Gigi Masin at Festsaal Kreuzberg / Wednesday, 16.05.2018

We’re excited to present a rare appearance by Gigi Masin at the Festsaal Kreuzberg this May.

The words of the Venetian composer, musician, producer, andpolymath Gigi Masin ring true in the ears of those young and old,past present and future, who want to be creative but feelrestrained by family and society. Always an innovator, Gigi’sfirst experiments in the late 1970s were sound collages made whileworking for theatres in Venice, working with tape loops, fieldrecordings, and turntablism. Experimenting with tape allowed himto discover “a new language to express himself”, more than in hisoriginal ambitions to be a guitarist and violinist, looked downupon by his parents. It was difficult to find a local audience forthese works, culminating in the release of his debut album Wind in1987. A nation and society at the forefront of so many strands ofWestern music and high culture, Italy was staid and traditional.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=bmJSClPQO0o

Gigi believed there to be a “poor sense of culture” and a “sort ofintellectual haughtiness in the Italian media about Italianmusicians in general” – especially if they had anything to do withthe avant-garde. The music on Wind is stripped back, bare, almostalien in their stillness, with the steady pulse of his belovedKorg Poly-800 echoing the lagoon waters around him.Underappreciated on its release, Wind soon gained a cult followingamong late night radio listeners, hearing these gentle echoes ofthe Venetian landscape, reflecting a personal outlook on Venicefrom a native son; a rare artifact in a world where the platonicVenice can be heard and seen from artists the world over, butimages and sounds of the actual Venice are harder to come by.

Gigiis a rare exception. Released for free, Gigi never expected muchto come of it. His 1989 joint album for Sub Rosa with This Heat’sCharles Hayward, Les Nouvelles Musiques Du Chambre, took on a lifeof its own when Clouds was sampled by Björk, To Rococo Rot,Nujabes – and most recently by Post Malone – but Gigi remained inobscurity. His output slowed from the early 90s as he raised afamily and worked dutifully for Il Posto. Tragedy struck in 2007when a flood destroyed the vast majority of his archives:instruments, tapes, records, and memorabilia. Salvaging what hecould, he took to the computer for the first time, starting thenext phase of innovating.

This event is presented by Digital in Berlin. Check out our Facebook page to win tickets.