Lotto - VV

The unplanned and overwhelming amount of music released these days clearly reflects an overall craving for self-expression by all means. Every voice needs to be heart by any (other) voice. They need to converge, interfere and exchange different ways of expression, exchange ideas, feelings and states of mind.

Collaborations usually come with a high dose of unpredictability, that’s what makes them unique, inimitable and incomparable. Interacting for the first time with a collaborative project consisting of different musicians with different cultural backgrounds, different visions and different ways of doing things, usually tends to set a pattern of expectations. The mind wishes to associate a new encountered collaborative project with something heard or experienced before, with a recognized feeling, with something that could be proven or validated.

Lotto might be the proper answer of a vague guess concerning what occurs when you put together an Australian double bassist / composer (named Mike Majkowski), a Polish guitarist (Łukasz Rychlicki) and (another) Polish percussionist (Paweł Szpura). More precise and quantifiable, the second proper answer would be an extraordinary music journey split into five parts.

Formed in late 2012, Lotto is an instrumental trio, based between Warsaw and Berlin. After the debut “Ask The Dust” from 2014, followed by “Elite Feline” in 2016, VV is their third album to date. The album comes out late November at the Polish independent label Instant Classic. It was recorded in Łódź, Poland.

VV lays at the intersection of different intentions of these three great musicians, materialized into a beautiful album. Listening to this third album of the trio it really feels like riding a motorcycle. The first side evokes dark but also very dominant atmospheres throughout the three songs, setting an overall psychedelic feel that evolves and grows. The repetitive guitar riffs roll perfectly over a moody and changing rhythm. The overall feeling of unpredictability can be felt throughout the Side B as well. Listening consciously, you don’t really know what to expect; at any point and at any time something can change its route, leaving the unrested mind which crawls for answers with just an ordinary piece of confusion.

Impressively built, with the use of various dynamic sounds, from electric guitar, electric bass, drums, double bass, hammond organ, synth springs, this is a perfect album for the dark times we live in. It sets the unspoiled context where the listener questions everything around him. Whether you’re riding a motorcycle, a bike, a horse or a camel, take this piece of improvisation with you and keep it safe there. It will bring much joy, sadness, confusion and spirited nostalgia, all at once.

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