Living in a post-modern age, one can assess the fact that many people have forgotten how to live a stressless life, how to calm down, how to be healthy. In former times, pre-Christian times, many European cultures believed in the powers of the voice, which can heal those wounded without bleeding. Myriads of people followed their spiritual leaders during their holy incantations, their holy chants, the Canto Sagrado as ATMAEN call them. We are happy to maybe give you a breather with this record premiere! Enjoy!
Valentina Buroni might be of Italian descent but in her hearts she must have Irish (or Celtic) roots, for her vocals remind me so much of Enya and other famous Gaelic enchantresses that I had to check twice that she was not born on the Emerald Island. Her music is a mesmerizing blend of modern, ambient Synthwave and neo-classical Irish Folk (similar to sean-nos vocals). But be aware that the purpose of her music is a bit different - it is not all about storytelling but more about the ability to use the voice as more than an instrument. Many will now claim this to be complete esoteric nonsense - but please remember the aimed-for effect: Calm down while breathing slowly, thus adjusting your heartbeat, subsequently relaxing the muscles and feeling at ease. With yourself and your environs.
When Valentina creates her chants, the multi-layered vocals are often accompanied by sparkling, trickling droplets of field recordings and soft Synth passages. Sometimes one even hears a very distinctive programmed beat but even then, these beats still carry the undertone of a classic Celtic instrument. Wandering through the realms of her Italian heritage, her Irish singing and songwriting and the nicely balanced mixture of song and chant, ease and purpose, the aim she is seeking for us is surely achieved. Do not hesitate and give the record a chance to be a vessel for inner calm.
Now if you like what you hear, then you can purchase the record from the Spiritual Voice website or from Inertial Music’s webstore. And for now enjoy ATMAEN’s new record, Canto Sagrado:
