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On the banks of Livorno, Italy, instrumental post-rock outfit Platonick Dive create beguiling and soaring music. It's the type of music that can transport you skyward with its passionate and atmospheric expressions, but also keep you grounded with its corporeal impact. The groups fourth album "Take A Deep Breath" operates on the sweet spot between grit and emotion. Composed of Gabriele Centelli (guitar, keys, bass, voice, electronic samples and programming), Marco Figliè (guitar, keys, electronic samples and programming) and Jonathan Nelli (drums, percussions), Plantonik Dive were kind enough to take some time to speak with No Tranmission about their recent creation.
NT: Hello, Platonick Dive! Thanks a lot for speaking with us today. How are you doing?
PD: Hello, nice to be here. We are fine, thanks. Finally the album came out and feedbacks are so nice!
NT: You guys started in Livorno, which isn’t exactly known for producing post-rock bands. How did growing up there shape your music, and at what point did you realize that you were onto something special?
PD: We realize to be into something special when we started playing music as a form of therapy for ourselves. We started this band as a form of therapy. Yes, our hometown is not the typical place to start a post rock band but we think we are not the common post rock band, both for sounds and for attitude. Anyway, Livorno is a seaside town and the sea is a very inspiring theme for our compositions.
NT: Your music’s been described as “beautiful chaos”—a mix of electronics, massive percussion, and post-rock guitars. How did that sound evolve over the years, and how do you manage to keep it fresh without losing the chaos?
PD: Always researching, always studying, trying to develop ourselves as human beings and as musicians. Trying to create a new “beautiful therapeutic chaos” is the real challenge for every album we've made.
NT: Your debut album "Therapeutic Portrait" got a lot of international love. What’s changed for you creatively between that first album and your latest one, "Take a Deep Breath"?
PD: First albums are always really instinctive, sometimes derivative. The good and the wild side of debut albums. Our fourth album is like we are back to the origin but with an eye to the future. We took our time to create the real album we wanted to make. It’s an album with tons of emotional feelings but also lots of thoughts. We started this band when we were just teenagers and now we are men :)
NT: You’ve played alongside some massive names like Explosions in the Sky and Jon Hopkins. What’s the biggest thing you’ve learned from sharing the stage with artists like that? Any memorable moments from those shows?
PD: Eating pizza aftershow in the backstage with Explosions In The Sky was the real deal. Sharing emotions and thoughts without filters is the best lesson you can learn for your life and your art.
NT: Post-rock can often lean into melancholic or heavy moods, but your new album is more dynamic and even danceable! Some of the melodies and atmospheres are really optimistic and somewhat hopeful. What inspired you to take things in that direction?
PD: Nostalgia and melancholy are emotions very present in our music, but also hopes and desires are very recurring in our dreamy and lush sounds. We try to describe all our feelings, from sad, intimate moments to euphoric and sonic chapters.
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NT: I found “Take a Deep Breath” to be a very meditative listen. It allowed my mind space to relax and focus on the present moment. What goes through your mind when you’re creating or playing?
PD: If the album gave you these sensations, it means we realize our objective. We play this kind of music as a sort of therapy for ourselves. Knowing that other people goes “under therapy” with our music is the best compliment for our band.
NT: Your music is equally at home in a live setting as it is in a movie score. When you’re writing, do you imagine how the songs will feel on stage or on screen—or do those elements just naturally fall into place?
PD: Those elements naturally fall into place but when we play we go “far away” with our minds and our souls for sure. Motion pictures have been always a deep connection with our music.
NT: You’ve been a band since 2010. That’s a long journey! Looking back, what’s been the biggest personal and musical growth for each of you over the years?
PD: Among all the bands that form in the world, how many manage to make their fourth album while maintaining an intact identity and artistic dignity? We made it. This is our best personal and musical growth.
NT: Would you say that you guys are all friends outside of the band, or is your relationship based solely on the music? Have you ever had any arguments or disagreements? What is the importance of personal dynamics in a band like yours?
PD: We are friends of course! We are together since the beginning because we respect each other in all the way, in personal life and in the band’s dynamics.
NT: With "Take a Deep Breath", it sounds like you’ve really broken free of boundaries. Were there any moments in the studio where you felt you were taking big creative risks? How did that feel compared to your earlier work?
PD: This band has always experimented a lot since the beginning. We didn’t feel like taking too big creative risks because we have always experimented and we always will. Maybe the only big risk we took is having an instrumental music project nowadays (ahaha!)
NT: It has been said that “All art is political”. Do you agree with that? If so, how do your personal political viewpoints inform your music?
PD: Yeah, we agree in the way that art has to take out real emotions and real feelings. Get you happy or sad, comfortable or uncomfortable, it doesn’t matter. It has to create something inside you. Art must communicate, involve, create beautiful chaos. This is our political view of art.
NT: Performing live must be so exciting with this new album. What are you looking forward to the most when you bring "Take a Deep Breath" to the stage? Any surprises we should expect?
PD: We are really looking forward to playing “Take a Deep Breath” live. People who have already seen us live will know about our live impact. Live songs are pretty different from the studio version. We take on stage lots of dynamics and lots of high volumes!