about the record

Big Hands is the alias of Andrea Ottomani, an Italian-born, London-based artist whose productions have maintained an impeccable level of homogeneity over the past decade. His debut album, Thauma, was conceived in dreams over two consecutive nights while he traversed the storm-ridden Mediterranean Sea in late June 2024. It was later brought to life with the intent of preserving the sounds and structures as they were originally dreamt. Composed of ten tracks that seamlessly morph into one another, the album contains recordings of tuned percussion instruments (such as bells and the balafon) captured while traveling across the Mediterranean (Italy, Greece, Egypt, and Turkey), alongside collaborations with his tight-knit orbit of talented musicians.

Palestinian artist بنت مبارح (Bint Mbareh) echoes and wails in dialogue with brass interjections from Abraham Parker and Izzy Karpel on Fuoco Lento, then sends chills down the spine as she sings in Arabic on A Juniper Tree Whose Roots Are Made of Fire. Tenor saxophonist Buster Woodruff-Bryant lays down snake charmer waltzes on Sticks And Stones, followed by a spiritual sax solo on Rinascita, which features the natural timbres of Yusuf Ahmed’s bamboo kit. Mantras and recordings of Andrea’s community are dispersed throughout the album, amplifying the nostalgia and melancholy associated with the music. There’s an underlying archaic thread woven into the percussion that meshes perfectly with the organic acoustic instruments, ultimately becoming indistinguishable from the electronic drums and modular synthesis. Field recordings of the sea, cicadas, calls for prayer, and the surrounding sounds evoke a vivid sense of space, forming the foundation for this visionary sound.