suggests, offers variety from start to finish born of his “unconscious mind” according to the man himself.

Progressing from his days of autodidactic induction and experimentation into the polygonal genres he dabbles in, ‘Non Sequitur’ is engrained with the electronic synthesis that dominated the 80s synth-pop and dance scene. Utilising a heady mixture of acoustic instrumentation and technology, Remondini uses his deep knowledge of sound design to create a euphonious instrumental album that transfers from movement to movement like one great, grand symphony.

Remondini makes no secret about the fact that he takes many cues from his idols including Jean-Michel Jarre and, most noticeably, Mike Oldfield. Drawing from their early work, ‘Non Sequitur’ utilises multiband synthesis but only as trancelike accompaniment to the classical orchestral lilt of the album. Remondini’s influences have broadened his understanding of structure and the compatibility of sounds to make his lyric-less themes speak for themselves essentially.

Additionally, Remondini has also borrowed from his own personal experiences within the industry as a sound engineer for an indie Dance label in his native of Italy. One can hear that ‘Non Sequitur’ doesn’t completely shun its decade in that it is paced like the modern Eurodance produced by so many DJs nowadays; first you begin slowly then gradually build. Listening to and working closely with both contemporary and veteran artists has allowed Remondini to knit decades of technological and cultural advancement together to make ‘Non Sequitur’ sound like an inventively unique performance piece destined for large auditoriums internationally, despite being one man and his keyboard. Such is the all-encompassing gravitas of the album’s tone that its presence belies its modest production values.

Remondini admits to quitting a lucrative position in order to dedicate himself full-time to the music that he loves. A particularly bold move, especially considering that his progressive, ambient synth-pop proclivities place his music in the niche subcategory of the already specialist classical market. Still, the emotive and ethereal ‘Non Sequitur’ succeeds in being as spunky and ambitious as its creator’s latest career move.