Drift was a relatively short-lived project created by Gabriele
Giuliani. Better known through his notorious nom de plume, Dead Body Love. Within the course of only a few short years, Drift released a dozen sought after releases on such legendary imprints as Slaughter,
Old Europa Cafe, SSSM, Harmonie, and his own Less Than Zero, before
fading behind the curtains
Exile was not only the debut release by Drift, but also
the beginning to a trilogy of cassettes released on Slaughter
Productions. It is on these three albums one will experience Dark
Ambient in its undistilled and raw form, dense and haunted. The
furtherest point from sound design or the dreaded "Cinematic Ambient"
tag. This IS Ambient Industrial Noise.
The inspiration of Mick Harris's project Lull is immediate on
this trilogy, in particular the "Cold Summer" and "Journey Through
Underworlds" albums. However Gabriele pushes things even further.
The textures more bombastic, the bass frequencies more suffocating,
the reverbs trail longer. All sense of subtlety and refinement wiped
away. Only the cold remains.
Exile in particular takes on a deep cavernous approach in
sound, Uninhabited, as if stillness had a voice and could be amplified.
Despite the sense of inertia, the compositions are in constant
motion and with focus. Only industrial moments of a track like "Dawn"
provides a break to what is an otherwise desolate recording.
Although the Drift project would eventually incorporate
synth as well as occasional beats and melodic elements on future
releases. It is this trilogy that is the most fascinating. The
sources are difficult to pinpoint. Were they field recordings? Film
samples? Transmissions from the underworld? Whatever the origins,
Exile serves as the perfect foreshadowing of what was to come on the
followup releases The Beyond
and Earthquake.
_ Jim Mroz (Lussuria)
credits
released March 19, 2026