Tempelhof and Gigi Masin were teaming up for a follow up to their seminal 2014 record Hoshi, a certified Balearic masterpiece forever enshrined in the beardy-weirdo-downtempo canon, we’ve been positively giddy with expectation. For a while we were barely sleeping at night, and if you caught us down the pub all we were talking about was the upcoming new Tempelhof and Gigi Masin album. Our loved ones drifted out of our lives and we weren’t entirely sure why.
And now it’s here! Tuski is here! Having arrived in the world via Hell Yeah recordings, we’re delighted to confirm that it’s an utter delight. The record, apparently, is, “an exploration in ambience—soundscapes that are both classically informed and contemporary, with echoes of minimal Japanese electronic music, German avant-garde and world music. Some material is floating and beatless, while some is driven by distant dustings of percussion, twinkling keys, delicate electronics and wordless vocals. The music is strongly connected to the artists’ respective homelands of Venice and Mantua—channelling the beat of the earth, the motion of the waters in an evocative atmospheric travelogue.” Which sounds all well and good, but what does it actually mean?
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To find out, we had a chat with the downbeat trio about the record and reciprocal admiration. Oh, and we learned that they don’t really like being described as “chill out” so please, everyone, if you’re ever in earshot of Tempelhof & Gigi Masin, please, please, please do not refer to them as a chill out supergroup.
THUMP: Firstly, can you tell our readers about the genesis of this collaboration? I know this is the second album you’ve released as a trio, but let’s go back before Hoshi, back to where it all began…
Gigi Masin: I was introduced to Tempelhof’s music before I met them, and it was suddenly a friendship. They’re great musicians, great guys. We talked about a project together and we shared files and sounds for a while. They’re talented producers and the sound of our albums comes from their labour of love.
Tempelhof: Everything started in earnest in 2010. Our debut album had been out for a few months and Micro Salvadori, a writer and journalist working for Rockerilla, an influential Italian magazine, had noticed it. He got in touch with us and then wrote a really enthusiastic review. Micro and Gigi are old friends and collaborators so it was natural for Mirco to tell Gigi about our music. At that time we didn’t know much about Gigi Masin and his career but when we first met we were really touched by his sweet humanity and friendly behaviour. The second time we met we got to know the artist behind the man. Our project is borne out of a deep sense of reciprocal respect.
Tsuki seems, to my ears at least, to be unashamedly downtempo, which, paradoxically, gives it a weird edge…looking back on it now, after the labour and toil transmuted into a finished work of art, how do you feel about it?
Gigi Masin: Tsuki is a new page for us. It’s about feelings and it’s more intimate than the previous record, so it’s natural that the final result feels different, and has a different language. That needs a new kind of architecture, and a new way of listening to it. As it were.
Tempelhof: Well, I’d be lying if I told you that Tsuki is the exact result of what we had in mind at the beginning of the project, because the genesis of an album is a process that makes many different steps, and sometimes they lead you far way from the direction you originally predicted. Personally speaking, I guess that Tsuki is a snapshot of what were are today as musicians. We’re all fans of downtempo music, and we continued with the sound research we began with Hoshi.
Why do you think there’s a slight tendency for people to sneer at downtempo, relaxing, “chill out” music?
Gigi Masin: What seems relaxing to me is the necessity for living a safe life. We’re living through years of uncertain fortune and an uncertain future, so instead of burning guitars people seem to be searching for sunsets or beaches or nice parties. It’s a way of protecting themselves from the pain of life.
Tempelhof: Do you think so? If you mean “chill out” as cheesy music for the hairdressers or spa, well, I sneer at that myself, but I don’t see any connection between our music and that stuff. What I see, honestly, is people paying more and more attention to downtempo, ambient, Balearic music. And you’ve got to make a distinction between good and bad music. It’s much more intellectually honest!
Is “chill out” the worst generic descriptor ever?
Gigi Masin: If you need to explain something complex to someone you need to use simple concepts. In this case, “chill out” is just something people are familiar with and understand.
Tempelhof: It’s just a descriptor, a way to label the music, which is a bad habit in my opinion, even though sometimes it can be helpful. But honestly, I rarely hear the term “chill out” used to describe us. Anyway, we’ve recently finished two remixes, one for Maria Usbeck on Cascine records and one for the legendary José Padilla, on Secret Life Music, and both are examples of our take on chill out.
Tell me, lads, where’s the best place in the world to listen to this album? Where does it make most sense?
Gigi Masin: In the airport near home, with Paolo and Luciano (Tempelhof), before starting our worldwide tour.
Tempelhof: It’s more a question of interior mood than of places to be, per se. Music is imagination, you can be anywhere you want when you listen to a record you love. Anyway, it’d be easy to say that the best place to listen to Tsuki is on a Polynesian beach, watching the horizon at dusk. If you can’t be there, then maybe you can listen to it to escape from a bad day, when you’re sitting on a packed tube train after work.
Tsuki is out now on Hell Yeah/Cascine recordings.
