(Peacefrog/Creative Vibes)

From Peacefrog, the label that has brought you some hard-arsed techno in the past, comes Sullen Look, the debut album from Italian DJ/producer Marco Passarani. Recorded in his home town of Rome, Sullen Look is a collection of minimal electro funk and broken beats. Passarani says the album was recorded between the years 2099 and 95 highlighting his penchant for the futuristic sound.

Passarani has become an important part of Italy’s techno scene, DJing across Europe, working as a radio DJ, organising parties and raves, as well as running distribution company Final Frontier and several labels including Nature, Plasmek and Pigna, home to Jolly Music, Raiders of the Lost ARP and Mat 101. Production-wise, Passarani has previously produced a number of bands such as Jolly Music, J’s Pool, Monomorph and Ambit 3, released early productions on Detroit based label Generator a string of releases on labels such as Skam, Clone and Hyman. Last year’s I House U, a sexy nasty electro house remix of Jungle Brothers’ I’ll House You on Peacefrog brought the producer to new critical acclaim and notoriety, and the track appears as a secret track on this album.

Passarani’s sublime and catchy electro sounds, reminiscent of German electro pioneers Kraftwerk and film score producer Phillip Glass, are perfectly suited to this current climate of electro sounds. He cleverly chooses emotional keys and tones, especially on tracks later in the disc like, Claiming My Tears Back, Clair and C-B-S Master Theme. Passarani also turns his skills to staccato breaks on In My World, disco bass-lines on Dirty Needlework, melodies on C-B-S Master Theme and tougher electro on Again. Early UR and Detroit influences are particularly noticeable on tracks like the string-laden Claiming My Tears Back and Clair. However, the most accessible work is probably the vocal electro collaboration with Orlando Occhio called Criticize.

Despite the heavy use of electronic sounds and synthesizers, you get the sense, Passarani is some what of a romantic, dedicating album to the special person in his life. His direction to bizarre minimalist orchestral compositions reminiscent of movie soundtracks and Phillip Glass are particularly touched on with Renez Vous At 2099. The album title Sullen Look and the many sad faces adorning the cover sleeve in angular cityscapes contrasts with a big happy smiley face inside the CD cover, perhaps a reference to his acid house influences or positive force of music in our lives. Passarani was probably the sort of child that spent many days tinkering with his Casio keyboard, maybe too many that he’s never gotten over his obsession.