Tomaga - Intimate Immensity (2021)

We still hardly believe the sad disappearance of Tom Relleen last August. And yet it is. Half of the Tomaga duo he formed with percussionist Valentina Magaletti will have left a void that not much can fill. Instead of going to mourn his sad fate, it's time to celebrate his genius one last time with the swan song called Intimate Immensity.

Tomaga, it's over. But fortunately, the duo prove that they still possess as much inventiveness with their sublime mix between trip-hop and krautrock of the future. Between hyperactive keyboards and playful percussions, the duo's music has never sounded as brilliant as before, especially when listening to analog tracks such as the obsessive "Idioma" which opens this final disc but also more playful passages such as as "Mompfie Has To Say", "The Snake" or even "More Flowers" which, for its part, amazes for its strange beauty.

Definitely ambitious, Tomaga manages to make speak their musical eccentricities so refined and detailed on the feverish percussions of "The King of Naples" and the acoustic flavors of "British Wildlife". We can also count on the angelic presence of Cathy Lucas of Vanishing Twin who pushes vocals on "Very Never" before the duo will close this final mass with the title track which is in the image of their flawless inventiveness. Intimate Immensity will be the last chapter of a duo that will have redefined the codes of experimental trip-hop and futuristic krautrock with finely constructed arrangements. And one thing is certain, the bird is gone but it will forever be etched in our hearts as music lovers.