Noi Interview by Rocco Tyndale Music / Art / Label / Interview

Noi

Subtempo Guest Mix 021


Bio

Noi is a Berlin based Italian producer, DJ and sound designer hooked on a diverse range of genres such as techno, bass and ambient music. His latest project, “Tetra”, was established as the result of his collaboration with a dancer and a visual artist. The aim is to combine music, dance performance and visual art to provide the spectator with a multisensorial experience and create a performance that triggers a dialogue between diverse artistic expressions.


Hi Amedeo, first of all, thank you for sharing this mix and for taking the time.

Thanks for giving me this chance, it’s great to be part of this.

I wanted to start by asking you about the mix. How, where and when did you record it?

I used Ableton on my laptop and I mixed it with a really basic midi controller. It was a rainy day and I was at my place in East Berlin.

Is there a theme to this mix?

Yes, I actually started from the “aberration” concept: something that departs from would have been usual or expected in my mixing process. I tried to follow a different approach to music that I developed recently, putting together this mix as I would have with the pieces of a jigsaw. I’ve found a new perspective in combining these tracks, but those eventually came together naturally. It’s been great to mix-cross genres and artists creating different although complementary atmospheres that I love, in order to create an unusual storytelling. I hope that you’re gonna like it!

Noi Noi's studio in Berlin, combines minimalism with a touch of melancholy, much like his productions.

Tell me a little about your project. Is it your solo project or is it a collaboration?

Noi it’s my own project, started with the need to do something different, something far away from what I did before. It all began something like a year ago, I went for the first time to Kraftwerk, during the event “The long now”. I still remember the sound, the space and the deepness of what I listened to that day.

It’s been kind of a spiritual experience for me, feeling myself in that big room, listening to something in between trance and ambient. Simply touching. Berlin is such an inspiring place to live in.

When we first connected I really liked your music, what you have on Soundcloud. It was mostly ambient, with some sparse beats here and there, but mostly beatless. Is Noi mostly an ambient project?

I’m really glad you like it, recently I’ve been working mostly with ambient and cinematic stuff, probably because I’ve finally found my music “dimension”. Spoiler: the tracks that you see on my sc page are just a small part... I have a bunch of unreleased tracks that I’ve never posted. I’m just waiting to finish everything and wrap them up.

Noi

When did you start making music as Noi?

At the beginning my official artist name (alias) was IZ, I began making music almost 10 years ago after something similar to an existential crisis. I had just finished high school and I had no idea what to do with my life. I spent one year working in IT and then I decided to focus on electronic music in 2012, when I moved to Rome and started studying computer music.

Together with two other people, I started “Spacedrome”, a bass music collective, and I began wandering between Downtempo, Ambient, and Techno. In 2017 I got my Bachelor’s in Electronic music and I kept performing live and producing.

Where are you from?

I’m from Sardinia, Italy! A magic island in the Mediterranean sea, that I recommend you to visit.

And you live in Berlin? What brought you there?

JA, I moved to Berlin 2 years ago, I love this city, the environment, the people and of course the music scene.

What are some of your go-to tools for your music productions?

I’m used to working on Ableton live with a proper nerd approach to the software. Other than that, I don’t use external devices, everything comes from the sound synthesis and a bunch of years spent studying and learning the software. I’m an Ableton purist.

Do you play any instruments?

I’ve studied piano for 4 years but I can’t really say I’m a good player at all.

Noi As a sound designer, Noi mostly works inside the box pushing it to it's limits, with the exception of a few MIDI controllers.

Any plans of bringing it to a live audience?

I have another project, called “Tetra”, which is the result of my collaboration with a dancer and a visual artist, with which I already performed several times in Berlin. We also plan to continue to do so this year in Berlin and in Italy. The aim is to combine music, dance performance and visual art to trigger a dialogue between diverse artistic expressions.

I am happy to keep performing live with Tetra, as part of my creative focus right now is on this project. It enables me to make music that revolves around a different story for every show. By the way: Feel free to follow us on Instagram and Facebook!

What else do you do? What keeps you inspired?

I‘m working as a sound designer for movies and animations, it’s a constant challenge and a way to get inspired. Everything revolves around sound.

What’s next for Noi? Any plans on releasing more music?

I’m still working on this Abyss ep, developing tracks and selecting them. News coming soon!

Well, thank you for taking the time for doing this with us. We will keep an eye out for your next steps for sure!

Thanks for having me, and keep up with the good work!


Tracklist

  1. Voltair- Empty landscape [Self-released]
  2. Véhicule - Mason and Hamlin [Midira Records]
  3. Brian James Griffith- I Saw the Peace in Nothing [Self-released]
  4. Menion - Twilight [?]
  5. ϙue – A whirling photon [Self-released]
  6. Ursula K Le Guin & Todd Barton - Heron Dance [Freedom to spend]
  7. Wilson Tanner - Sun Room [Growing Bin]
  8. Pariah - Seed Bank [Houndstooth]
  9. Visible Cloaks - Terrazzo(feat. MotionGraphics) [RVNG Intl.]
  10. Stenny - Dew [Ilian Tape]
  11. Entten - Volchor [Self-released
  12. Djrum - Unblocked [R&S Records]
  13. Suplington - Tokyo (Ambient Version) [Youngbloods]
  14. Ecology141 - 3 [Blue Yogourt]
  15. Eli Keszler - The Driver Stops [Shelter Press]
  16. Sun Ra Quartet - When There Is No Sun [Strut]

Follow Noi

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