OdNu talks music and studios
The recent release on Driftworks by Michel Mazza, AKA OdNu is a whirlwind listen. It’s a spiralling, vortex of neo-classical sound that moves between the intricacy of micro sound and longer, more drawn out passages that swell and breathe to take you on a fascinating journey through a rather alarming environmental event. The album "The Wind Swept All the Colour" weaves together orchestral themes, heavily manipulated loops, field recordings, synthesisers, guitars and distortion, creating a vivid auditory experience akin to a film playing in your imagination. Drawing from the realms of orchestral music, IDM, ambient, and micro-sound, it delves into themes of drama, suspense, and at times, dark humour, painting a picture of a dusty, polluted landscape filled with particles that taint everything.
In his own words, Michel says, “This work was crafted during the spring of 2023, as I found myself confined indoors due to nearby forest fires. The pervasive smoke and acrid scent enveloped my surroundings, making the outside air hazardous. Seeking refuge, I retreated into my studio, immersing myself in the world of music as a means of escape from that unsettling reality.
Utilising orchestral library VSTs, a Novation Peak synthesiser, and field recordings, I played everything through a MIDI guitar, incorporating live guitar and clarinet, all captured through various loopers and mixed live to maintain an organic flow devoid of rigid structures. To achieve a more dynamic and emotive sound, I ran all the elements through different distortions in real-time, crafting a fragile, charred sonic landscape. The distortion itself became an instrument, meticulously fine-tuned to harmonize with the orchestral elements, imparting an essence reminiscent of burnt surroundings throughout the album.
The outcome resembles a cinematic score more than a traditional modern classical or ambient project, rich in dynamics and emotional depth. With a strong emphasis on layered melodies, the album fosters a playful dialogue among its components: orchestra, guitar, clarinet, synths, field recordings, and abundant distortion, resulting in a distinctive and original sound.”
Michel is both an audio and visual artist currently immersed in the realms of electronic music composition and filmmaking. He was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina where he studied film at the Buenos Aires Film School and classical guitar, jazz improvisation and fine art painting under the tutelage of different mentors. In 1994, he moved to the USA where he lived in Los Angeles and New York City for many years and has been living in Hudson, NY since 2014.
Michel has a couple of decades of experience working as an electronic music composer and sound designer for films, short films, cartoons and commercials. Michel plays many different instruments: guitar (electric, acoustic and midi), clarinet, charango, ronroco, piano, bass and percussion. And uses various hardwares for the creation of his music (Zoia fx, Modular system, various synths). Michel considers his studio in its entirety as his main musical instrument.
Michel’s compositions are a constant experiment and interplay of instruments, different techniques, electronics and his moods and feelings. He often works with repetitive tiny melodies creating a dialogue between them amid textures of grainy decomposed sounds often from his main instrument the guitar but also including synths (usually triggered using the midi guitar), field recordings and other acoustic instruments, the result is melodic, cinematic and otherworldly.
Michel has released many albums under the pseudonym “OdNu” on many different labels including Audiobulb, Whitelabrecs, Shimmering Moods, Slow Tone Collages, Off Records and Submarine Broadcasting Co.
Besides working as a music composer, Michel also writes and directs short films and music videos, works as a freelance film/tv video editor, mixer and sound designer and runs his own post production house called Post Present Future.
www.postpresentfuture.tv
www.michelmazza.com
