vrihi by Lorenzo Brilli

Vrihi, from Sanskrit 'rice', is a sonic exploration on the value of vocality as a bearer of stories. Multiple voices and granular textures are continuously fragmented, reassembled and juxtaposed into new forms. Each track resonates with the repetitive, rhythmic motions of manual labor, capturing the tireless gestures of workers lost to time. A unique and rich sound-world recalled by archival recordings and dense sound masses that barely reveal a trace of a body or identity.

Lorenzo Brilli, drummer and percussionist, delves into the realm of drums and percussion through manipulated and sampled sounds, treating each sound-noise as a potential unit for musical experimentation. His creative process starts with a single acoustic drum element, which is then expanded with other art forms to create new sonic codes.

Lorenzo Brilli began his musical journey in Italy, immersing himself in the world of drums and percussion before advancing his studies at the Aaron Copland School of Music in New York. He later moved to the United States, where he lived until 2019, exploring various musical languages such as Balinese gamelan, batá drumming, and contemporary percussion repertoire. During his time in the U.S., Lorenzo had the opportunity to collaborate with renowned musicians from both classical and jazz worlds. He has performed at major festivals and prestigious venues across Europe, the U.S. and Asia.

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Review by Gabriel Mazza in Mesmerized:
"It took us a while to fully digest the magnitude of Lorenzo Brilli’s artistry. A gifted jazz drummer and percussionist, Brilli also shares a distinct passion for creative experimentation and sonic research, initiating an eloquent and wholesome aural journey that we might not be ready for, quite frankly. ‘mare a quadretti’ is the perfect evidence of that. A highly peculiar and hypnotising piece, the record finds its unmistakable character in a tapestry of leftfield textures and otherworldly vocal samples, all arranged with a certain minimalism. A simple drum pattern and human-made claps help the composition sustain its cathartic, mesmerising quality.

The project’s overarching ethos is described as “treating each sound-noise as a potential unit for musical experimentation”, something that resonates true with what we have just heard. In fact, presenting Brilli as a musician might be quite reductive in this case; he is a composer, a keen observer of the fleeting nature of sounds.

Speaking about the inspiration behind ‘mare a quadretti’, the Italian artist explains: “Taken from my latest EP ‘Vrihi’, ‘mare a quadretti’ refers to the way locals in the Vercelli area (Italy) describe the rice fields — “checkered sea” — evoking the grid-like pattern of flooded fields. It portrays an anthropised landscape shaped by intensive agriculture, where natural elements and human intervention coexist in a delicate visual and sonic balance.”

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Review by Matt in Frequency State:
"Mare a Quadretti by Lorenzo Brilli is an immersive soundscape that blends organic percussion with atmospheric synth textures. The track begins with a subtle, droning synth backdrop, gradually introducing acoustic drum sounds, hand claps, and distant, choral-like vocals. This combination of electronic and organic elements creates a mood that feels both ritualistic and contemplative.

The title, Mare a Quadretti, translates to “checkered sea” and is a reference to the grid-like appearance of the flooded rice fields in Vercelli, Italy. This visual image is reflected in the track’s structured yet fluid composition, where rhythmic patterns and textural layers interact like intersecting lines on a landscape.

Brilli’s background as a drummer and percussionist is clear in the careful attention to rhythm and texture throughout the piece. Each percussive sound feels distinct, yet the layered arrangement gives the track a sense of evolving depth. The use of manipulated and sampled sounds adds an experimental edge, bridging the gap between traditional percussion and abstract electronic music.

As part of his album Vrihi, Mare a Quadretti captures Brilli’s approach to music-making—treating each sound as a building block for creating complex, atmospheric compositions. The result is a piece that invites close listening, where subtle shifts in texture and tone become part of the narrative."

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Review by Arashk Azizi in Tunite Music:
"Lorenzo Brilli is not just a composer—he is a contemporary storyteller who uses sound as his language and rhythm as his syntax. In his latest album Vrihi, released by Esc.Rec, Brilli invites listeners into a world shaped by layers of texture, minimalism, folk traditions, and experimental electronics. The result is a sonic narrative that feels deeply rooted in the past yet strikingly modern. This is an album that demands to be experienced rather than simply heard. Like turning the pages of a book written in sound, Vrihi unfolds its story slowly, deliberately, and with emotional precision.

The word Vrihi itself is Sanskrit for “rice”—one of the oldest cultivated crops known to humanity, symbolizing nourishment, ritual, and continuity across cultures. In this context, the album feels like a sacred offering—music as sustenance for the soul.

'Départ' (French for Departure) opens the album with a deep drone bass. A tik-tok style rhythmic pattern soon emerges, quietly gaining control as an ethereal pad joins the mix. Suddenly, a processed, effect-heavy folk vocal appears—almost ghostlike—and then the piece comes to an abrupt halt. It's a striking prologue that sets the tone for the rest of the album: unpredictable, immersive, and unafraid of silence.

'Vrihi', the title track, is a rhythmic exploration. A constantly shifting percussion pattern creates a polyrhythmic and multi-layered texture that drives the piece forward. Melodically, it remains minimalistic, but rhythmically it’s far from it. A consistent kick underpins the chaos, creating a sense of continuity and pulling the listener into a trance-like state. The track feels ancient and futuristic at once.

'Cánticos Gris' (Gray Chants, in Spanish) moves into more ambient territory. It begins with slowly rising pads and lacks a strong percussive backbone. Instead, a looping, repetitive texture emerges, generating the impression of rhythm through tonal pulsation. The piece has a meditative quality, conjuring images of foggy landscapes and forgotten memories.

'Mare e Quadretti' (Sea and Little Squares, Italian) reintroduces percussion in the form of drums, voice fragments, clapping, and a drone pad. Together, they form a minimalistic texture that avoids monotony through subtle, evolving micro-variations. Eventually, the percussion fades, and we are left with a chant-like atmosphere rooted in folk tradition—haunting and melancholic, as though the sea were singing in mourning.

'8h-inari' closes the album on a somber note. The piece feels like a requiem. A lone organ-like timbre plays out a sorrowful melody with no rhythmic foundation, evoking a solitary minstrel lamenting lost love. As the piece progresses, a pad creeps in, introducing fragmented rhythmic patterns that slowly build tension. The atmosphere thickens until, once again, the music halts—ending not just the track, but the album’s narrative arc. This track—especially its first part—haunts me deeply. From the moment I first heard it, I couldn’t help but put it on repeat. The narrative of this piece is more than just a story: it’s a lament, hauntingly beautiful, like a lonely orchestra echoing through silence.

Vrihi is a carefully crafted soundscape that immerses its listener in emotional, ritualistic, and often introspective spaces. Lorenzo Brilli's command over texture, rhythm, and silence transforms music into storytelling, each piece a chapter in a larger tale of movement, memory, and meaning. It’s a rare kind of record—one that surprises you, uplifts you, and gently dismantles you all at once.

Vrihi is available for digital download and as a limited edition physical release that includes a beautifully designed booklet. The physical version not only enhances the listening experience with tangible artwork and notes, but also offers a collectible artifact for those who appreciate music in its full aesthetic form."

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Review by Oliver Zurita in Expansión Radial:
"Lorenzo Brilli es un percusionista que no ve los tambores como simples instrumentos, sino como puntos de partida para crear paisajes sonoros completamente nuevos. Su enfoque va más allá de la ejecución técnica: manipula, distorsiona y transforma cada sonido en una célula de exploración musical. En su nuevo EP Vrihi, nos presenta 'mare a quadretti', una pieza que, desde su nombre, ya nos prepara para algo distinto. Esta canción es un viaje hipnótico que parte desde lo más básico: la percusión. Pero no esperes ritmos comunes. Aquí las palmas, golpes y texturas vocales se combinan para generar una especie de ritual sonoro. Me atrapó la forma en que todo está medido pero parece espontáneo. Es como si cada sonido hablara su propio idioma. La atmósfera es envolvente, casi cinematográfica. 'Mare a quadretti' retrata un paisaje rural manipulado por la mano humana, con campos de arroz que se ven como un “mar en cuadros”. Me pareció brillante cómo la pieza logra transmitir esa dualidad: la geometría artificial y la vida que fluye dentro de ella. Si disfrutas de música que te transporta con solo cerrar los ojos, escucha 'mare a quadretti' de Lorenzo Brilli."

Esc.rec. is a small, critically acclaimed record label for adventurous music, founded in 2004 by Harco Rutgers in Deventer, NL.

escrec.com