If you are among those who own the two previous Braen’s Machine LPs, “Underground” and “Quarta pagina”, you’re probably already well aware of one of Italian library music best kept secrets, that is the real identities of those hiding behind the pseudonyms Braen and Gisteri. These were the monikers of Alessandro Alessandroni and Oronzo De Filippi, directed by Piero Umiliani and his record label Liuto. With “Temi ritmici e dinamici” (Rhythmic and dynamic themes) the plot thickens and gives us two other aliases to unveil, with each of them signing one of the two sides of the album: G. Ugolini and Awake; we believe, though, that the already mentioned Alessandroni and De Filippi also hide behind these nicknames.

In contrast with “Underground” and “Quarta pagina”, “Temi ritmici e dinamici” offers brighter, less psychedelic atmospheres, leaving room to beat sounds, to a swinging rhythm section, to the Hammond organ (“Gara” resembles the James Taylor Quartet, but a decade earlier), and even to moog and synthesizers (“Dilettanti”). Despite a lighter and an almost purely entertaining context, the album also allows for experimentation, as can be heard in the two songs that close both sides: “Esercizi Ginnici” and “Aspetti Grotteschi”. There’s no better soundtrack than “Temi ritmici e dinamici” for your ‘outdoor activities’ (“Attività all’aperto”), or if you’re always seeking for ‘competition’ (“Competizione”). An exercise that works perfectly, even while comfortably lying on the couch…

Stefano Gilardino