Valentino – Hydrosphere

Valentino – Hydropshere

(EDO, 2021-11-15)

Submerged in a body of water, everything slows down. Looking into the dark seabed below, the imagination goes wild. In the silence that surrounds, a soft crackling can be heard. In EDO’s first release, label founder Valentino Mora takes the subaquatic subtlety to a whole other level, curating a guided journey into the deep.

French Berlin-based Mora has, for the past five years, diligently nurtured the sounds of his label IDO (“Intercontinental Dance Organization”). This has set in motion and provided a source of flow towards the concept of “active meditation”. In a similar way, through EDO’s conception (“Exothermal Dance Organisation”), the four tracks in the EP provide the listener with a different charging experience, a techno-centric, sonic backdrop to the “hydrosphere”.

The acid sounds in “Erosion” introduce the release with a rather sinister atmosphere, enough to bring hair to stand on its end. The layering of dreamy chords, infinitely echoing bleeps and waves of the kick’s quickening pace, creates a rather sci-fi charm. A bit like reading about the adventures aboard the Nautilus in Jules Verne’s 1870 publication, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Mora’s seemingly modular synthesised elements interpret a vivacious abyss.

As if going further down into the inky blackness, recurring elements continue to draw a haunting, enchanting picture. The contrasting dynamic between these releases and IDO’s more ambient house feel shines through in the tracks “Hydrosphere” and “Doppler Shift”. Percussive tones break through the surface and compliment the more drone-ish textures, leaving a hypnotic, trance-inducing continuation of the sculpted journey. A sense of urgency characterised by the distinct, move-inducing hats of “Doppler Shift” brings a climax to the sonic storytelling.

This climax is brought home lightly in “Solarized” with a sweet, melodic cooing, shining through the mysterious sounds of an underwater landscape. The warmth of the sound infiltrates and softens. As if having sighted a beam of light between the watery masses making up clouds, it offers direction, reminding us of the diverse hydrospheres that surround us.

As Mora continues to curate diverse journeys for the many facets of lived experience through sound, be it meditative or dance-oriented, there is peace of mind in knowing that drawing the line of where one label’s sound distinguishes from another is a done practice. For those who have followed IDO’s growth, reassurance lies in the authenticity it will keep as a guiding pillar, with EDO providing a fresh source of output and novice possibilities, as vast as the hydrosphere itself. 

WRITING BY: TINA CAMILLERI | 6 DECEMBER 2021

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