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La Forza is an instrumental duo made up of Divina Klein and Douglas Mackar. Klein is a classically trained pianist who has a certain expertise with electronic music while Mackar is an underground hip-hop producer with drums/percussion as his forte. With completely different backgrounds in music, Divina and Douglas mesh it all together to create a fascinating set. Instrumental meets Digital with the best of both worlds coming together to produce an interesting sound.
Dance Music for Your Mind is exactly that as it really makes you sit back and think. With elements of Techno/Electronic music, La Forza is literally taking this style to another dimension. I would call this record HYPENOTIC, which is a combo between being hype and hypnotic. The dance craze sensation is there, but layered with a very hypnotic haze. Klein’s piano playing adds that elegant touch, so perhaps then we can call this Elegant Dance Music for the 21st Century.
Their album is heavily drenched with Mackar’s drumming beats, Klein’s piano melodies along with dance rhythms and off-the-chain sound effects. The visual that I get after listening to this record is that of a Dance club meets Dream world setting. Their sound is quite original in the sense that it can make you get up and dance while at the same time put you in a trance-like state. This well-recorded piece offers so much diversity with a distinctly colorful arrangement. THINK……DANCE…..DREAM….SOAK IT ALL IN FOLKS!!!
The record begins with a very mystic vibe on “Vision Quest”. Next up is “Renewal”, which offers up one kick-ass drum beat splurged together with a Space Odyssey-like groove. You’ve heard out of this world, well this would be considered out of this galaxy! Track eight, “Spiral Galaxy”, also supplies a futuristic effect, which is live and jumpin’ in the beginning but then fades to a more calm/reserved tone. “Fountain of Youth” has a more slowed-down pace, but with International appeal introducing an exotic, Eastern mood. Song 10, “Dream Within A Dream”, portrays a majestic/magical place where there are no worries. You even get the peaceful chirping of birds at the end making for a relaxing tune—maybe even great music for meditation. La Forza ends on key with a wonderfully soothing piano solo by Divina Klein.
For more on La Forza and their new spiritual being that is Dance Music for Your Mind Vol. 1, SKOPE out www.laforza.com.
By Jimmy Rae - www.skopemag.com
"We were enchanted with "Dance Music for Your Mind (Vol. I)". If intent is transmitted into one's creations, and it is... you will be blissfully dreaming your dreams enveloped in this music."
-Beyond the Ordinary Webcast Radio
La Forza's 1 hour interview (March 10th, 2009) on KRSE www.BeyondtheOrdinary.net can be heard in the sites archives. - www.beyondtheordinary.net
The majesty in which La Forza begins their “Dance Music For Your Mind” is simply staggering. The disc’s first track, “Vision Quest”, mixes ambient forms of electronic music with classical and even tribal to create something that will stick with listeners long after the track ends. “Renewal” is very laid back, allowing listeners to properly take in all La Forza has for them; hints of eighties electronic comes forth even as the aforementioned listeners are whisked away to an aural landscape that is as detailed and formed as well as the most apt storyteller could create.
“Approaching Levitation” is similar to the previous tracks on “Dance Music For Your Mind” in that it showcases La Forza’s unique style, one that shifts, twists, and turns through countless different musical styles and approaches. “Approaching Levitation” has an upbeat style to it that is decidedly different from the rest of the tracks on the album, ensuring that listeners will be at the edge of their seats throughout. For my money, the faster tempo and intricate arrangements that are commonplace during “Blossoming Flowers” really make La Forza shine brightest in my eyes. Despite the fact that there are only a few instruments present during the track, the interplay between these pieces make for something that is decidedly greater than the sum of its parts. The track, instrumental like the rest of “Dance Music For Your Mind”, nevertheless tells a story in a more clear and concise way than a majority of acts currently out today.
Later tracks, such as the penultimate “To Connect to Eternity” and the coup de grace “The Sound of Clouds”, are held to the same standards of quality that were present during the introductory minutes of the album. While few acts in the dance genre excite me, La Forza is able to create an album that will stay on heavy rotation in the office for months to come. La Forza has a greater allure than many a dance act because they incorporate genres and sounds that would seem to some to be inimical to dance; it is precisely this innovative spirit that will undoubtedly ensure them a rich and fruitful career.
Top Tracks: Blossoming Flowers, Dream Within a Dream
Rating: 8.2/10
La Forza – Dance Music For Your Mind (Vol. 1) / 2009 Self / 12 Tracks / http://www.laforza.com
Original article:
http://neufutur.com/?p=8320 - www.neufutur.com
This is one of the more inspired pieces of electronique I've listened to in the last year, & draws a MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED from me. The compositions on their CD of electronic dance they provided for review show an abundance of talent and a clearly focused energy all the way through...certainly worthy accompaniment for your next ride through a wormhole.
-Rotcod Zzaj
see full review at:
http://zzaj.freehostia.com/Z90Reviews.htm - www.zzaj.freehostia.com
As the hideous fallout of the ambient/dance/electronica/etc. movement in modern rock finally sorts out, leaving 95% of the detritus thankfully behind (including the bafflingly once-successful Banco de Gaia, Orb, Aphex Twin, the slide rule beats-per-minute crowd, and all the so-called "revolutionaries"), there are a number of interesting individuals and groups left standing. Recently, one has been Knox Bronson and his Seasons suite (here), a serious prog work, and another is this La Forza CD, which travels back, as Bronson has, to the era when it all began, learning from what informed the past rather than just aping it and its latterday manifests.
La Forza starts Dance Music for Your Mind with a Berlin pulse and, as a duo (Divina Klein and Douglas Mackar) uninterested in becoming an orchestra, keeps things stripped down and cognizable while melodic, soothing, and compelling. The first reference that came to mind was Baffo Banfi, then Michael Hoenig, and of course the seminal Tangerine Dream and others. The "Dance" wording in the title is actually a bit of a misnomer, as this is chill chamber, though I suppose one could dance to it -- some songs more than others (In Joy for instance)—in a slow, dreamy, sylphlike fashion, but its ambient grounding and atmosphere kinda argue against that.
More than a few Neu and Kraftwerk elements trot in, as well as some Paul Van Dyk, but, really, this is so satisfying a marriage of trad and moderne that it stands easily as a continuation of the line, patching up the excesses the earlier post-punk breakaway groups inflicted on the landscape. Glom the titles below and you'll get an accurate idea of what you're in for. The cuts are as picturesque as they are a form of soma, but also provocative and occasionally martial (Never Too Wild for Forever).
Track List:
* Vision Quest
* Renewal
* Approaching Levitation
* Blossoming Flowers
* In Joy
* Never Too Wild for Forever
* Fountain of Youth
* Spiral Galaxy
* Endlessness
* Dream Within a Dream
* To Connect to Eternity
* The Sound of Clouds
All songs written by La Forza
A review written for the Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange
by Mark S. Tucker
(progdawg@hotmail.com)
see original review at:
http://www.acousticmusic.com/fame/p05545.htm
Edited by: David N. Pyles
(dnpyles@acousticmusic.com)
Copyright 2009, Peterborough Folk Music Society.
This review may be reprinted with prior permission and attribution. - www.acousticmusic.com
Discography
Dance Music for Your Mind (Vol. I) -2009-
*Debut release from La Forza*
This album's composition represents a movement from adagio to moderato to allegro, into andante, always rich and diverse in it's moods and colors. An album that moves with fluidity and purpose, (Vol. I) is energetic, poetic, and inspiring. The collection is a project of multiple moods where, in true indie fashion, unpredictability and spontaneity are virtues.
Future Releases:
The Plane of Bliss -ambient focus music-
Dance Music for Your Mind (Vol. II)
Photos
Bio
While fans of popular music always keep a laser focus on Seattle for the latest explosive trends in rock and roll, the most innovative and provocative sounds in instrumental music these days are coming from 40 miles down the road. Nestled beside a lake overlooking Mount Rainier, the beautiful small town of Yelm, Washington (pop. under 4,000) provided the perfect natural environment for Austrian born classically trained pianist and electronic music expert Divina Klein and underground hip-hop producer Douglas Mackar- whose combined musical energy is reflected in their collective name La Forza (Italian for "The Power" or "The Force")- to create Dance Music for Your Mind (Vol. I), a lushly textured landscape of party music for the motivated and focus music for the dreamers.
Though they were born on opposite sides of the Earth, raised with different mother tongues, and were nurtured by different musical styles, Divina and Douglas have come together in Yelm, WA to form a union of souls that share a common passion to create. Divina, a classically trained pianist from Vienna, Austria (Univ. of Music in Vienna), a city rich with musical tradition. Douglas, who has produced for underground hip-hop artists and released 7 independent albums, from Cleveland, Ohio, the birthplace of Rock-n-Roll. Both were deeply moved and inspired by music at an early age. Both dreamed of one day creating music that could inspire others the way music has inspired them throughout their lives- an inspiration at soul level- to connect to eternity.
Though generally classified as electronic music, La Forza see their art as an opportunity to transcend limitations. They invite their listeners to enter a place within themselves where anything is possible- where dreams come true, and where the spirit is always dancing. La Forza makes joyful music. To La Forza, music is an expression of the sublime- it is always about reaching towards a grander plane. As Divina puts it, "We are creators, so following our nature to create produces harmony. Harmony, that is what music is."
With its fascinating mix of dreamy ambient soundscapes, beautiful solo piano compositions, exotic global percussion, rich textures and compelling melodic movements over infectious dance beats, La Forza is driven by Klein and Mackar's mutual passion to create sounds that are interesting, intelligent and provocative but that also appeal to a people with wide ranging musical tastes. Both organic and otherworldly, the 12 tracks on Dance Music for Your Mind (Vol. I) are about transcending the typical limitations of genre and inviting listeners to enter a place within themselves where anything is possible.
In the spirit of jazz, their live performance consists of arranged songs interwoven with improvisation, the spontaneity of which insures the audience that their experience at a La Forza show is always based on true passion and the absolute presence of the band. After a series of local parties, La Forza is gearing up to perform at the Whidbey Island Emerging Artists Festival on Memorial Day weekend and will be adding more outdoor live venues to their summer schedule.
La Forza is currently in the studio recording their next album, "The Plane of Bliss," an ambient/down-tempo/chill-out album designed for focus and meditation.
La Forza is a force, a movement, a passion-
to create, to inspire, to transform.
Contact:
(360) 960-8512
laforza@laforza.com
Web:
www.LaForza.com
www.myspace.com/laforza
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