The musical project The Washing Planck is dedicated to generative music and its poetics, which is the automated creative process based on rules.
"The Washing Planck" is a wordplay that arises from the curiosity of connecting everyday objects, such as a simple plank that can be used for washing or storing clothes, with the name of the German physicist Max Planck, the initiator of quantum physics, and a repetitive action over time.
The inspiration behind these works comes from the principle of path integral, a formulation by Richard Feynman that describes the probability of a particle moving from one point to another within a given timeframe. Similarly, the infinite variety of paths that a generative system can create is the basis of The Washing Planck's first work, "Integrale sui Cammini" (Path Integral), an album of minimalist experimental electronic music. The album consists of two tracks titled "Cammino A" and "Cammino B" (Path A and Path B), representing two of the infinite possible paths created with the same instruments and generative patches; two of the infinite unexpected journeys that begin with the press of the "PLAY" button and end with the press of the "STOP" button.
The project utilizes a hybrid system of sound creation, combining analog and digital synths, structured algorithms, and magnetic tapes to create series of generative textures that lead to different paths based on the same principles. The significant attention given to the sonic aspect is combined with the emotional component of the musical experience, aiming to create a series of liquid and mysterious sound paths.
Therefore, the project aims to capture the emotional suggestions of discovering a new world governed by specific laws, yet connected to our everyday life, and the new way of understanding reality that follows.
Subliminal information within the album art
Within the cover art of "Integrale Sui Cammini," there are two alternate paths depicted by lines, each with a strip of text on it. These two texts are actually two very short stories in Italian - one more elaborate and one simpler - that both begin and end with the same words. Both stories are constructed using the following phrases and words: "follows on the green side," "authors of the," "war," "follows on the red side," "beautiful," "a man," "freedom," "come," "musics," "life," "follows from the green side," "jacket," "city," "death," "follows from the red side," "Edgar," "a chemist," "mad," "in crisis," "one morning," "blasphemous," "he has hidden," "masked," "in the garden."
PATH A - More complex story:
A man, author of his own thoughts, follows the beautiful sound of freedom, magnified by the music around him. He wears a green jacket and walks through the city, immersed in the fast-paced stream of life. But something follows from the red side of his mind, a shadow of war that nails him down. Edgar, a mad chemist in crisis, has hidden a blasphemous secret. One morning, masked behind a facade, he finds him in the garden of death. Will the hidden truths be revealed?
PATH B - Simpler story:
A man follows the green side of life, looking for freedom. The sound of music intoxicates him, while wearing a beautiful jacket. But following from the red side, he comes across Edgar, a mad chemist. In crisis, he has hidden a blasphemous secret in the garden, the city enveloped in death. Only time can answer this uncertain question: will the hidden truth be revealed?
THE ARTISTS
The Washing Planck is a musical project by Matteo Mariano and Domenico Diano. They have been collaborating intermittently for over two decades on several projects ranging from experimental electronic music to Retro-Prog.
Matteo Mariano:
Composer and Sound Designer, Matteo Mariano, has been creating instrumental music and soundtracks for films, videos, and installations since the early 2000s. Starting in 2020, he has released several albums under his solo project Macrogramma, some of which published by the music label ROHS! Records, including one in collaboration with ‘Music For Sleep’. Matteo continues to explore the realm of musical experimentation as a composer and live performer in various ensembles. This includes ‘phoanøgramma’ (with whom he released an album in 2023 by Reverse Alignment Label), the retro-prog band 'The Grand Socks' and the experimental electronic music project 'The Washing Plack'.
Domenico Diano:
Composer and Sound Designer, Domenico is a specialist in synthesizers and self-built electronic instruments. He also experiments with generative patches using both analog and digital synths. In addition, Domenico plays the saxophone and bass. He actively takes part in various projects, including the retro-progressive band ‘The Grand Socks’ and the electro-experimental project ‘The Washing Planck’.
This Is Darkness
The Washing Planck is a musical project by Matteo Mariano and Domenico Diano, that “…utilizes a hybrid system of sound creation, combining analog and digital synths, structured algorithms, and magnetic tapes to create series of generative textures that lead to different paths based on the same principles…” The end result is 2 tracks that share the same inherent underlying DNA, but that each sound unique and offer something different. The music here is minimalistic, with subtle field recordings added to the undercurrent of unfolding drones, perfect for losing yourself to. Gorgeous.
— The Washing Planck —
Matteo Mariano: synths & tapes
Domenico Diano: synths & programming
Composed, performed, and recorded by The Washing Planck in 2023
A dive in Lovecraft’s universe. From Dark to experimental and ritual ambient all at the highest level possible, for a unforgettable trip in madness and darkness. Unexplained Sounds Group
A chilling collection of All Hallows’s Eve horrorphonia, a little something touched with a hauntologists bleakness and certainly ripe for companion listening with similar audio manifestations. Unexplained Sounds Group
Sonologyst is hard to label as one particular music style –except experimental or avant-garde, but that’s probably also a style or at least a different approach in dealing with music. Unexplained Sounds Group
supported by 26 fans who also own “Integrale Sui Cammini”
I witnessed an anomaly in 2020 that output a very specific frequency that I have searched for in vain... until discovering this album. This is a masterpiece. Thank you for your creation. theriddleofclouds
supported by 24 fans who also own “Integrale Sui Cammini”
Great comeback by ZeroK, experimentation and science fiction in pure J.G. Ballard vision. This is ZeroK at its best, a real sea of oscillators. A favourite track is a tough choice, they all work perfectly together as perfect but different pieces of a puzzle (the fantastic cover portraits this perfectly). Marco Zonta
St Celfer returns with tracks culled from a series of live shows, each one a showcase for his inventive experimentalism. Bandcamp New & Notable Jun 26, 2023