Invisible Cities: Part One

André Mehmari, Sergio Reze

A$35.99A$90.99
(2 press reviews)
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Original Recording Format: PCM 176.4k
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Available in Stereo and 5.1 Channel Surround Sound DSD & DXD plus 5.0.4 Channel Dolby Atmos TrueHD and Discrete DXD Immersive Audio at NativeDSD! 

After nearly 30 years of collaboration, Sérgio Reze and André Mehmari release Invisible Cities: Part 1, an album that celebrates their friendship and musical partnership with creative freedom and artistic depth. Recorded in a single day, without rehearsals or edits, the album is a testament to spontaneity and the unique connection between the two musicians.

As Reze describes, “by pressing the record button without any prior rehearsal, we were launched together through a portal that reveals Invisible Cities, where creative potential expands in proportion to our ability to imagine and to look at the other — or the other side — with affection.”

Invisible Cities is a bold exploration of music as a space of affection and imagination. The improvisations, recorded completely freely, reveal intense and refreshing dialogues, while the themes composed by André Mehmari — Canto Primeiro, Carta a um Jovem Poeta, and Valsa Gris — add layers of structure and depth to the work. The use of instruments such as the piano and analog bass synthesizer creates rich and varied textures, transporting the listener to unexpected sonic landscapes. Mehmari adds: “In each of these ‘Cities,’ we imagine and create, without rehearsals, a musical microcosm.”

The partnership between Sérgio Reze and André Mehmari is one of the pillars of contemporary Brazilian instrumental music. Reze, described by Mehmari as a “rare drummer, who approaches his kit in an orchestral way, with a broad palette of colors,” brings a unique approach to his instrument. Meanwhile, Mehmari, in addition to being a virtuoso pianist, explores timbres and harmonies that challenge conventions, creating a dialogue that is both technical and emotional. Together, they build an album that celebrates not only their journey but also the ability of music to transcend boundaries. As Reze reflects: “I cannot recall a single musical encounter where there wasn’t a sense of freshness, mutual interest, and intense, stimulating sonic dialogues.”

The project was recorded and produced by Gustavo Cândido of ADS, whose expertise allowed the magic of these performances to be captured with the utmost fidelity, transporting the listener to the heart of each performance. The recording was done in discrete immersive format, using high-end equipment such as Merging Technologies Hapi Mk II Analog to Digital Converters, Schoeps and DPA microphones, as well as Reaper and Pyramix workstations in Ravenna AoIP, with immersive monitoring using Dynaudio Contour and Emit 20 speakers.

Invisible Cities is more than an album — it is an artistic statement that reaffirms the power of collaboration and the beauty of improvisation. Prepare to embark on this unique journey, where music flows without barriers, and every note is a discovery in an immersive, high-definition sonic experience.


André Mehmari, Piano & Bass Synthesizer
Sérgio Reze, Drums & Gongs

 

Tracklist

Please note that the below previews are loaded as 44.1 kHz / 16 bit.
1.
Canto Primeiro
03:50
2.
Portais
06:50
3.
Passagem Noturna
03:52
4.
Cidades Invisíveis I
07:02
5.
Cidades Invisíveis II
05:10
6.
Cidades Invisíveis III
05:57
7.
A Dark Place
04:35
8.
Pierrot
04:20

Total time: 00:41:36

Additional information

Label

SKU

ADS003

Qualities

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Channels

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Artists

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Composers

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Genres

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Original Recording Format

Instruments

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Recording Engineer

Gustavo Cândido

Recording Location

Estudio Monteverdi, Sao Paulo, Brazil

Release DateMarch 13, 2025

Press reviews

Positive Feedback

ADS’ founder Gustavo Cândido declares a passion as a recording engineer for supreme high fidelity, using the best equipment, cables, microphones and recording technique he can assemble and apply to the project. And, listening to the stereo release of this album, I am quite impressed with the quality he has achieved. Well done!

But more importantly, I am impressed with the musicianship here. This is improvisational jazz by two artists who have performed together on stage for over 30 years. Their knowledge of each other is immediately apparent in the interchange of ideas. Yet significantly, it does not sound stale, it does not sound simply a warm re-tread. Instead, the music sound refreshingly immediate, of the moment.

Audiophile Style 5 out of 5

An Amazing Recording

A couple weeks ago engineer Gustavo Candido from the new record label ADS contacted me about an album that seemed right up my alley, recorded in a great room, live, in one take. I was interested, but cautious. Gustavo sounded like an extremely nice guy who knew what he was doing, and who also had the utmost respect for, and was inspired by, one of the best engineers in the business, Morten Lindberg. Based on our conversations, I was excited to hear what Gustavo and musicians André Mehmari and Sergio Reze had created.

Gustavo sent over the holy grail of recording formats for me to listen to on my system, a discrete immersive DXD album. This format is second to none and usually ranges from 10 to 16 channels of unprocessed music in WAV files. In this case, I received the album Invisible Cities Part I, in 5.0.4 WAV files (5 ear level channels, 0 LFE channels, 4 ceiling / height channels). Along with the album Gustavo included detailed liner notes and additional information about how the album was created. So far, so good. As long as the music was good, I was set for an audiophile’s dream experience. Provenance, liner notes, recording details, what more could I want!

I listened to the entire album a couple times, start to finish, without interruptions. That isn’t a normal course of action for me, listening to an album from an unknown label, unknown musicians, unknown engineer, and unknown everything. I usually give a few tracks a spin, then move on. Not the case with Gustavo Candido’s recording of André Mehmari and Sergio Reze on Invisible Cities Part I.

Invisible Cities: Part One by André Mehmari and Sergio Reze, engineered by Gustavo Candido on the ADS record label is available starting today at NativeDSD. The available formats are two channel stereo PCM 24/176.4, DSD64 through DSD256, multichannel 5.1 in PCM and DSD, discrete immersive DXD 5.0.4, and Dolby Atmos in an MKV container. NativeDSD offers track previews for those who don’t want to take my word for it that this album is just beautiful. Give it a low res spin on the web and enjoy it in full high resolution after downloading. You won’t be sorry.

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