Since joining King Crimson in the mid-90s, Pat Mastelotto’s incisive grasp of sampling and electronica has given him a powerful, inventive role not only in the parent group but also within Crimson’s numerous offshoots and side projeKcts.
A restlessly open-minded experimentalist, he’s also a serial collaborator. His latest exploration involves Slovakian guitarist David Kollar and Italian trumpeter Paolo Raineri. Initially collaborating online, the trio eventually got together for a series of gigs and a day-long studio session. The results are spiky, provocative excursions that sweep up melodic fragments, opaque harmonic residue and urgent, clamorous beats along the way. Their sound is daring, heavy and frequently brutal. Between the non-stop broil and sonic fermentation, Raineri’s ethereal lines conjure achingly tender themes. Gracefully trailing across the harsher contours of Kollar’s craggily abstract six-stringed jousting and Mastelotto’s unconstrained juggernaut grooves, Raineri’s brass radiates warmth and magical lustre. Shifting between convulsive rock-outs and weightless ethno‑space jams, this is a bold and satisfying collaboration.
