"The improvisational and instrumental delights of Malta’s music master, Renzo Spiteri, are steeped in a creative and groundbreaking pool of talent rarely observed in instrumental world music.

The instrumental music created from relatively few instruments is most remarkable.

Renzo serves up a chilling, mysterious, and forward-thinking musical journey that deserves to be a top spot on the world music/new age charts."

Matthew Forss, Dec 2011

Artist: Renzo Spiteri
Album: Silence Sounds and Spaces

Rating: 5 stars (out of 5)

Review by Matthew Forss

Hailing from Malta, Renzo Spiteri awakens the soul with ancient sounds using inventive musical instruments that defy traditional notions of musicality.  Renzo’s musical inspirations are multi-faceted and multi-instrumental.  Essentially, Renzo’s compositions border on new age, world jazz, and avant-garde without all the distractions of contemporary electronics, vocals, or drum-kits.

The aptly-named opening song, “Invocation,” begins with a slow, meditative beat of two, padded drumsticks on empty, clay flower pots.  The contemplative sound speeds up and slows down throughout.  The sound effects are rather ancient, yet surprisingly modern.  The deep, marimba-like sounds and sweeping melodies are not too far-off from the metallic, singing bowls pervasive in Buddhist recitations and ceremonies.  The relative simplicity of clay flower pots produce a very powerful and mysterious, aural result without any weaknesses.

“Hypogeum” opens with a bell-like dong, metallic tapping, and an airy, flute.  The instrumental accompaniment adds a tabla or udu-type drum to the mix with a few cymbal clangs.  A frame drum—possibly a daf—adds a pleasant and sparse sound to the flute, rapid percussion, and bells. The instrumental song is not cluttered.  In fact, it is rather spacious with all of the instruments shining through.

“The Circle Gathering” opens with a dark, brooding tone coming from an unknown instrument that sounds similar to a very low-tuned balalaika, before a bansuri-like flute rises up from the background.  A few guitar-like strums at the end of the song fade out after a few bell dings signal the cessation.  “To You, Mighty Stones” begins with a bit of speed-play on the mbwata—a clay instrument.  The udu-like sounds of the mbwata contain low bellows indicative of a talking drum or bullfrog.  The deep sounds are interrupted by a higher tone with some metallic clanging.  The song is instrumental, short, and different than previous songs from a stylistic and tonal perspective.

“Solstice” is an improvisational tune with low, rumbling sounds from a hang drum, which fills a sound void that works amazingly well.  The warm, meditative tone of the instrument is slightly new age in form with a spiritual side that connects everything together in a harmonious fashion.  The characteristic tones evolve into a slapping sound at the end of the song.  “The Hunt” begins with the familiar sound of a gong, before a deep, ringing sound penetrates a sharp, metallic ping with seemingly electronic washes of mysterious ambience.  The sound is interrupted with the clanging of metallic bowls or clay pots.  The deep, rumbling sound is similar in tone to the sound a heavy ship produces when docking.  The ambient sound is disrupted by short flute noises that do not detract from the overall sound.  The end of the song features some daf playing and more percussive noises in the same vein as Hossam Ramzy.

The improvisational and instrumental delights of Malta’s music master, Renzo Spiteri, are steeped in a creative and groundbreaking pool of talent rarely observed in instrumental world music.  The lack of vocals do not deter from the musical messages of solitude, grace, spirit, and meditation.  The instrumental music created from relatively few instruments is most remarkable. Most of the songs were recorded in temples and caves, which should make it a hit for the spiritual spelunkers out there.  For the rest of us, Renzo serves up a chilling, mysterious, and forward-thinking musical journey that deserves to be a top spot on the world music/new age charts.  Silence Sounds and Spaces echoes similarities with the musical inventions of Robert Rich or Steve Roach, but in the end, it is Renzo Spiteri that turns history into music.

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