Decibel Azzaro 2011

Decibels!
The first associations are immediately techno and wild raves. I was and still am a techno head, spending every weekend in Munich on the dance floor from Friday afternoon until Sunday noon, when one would wonder how and if one should get home. Nights and days spent dancing and sweating to DJ Hell, Richard Bartz, Monika Kruse, Sven Väth, or abismo in venues like ETA, Riem, Wappensaal, Nachtkantine, Charterhalle, Ultraschall, Babalou, Tempel, or Pulverturm. Stomach aches from the beats, ringing ears every weekend, fortunately without any lasting effects.

But wait, the packaging is black with silver and features a round perforation. The bottle is smoky black and, with its gray grid on top, resembles a microphone, like those often used in bars for soul and jazz. It’s rather simple in design, but quite striking and a real eye-catcher. And since you also hold a microphone in your hand, it’s very grippy. I like it.

My first impression of the scent is: Black Mandarin!
Which isn’t entirely accurate, as the citrus fruit comes across as rather green with the support of the violet. However, the licorice immediately takes charge and mixes vigorously with the help of incense and aldehydes. Individually, the notes are very intense and dominant, but together they seem to constantly circle around each other, creating a certain lightness and transparency. Wood, tonka, and vanilla provide a warm and soft base, while initially remaining rather reserved and indistinct. Unfortunately, the mandarin doesn’t last an hour; then the stage belongs to the licorice. Decibel feels sultry, black, dark, yet always remains airy and clear, not too heavy or cloying. Indeed, it’s a modern going-out scent.

You can enjoy the scent for a good six hours, then it noticeably and quickly fades and unfortunately becomes indefinably sweet. The initial projection is already intense, but becomes more comfortable after a quarter of an hour. It’s a scent that you have to engage with and recognize what you might do to your environment. Definitely not for the office, more suited for an evening in a bar or an intimate soul concert in a basement pub.

An extraordinary, dark, exciting, yet not too heavy scent that always lifts your spirits, with a lot of soul in the soul.

Definitely not for the techno bunker.