The Dining Rooms

“Lost in the spinning sound” is the 12th studio album by The Dining Rooms, a Milanese duo consisting of Stefano Ghittoni and Cesare Malfatti who, over the course of their long music career, have developed an original style that balances cinematic atmospheres with funk, dub and ambient music.

Always loyal to the slow, instrumental beats (or what years ago was simply referred to as ‘trip hop’), over time they have also ventured towards a more classic ‘song-form’ approach to songwriting, inviting various guest vocalists to participate in their albums following a widely used formula, with Massive Attack probably being the most important and recognisable example. Therefore, with the exception of their first two albums which were mainly instrumental, The Dining Rooms’ productions have always been suspended between instrumental and vocal tracks, the latter featuring different guests each time.

On this album, however, there’s only a single vocal guest, Chiara Castello from I’m Not a Blonde, who already worked with the duo on their two previous records. Chiara’s collaboration with Stefano and Cesare delivers a slow, nocturnal, orchestral, very minimalist album, always oscillating between folk and blues, with deeply meaningful lyrics that explore the intricate nature of interpersonal relationships, which have never been as unstable and complicated as they are today.

The album cover, an illustration by Sara Vivan, conveys the idea of metamorphosis and invites us to dive into the sounds that surround and protect us. This is also the main message of the album: losing ourselves in order to protect ourselves a little. Drifting along and finding new, safer and more peaceful shores.