Her 2019 début EP as DALO for the ESP Institute label »Punch« still followed a discernible penchant for the trance pulse. But producer Nadia D’Alò had already been active in other projects for years, including the duo INIT with Benedikt Frey and the trio Dolphins. With INIT in particular, she cultivates a style steeped in minimal wave and similar industrial-influenced sounds, in which thoughtful tempos and a very restrained optimism prevail. This is also the direction she takes on »Duster«, her first album as DALO. Things are fluid, with the title track featuring a taut techno beat, while »2£« is elegantly exhausted downbeat pop. As with INIT, DALO’s vocals are part of the package, with her voice sometimes sounding natural, sometimes more muffled—or is that someone else singing? The whole thing seems quite relaxed, without getting too comfortable in the uncomfortable moods. Brokenness is just part of the game for her, and you shouldn’t expect euphoria in the vocals either. You don’t need it all the time anyway. DALO has too much groove anyway for the mood to be too sour.
Duster
