Despite being a left-field national treasure in the Canadian contemporary scene, guitarist and producer Sandro Perri goes about things with a steady grace. An active musician for over two decades now, his nudge to wider acknowledgement began with that first solo release on Constellation in 2011, ‘Impossible Spaces’. Other acclaimed releases followed with 2018’s ‘Another Life’ and ‘Soft Landing’ in 2019 capturing Perri’s pursuit of ‘infinite song-writing’ shaped in a flow of outsider soft-rock vibes.
But alongside the songwriter, he’s also convened the intricate and intriguing electronic collective Off World, featuring a rolling cast from Toronto and beyond’s experimental circuit. The Off World project is now two albums into its journey of electronic melodicism and spontaneity, volumes ‘1’ and ‘2’ distinguishing themselves with their genreless, slow-jam, retro-tech personality.
Now comes news of the final part in Off World’s trilogy, called, in the spirit of continuity, ‘3’ and released, incidentally, on 3rd November through Perri’s perennial home Constellation. Off World regulars, including Susumu Mukai (from Vanishing Twin) and producer Drew Brown, make their usual essential contributions but this time Torontonian experimentalists Nicole Rampersaud (trumpet) and Martin Arnold (guitar) join the action.
Hints then that maybe jazz and improv will get pushed further to the front on this closing Off World instalment. Listening to gently addictive preview cut ‘Impulse Controller’ as it uncurls over a stretching and slinky no-wave rhumba adds to that notion. ‘On The Corner’ Miles horn meets a Tom Waits down beat stomp, occasional electro glitches fizz and a trip-hop haze finds those dark wave mists on some long night time drive. Off World ‘3’ may be this project’s swan song but the signs are it’s going to leave a lasting impression.
Pre-order your copy of ‘3’ by Off World from your local record store or direct from Constellation Records HERE
