Drawing us in with a soft-whirring, rising frequency, culminating in an ethereal energy with astral guitar textures and ambient sounds, Corrado Saija opens Hypnagogica with a track titled 16A. We appreciate the psychedelic energy that manifests, which feels both healing and cosmic.
There is a peaceful essence that comes to life whereby the sounds float around us. The guitar strips away, leaving almost a cerebral and futuristic essence, peaceful and meditative. The electronica sounds like water vapour drifting through the atmosphere and there is no doubt that the composition would be perfect for a yin yoga class. A restorative flute and piano emerge, this moment feels like the score for a movie like Avatar.
There is no doubt that the album has a rich spiritual quotient and the re-emergence of the guitar with celestial flute sounds cements this further, tapping into a more psychedelic frequency that feels apt for a trip.
Next up is Birimbà which opens with dimensional percussion and cerebral motifs akin to stepping into the DMT realm. For some context, a birimbà is a Brazilian single-stringed musical bow. The track holds a syncopated energy, which almost feels like a multitude of musical conversations taking place at once. It is trippy and surrealist like a Salvador Dalí painting. It is intricate and spiritual as if we are in a woodland forest, but also leans into jazz motifs which are grounding. Vocal textures guide us and so does a deep didgeridoo with maracas. The repeated notions are hypnotic.
This leads us to Miraggio N1, which greets us with an immersive and meditative energy, removing any cosmic blocks and resonating with healing energy. We feel at one with the universe and in a frequency of comfort. There are notions of ancient-futurism that manifest here. Astral glitched synths are fused with otherworldly, grounding frequencies. The emergence of guitar textures adds to the more human elements and we could appreciate this piece during a shavasana at the end of a flow.
Eva Kant opens with a peaceful frequency and spoken word, evolving with a captivating bass performance. It is important to note that Eva Kant is an Italian comic character who originated in the series Diaboli. There is most certainly a cinematic adjacency that comes to life with this composition. Descending harp riffs and tribal drums with 80s nuances bring to mind the criminal universe of the comics.
Next is Birimbao which opens with brooding textures and drama. This expands with spiritual percussion and vocalizations to bring to life the iconic Brazilian bow once again. This feels cohesive and transcendental leading us through to Miraggio N2 which features an orchestral and cinematic allure with intrigue and a nod to the concept of the optical illusion. Once again, there are universal themes that come to life. The entire album feels like a commentary on the expanse of “the cosmic illusion” and this track certainly cements that. It is healing, peaceful and feels like waves of strings immersing us in a zen-like cosmos. We could imagine this featuring in the score of a Luc Besson film like Lucy.
Chiara Fame is a playful futuristic jazz number, which features piano riffs and a more traditional assemblage. We appreciate the charisma of the piece and the seductive drama that comes to life. The drum work is the boldest on the album so far and we connect with the vibes that could feature in a movie like Sin City. It is also the shortest track on the album and the most contemporary, per se.
This brings us through to Gardust which feels like we have entered an ancient rainforest at night. We are mesmerised by the bird calls, the spiritual essence and the intricacy of the piece. The toms are almost tribal and most certainly feel like little magic mushrooms finding their way into the world. The surrealist ebbs and flows of the piece are divine, and this serves as the longest track on the record. There are almost 80s motifs that come to life with the drums and melodies, but the high spiritual quotient is engaged throughout. There are beats that feel like a pulsating heart and the nature sounds add so much depth and character. Truly magnetic.
Finally, we experience Zero Crossing which feels like a meditation on everything that has come before. We are guided by textured drums, contemporary motifs, and sublime astral bells that reverberate on an emotional frequency. The bass adds drama to the piece and we appreciate the slowed and almost slurred tempo that serves poignantly as an outro for the overarching expression of the album.
On the record as a whole, Corrado Saija says, “It explores the threshold between waking and sleep: a nocturnal journey through suspended worlds, moving between ambient, chillout and downtempo, with near lo-fi rhythms, jazz touches, an exotic edge and a fresh take on library-music aesthetics. Played with the Osmose MPE synthesizer, acoustic piano, berimbau and percussion.”
This most certainly came to life with our experience of Hypnagogica. We have added a selection of the tracks to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TIMELESS and TRIPPY playlists, whilst we continue to stream the wider discography of Corrado Saija, including Beyond The Sea, Izumi, and Amanda.