Big Hands

Big Hands — the alias of Italian-born, London-based artist Andrea Ottomani — presents his debut album Thauma, a vivid fusion of dream-state composition, Mediterranean field recordings, and collaborative musicianship.

Conceived during a stormy crossing of the Mediterranean Sea in 2024, Thauma captures the sounds and structures as they were first dreamt. The album’s ten interconnected tracks weave tuned percussion, bells, and balafon recordings with live contributions from a close-knit circle of collaborators. Palestinian artist Bint Mbareh brings spectral vocals to 'Fuoco Lento' and 'A Juniper Tree Whose Roots Are Made of Fire', while Buster Woodruff-Bryant’s saxophone flows between hypnotic waltzes and spiritual solos. Natural percussion by Yusuf Ahmed and Hayato Takahashi further blurs the line between acoustic and electronic textures.

Field recordings of the sea, cicadas, and prayer calls create a richly immersive backdrop, amplifying the album’s sense of nostalgia and rootedness. Produced by Andrea Ottomani, mastered by Noel Summerville, and featuring artwork by Andreas Bauer, Thauma offers a striking, dreamlike meditation on sound, space, and memory.