heinrich dressel: mons testaceum

First vinyl edition of Mons Testaceum by MinimalRome cofounder Valerio Lombardozzi aka Heinrich Dressel, originally released by Legowelt's Strange Life Records on CD-R in 2007. The trilogy of Mons Testaceum, Escape From The Hill (2008), and Completion Of The Amphoras Table (2009) is dedicated to the Monte Testaccio, an artificial mound in Rome composed almost entirely of testae, fragments of broken amphorae dating from the time of the Roman Empire. This edition of Mons Testaceum is the second appearance of Valerio Lombardozzi on Mannequin Records, following the atmospheric noir of the Sighing Melodies Thru The Graves mini-LP (2012). The sound of the album moves in a hidden place somewhere between Fabio Frizzi's Paura Nella Città Dei Morti Viventi (1982) and Goblin's Buio Omega (1979), thanks the extensive use of the legendary Italian -- or Roman -- Elka Synthex synthesizer on every single track, with touches of the Berlin electronic school "mixed with irresistable futuristic soulfunk synth solos (Kool and the Gang goes cosmic!)." Impressive stuff, which was deeply influential on the sound of Mannequin Records itself when it was originally released. Mastered by Andrea Merlini. Graphic design by Dave Grave and Alessandro Adriani. Limited edition of 400.