Known mostly for his solely instrumental work, Stefano Musso (aka Alio Die) has collaborated from time to time with vocalists, understandably seeking singers who will blend in with his post-ambient/space rock constructions rather than jarringly stand out from them (though the contrast would be an interesting experiment). The three-song Eleusian Lullaby is one of these efforts, featuring fellow Italian Martina Galvagni throughout; her clean, beautiful keen either sits gently down in the mix or rises along with it in a soft swell, perhaps best heard on "A Drone Song for Alienor," which in both title and general impact almost feels like an homage to the Elven songs and orchestrations done by Howard Shore for The Lord of the Rings movies. The title track is, if anything, an extension of the same feeling if a little less overtly alien, thanks to Galvagni's vocals being a touch more upfront while losing none of their mystery. Opening cut "The Ontroid Sleep" is in its own way the odd one out, but only just, with an overt if very understated rhythmic structure not as apparent on the other cuts, where a regular chime and guitar combination provides calm propulsion to the song and Galvagni's performance. If Eleusian Lullaby is "just" another Alio Die album in some respects, Galvagni's contributions give it an individual air, and the whole is a worthy listen. Rating: 3.5/5 - Ned Raggett

Three elongated tracks making up a full length album of arty, filmic experimental soundscaping. Delicate and subtle, yet slightly discordant, melodies from archaic stringed instruments interweave with ambient drones, tinkling bells, and wordless vocals with Middle Eastern, medieval and folk touches, as well as sophisticated and evocative neoclassical vocals that are used as more of a focus of the track rather than the other styles that put in briefer appearances. Less song-oriented than many Projekt releases, but its ethereal nature, coupled with the slightly dark take on folk/world/classical music, fits right in with much of the label's other output. Combining elements familiar from the ambient/drone/experimental genre with creative, intellectual ideas of their own, the album is relaxing yet slightly unsettling at times, and goes beyond music and into the realms of aural art.

Alio Die is the project of the Italian Stefano Musso from Milan . He makes ambient music with manipulated and electronically processed acoustic sounds. With this he builds intimate and mysterious sounding meditative soundscapes. This he does for more than 20 years by now and the man has released over 25 cd’s so far, among which are collaborations with Robert Rich, Vidna Obmana, Nick Parkin and Antonio Testa.

The Eleusian Lullaby cd counts three lengthy drone pieces. The music of Alio Die is full of little acoustic details, samples, loops and constantly moving melodies or sound textures. A good eye for detail and good care has been given to it since as a whole it sounds more than the sum of it parts. On Eleusian Lullaby this specific sound is furthermore enhanced by the exotic voice of Martina Galvagni, that in a certain respect reminds of the voice from Lisa Gerrard. The effect is overall warm with the ethereal vocals from Martina perfectly fitting these long stretched dreamscapes. In ‘The Oniroid Sleep’ the sound spectrum is mostly formed by the exotic sounds of instruments such as the cithara, sitar, bells and kalimba, combined with the manipulated found sounds and the voice of Martina. In ‘A Drone Song for Alienor’ Martina’s voice has been mixed more to the front. The third piece, ‘Eleusian Lullaby’ has been completely constructed around the improvising vocals of Martina, with the use of drones and loops.

The sounds on Eleusian Lullaby sound like a lovely green palace garden in the tropical realms of India where the vibes have an intense peaceful beauty. Very pleasurable drone music to relax to.

The softness that flows through the latest title from Italian sound-craftsman, Alio Die, is quite interesting. Eleusian Lullaby is just what the title implies, an ethereal beckoning to sleep and dream. The Greek mythologies surrounding the mysteries of Eleusis in their ceremonies that celebrated the afterlife were sacrosanct. Those mystical pathways promised powers and riches that speak of a perfect place attainable only by an initiation into the secret rites and worships, with the result afterwards, a holy familiarity with the Greek gods. Visions were seen, and a higher appreciation of life as a pathway to the greater glories, were endeared.

In the first track found on Eleusian Lullaby, the hypnotic blanket of softly shifting sounds and a bell-like focal point, is a soundtrack of those ancient journeys. It is the imagined music of the spaces found in between the earth and the afterlife, never threatening, always calling. In its nearly 22 minutes of a consistent stream of sounds with the occasionally inserted vocals of Italian singer, Martina Galvagni, the comforting music reaches levels that equate to background music for some and a genuine creation of a musical sphere.

Martina Galvagni moves into a fuller role on the more religious-like worship sequence of the album, the 16-minute “A Drone Song for Alienor.” The music of Alio Die takes a more reverential sound as Martina provides chant-like vocals to accentuate the watery essence of the location that the music has created. It is as if the world has a worshipful atmosphere that follows your walk through it.

The final track, “Eleusian Lullaby” begins with the sound of wind chimes, creating the effect of a slight soothing wind. There is a greater sense of the unknown in this piece, more respectful than anything else. The vocals of Martina Galvagni begin almost immediately to instill a feel that you have arrived at a place and there are beings nearby. But, as the music is more ethereal, it never places emphasis on a created world. Instead, it lays the foundation of a dreamed world that is spiritual in every sense. The focal point bell returns as Galvagni’s vocals beautifully chants.

The music of Eleusian Lullaby is excellent looping ambient made to relieve you of a near hour of reality. Whether you put this in just as you slumber, or you provide it your full attention, you’re getting a fantastic experience with this Alio Die & Martina Galvagni soundcraft. No matter what, Eleusian Lullaby proves that music can be serious stuff.

Master and “servant” making a Faustian bargain with the devil in order to revamp the new age. Alio Die’s (real name: Stefano Musso) pedigree is unimpeachable, his ever-burgeoning catalog sumptuous enough for virtually endless revisits; vocalist Galvagni “serves” as AD’s muse throughout this deeply evocative recording, her natural aeolianesque pipes coursing through the music’s bloodstream and enriching its vitality. But in all honesty this is AD’s show: wordlessly fetching Galvagni might be, but Musso’s texturally complex interplay of loops and drones, a potpourri of psaltery, kalimba, metals, and other ingredients, weaves a journey through tempestuous mystic valleys, spiritual never-never lands, and semi-lucid waking states fraught with teleological mystery. Gorgeously recorded, detailed with a painterly finesse that articulates each sound in three-dimensional bas relief, this is an understated monster. - Darren Bergstein

This CD from 2008 features 61 minutes of sensual ambience.

Alio Die (aka Stefano Musso) plays psaltery, zither, kalimba, cithara, metals, sitar, drones and loops and field recordings, Galvagni contributes voice. As one might expect from the above instrumentation, this music displays an ethnic demeanor, blending Asian and Middle Eastern influences and channeling them through a distinctly modern lens. Galvagni’s rich voice lends a neo-classical air to the placid tuneage.

Softly buzzing strings share the same sonic stage with bonging bowls and pittering, almost elusive tempos. Meanwhile, nearly intangible atmospheric textures drift lazily overhead, shadowing the most distinct sounds with a lulling temperament. Environmental samples serve as grounding elements, connecting the breezy melodies with their planet of origin.

The vocals are delicate and heavenly, rising to stand in elongated formations that convey a gentle yearning. There is no lyrical content, only harmonic airs of ethereal viscosity. The peculiar union of the trembling ambiance and the droning voice creates a visionary sense of pastoral delight. Surges of density occur, but the mien remains the same: sedative and relaxing.

While mainly harmonic in definition, these compositions achieve a melodic influx with the sensual crooning of the fem vocals. With only three songs comprising this album, each piece is afforded ample time to establish a dreamy panorama and explore the territory within those invisible boundaries. Each track becomes a lullaby with adult audiences in mind.

A continued rhythm: Songs from the rim of the black hole.
Sometimes an album comes popping out of nowhere and leaves one wondering why on earth this hasn’t been done before. “Eleusian Lullaby” is such an album and with its release date falling somewhere between the old and the new year, fans of drone music will now have the chance to decide whether to make this part of their top ten for 2007 or 2008.

The concept to this collaboration is seemingly simple: Alio Die’s Stefano Musso uses a colourful array of medievally-tinged instruments to lay down finely woven soundscapes of sensuous and ethereal quality, while his Italian compatriote Martina Galvagni uses them for otherwordly vocal excursions. In their essence, these three pieces are songs – recorded at the rim of the black hole, where time is starting to stretch into infinity, but the dream is still breathing.

The results are anything but banal, however. “The Oneiroid Sleep” is an unreal haze of love, held together by chains of psaltery, zither, kalimba, cithara, sitar and shruti box, all softened by a sonambul sourdine. The courtyard vision of “A Drone Song for Alienor” begins on a warm summer morning in the palace garden, but gradually looses itself in stoney hallways and echoes of its own past.

In the title piece and final chapter of these compositions, all circling the twenty-minute mark, the bright sunlight has made way for the moods of dawn, for the time of day the Portugues call madrugada: The sky is clad in a bronzen tone, the day caught somewhere between its peak and the first signs of departure.

To arrive at this purity, the duo has gone to meticulous preparations, which prove almost all of my initial remarks wrong. First off, “Eleusian Lullaby” certainly did not come falling from the sky. Stefano Musso has proven his skills of transforming the subtle sounds of metal bowls and the finely snarling strings of traditional instruments into poetic clouds of promising whispers over the course of an over 15-year long career, which has seen him appear on some of the most prestigous labels and collaborate with decorated artists.

Galvagni, meanwhile, started her career at the tender age of 14 with a performance at the “Biennale Teatro di Venezia” – back then as an actor. The beginning of their creative liason dates back to 2001 and the album “Leaves Net”.

Secondly, the concept of “Elusian Lullaby” has been pursued by Alio Die twice before. On “Apsaras”, he teamed up with experimental vocalist and dancer Amelia Cuni, which resulted in a daring experiment which the Wire dubbed “a serious attempt to make something new and expressive from within Indian art music”. “Mei-Jyu”, meanwhile, saw Musso engage in a handshake with Japanese duo Jack and Jive and a spiritual search within the cavernous halls of Zen. Instead of presenting a novelty, “Elusian Lullaby” constitutes a temporary acme performed with the self-confidence to leave out anything unnecessary.

And finally, there is nothing simple at all about this album. It is all concentration and focus, a work which “happens” in the moment, shifting with each new breath and syllable. Every track has its own and unique approach to vocals, starting as a mere ornamentation and primus inter paris on “The Oneiroid Sleep”, growing into rolling vocalises on “A Drone Song for Alienor” and solidifying in fey Latin chants in the dark finale.

Musso’s work, meanwhile, is close to being a revelation: His drones do not so much live from harmony, but from a continued rhythm, they are a patchwork quilt made up of myriads of tiny elements, which form a coherent new entity.

The dedication to each and every of these elements is audible – sometimes a single swing of the shaker will suffice, on another occasion, dreamy guitar licks loose themselves in reveries without end: It feels familar, but it turns out to be full of hidden trapdoors on closer inspection. Even if it hasn’t appeared out of nowhere, my hopes are this will be repeated in some form soon. -Tobias Fischer