Actis Band Allende Review

Saxophonist Carlo Actis Dato describes his new band as an Italian answer to the music of New York's Downtown scene. He's a little off the mark, to be honest. While they pack a serious punch, they also have longer attention spans; there's no clever-clever genre hopping going on here.

Instead, Allende is stuffed with big, dirty riffs, bright, folkish melodies and splashes of electronic colour. Karsten Lipp's effects-drenched guitar and Massimo Rossi's similarly enhanced bass guitar steer free of fusion cliche while keeping up the testosterone level.Dato and Massimo Rossi's fruity saxophones offer gutbucket melodies and keening improvisations, while Dario Bruna's irrepressibly beefy drums help to ensure a highly energetic and utterly enjoyable 64 minutes. Recommended.