It’s been quite sometime since something new from the one known as Salvator Dragatto has found it’s way to our turntables and we’ve been wondering just how long it would take this maestro to make his much anticipated return to the spotlight. Well that return is now and his “Thoughts of You” LP which arrived a few days ago and been on steady rotation since. This time around Dragatto makes his debut on Colemine Records which is rather fitting and a perfect match for an artist like him pairing up with a label that seems to have a way of taking artists further in their direction of public notice.
Thoughts of You, as a phrase, might immediately associate one with feelings of love, endearment, fantasy or even obsession. These are the very sentiments that lay as cornerstones in Salvator Dragatto’s debut LP for Colemine Records.
The allure and drama of black & white photography have always played a vital role in how Salvator (aka Joseph Reina) not only views the world but how he hears music. Parallels in film processing to his own recording methods started becoming more and more apparent as the record was being formed; Limitations in exposures rivaling limitations in tracks. Film grain and dust sediments rivaling tape hiss and dirty EQ pots. What most would consider to be imperfections, Dragatto leaned into and found inspiration.
This record is an homage to the likes of André Kertész, Robert Frank, Jean-Luc Godard and René Groebli, who’s works have impacted Dragatto’s world so greatly both visually and sonically. Thoughts of You is an unabashed reflection of the noir. From the powerful thematic horn lines to the gentlest string passages, this record is a collection of themes and vignettes that explore the emotions set upon by black and white imagery.