Paolo Alberto aka DUSTY KID loves traveling, and his second album BEYOND THAT HILL picks up right where the sensuous spheres of his debut A RAVER’S DIARY left off.   BEYOND THAT HILL is a real cinematic road movie that takes the straight bass drum out of the club and plants it on the roadside. Beats rush past like power poles, a fresh breeze blows across your face, literally and figuratively, and in front of you there’s nothing else but the vast horizon, a shimmering dance of coordinates.

Dusty Kid wanders through luscious, epic landscapes of sounds. It’s not surprising that some of his tracks hit the 10-minute mark without being tiring or exhaustive. One might imagine themselves gliding above the sounds, yet still close enough to admire all the wonderful details, and high enough to get a good view. The sounds are far more than just random metaphysical mumbling or a series of meaningless loops and effects. The opener “Nora Nights” already starts at a tight pace, yet with a well-defined and delicately balanced structure and ambience. Every second, every single sound bit is essential. In “Jknoussa”, Dusty Kid first plays the Grand Canyon tourist at the coin slot telescope; then, in the 14-minute floor hugger “Argia”, he turns into the adventurous mountaineer climbing between the jagged rocks along the abyss, suspended between heaven and earth, yet absorbing both at the same time.  There’s a little break at the campfire during “Chentu Mizes” and “Beyond That Hill” as a rhythm guitar invokes the spirits of ancestors under the moonlight and helps mentally prepare you for “Polybolo”—that monster that drags the mountaineer into the abyss, and hits the dancefloor like an avalanche. Like the peak climber who finds himself awe-struck by the earth’s elemental forces, “Polybolo” reveals the pure longing, the archaic natural forces, only by means of pure synthetic tools.

But soon after, the traveller gets his guitar back for “Cheyenne”, peaceful and organic but still engaging thanks to precise and superbly arranged spectrum of sounds!  Finally, “That Hug” pulls out all the stops to sensibly recant the journey the audience has travelled so far.  With grand gesture and universal aspiration, this unique and unforgettable trip comes to an end. And once again Dusty Kid proves that he is the master of the album format. Hardly anyone manages to make his productions a consistent, varied and inspiring narrative. An ideal mix tape for some, highly imaginative cinema for others, but the result is always the same: it is a story to dance to, and a musical road for adventurous types.

CD TRACKLISTING:

1.   Nora Nights       10:15

2.   Jknoussa             9:28

3.   Argia                14:49

4.   Chentu Mizas       6:09

5.   Beyond that Hill    2:22

6.   Polybolo              5:27

7.   Cheyenne            4:32

8.    That Hug           23:32