Francesco Galassia, Wood’d Vibes from a world close to us.
Francesco Galassia is one of those guys that we really like, you know? A great graphic designer during the day, music lover and DJ at night. Coming down from the Alps to the valley to study, he landed in Milan a few years ago, and most likely you’ve heard him play in one o two of your favorite evenings in the city. So, a great welcome to Francesco in the Wood’d Vibes, the virtual space and mixtape collection where we ask DJs, producers and musicians to translate their idea of wood, craftsmanship and Made in Italy into music. Enjoy!
Ciao Francesco, in a few words, who are you and what do you do?
I am Francesco, 24 years old, I am a graphic designer based in Milan, and sometimes I am making music and DJing.
How did you start with music?
I started quite late, listening to hip hop music to ease my daily walk from home to school, I was 14 maybe. Then I discovered electronic music, when I was around 18 and I immediately fell in love with it. I started to play dj sets and organize small parties in my hometown. During my first year of university in Milan I randomly met another guy and we started making music together.
What are the main influences on your sound?
Actually it depends, because I have two different musical projects going on, one is Francesco Galassia and it is about experimental/IDM music. Regarding that, its main influences right now come from UK contemporary sound: artists like Lee Gamble, Lanark Artefax, Actress, and labels like UIQ and Hyperdub are upon of my favorites of all time. The other project is called Moto Accelerato and I’ve started it with a friend a few months ago. It’s about techno, and we’ve just released our first ep titled Le Carceri. Our influences mainly come from Scandinavian artists like Varg, Shxcxchcxsh, Abdulla Rashim and labels like Northern Electronics and Avian.
What are you currently listening to?
I’m listening to a lot of ambient music, which really helps me out when I have to work for infinite hours for example. The Mono No Aware compilation by P.A.N. and the album Pop by GAS are the soundtrack of my working hours. Lately I’m also really into some 90’s dub techno that I just discovered, artists like Substance, Radius and Antonio, and to some kinda experimental noise/IDM music.
Where you draw your main inspirations for this mix?
I was born and grew up in the Alps so I just started thinking about when I was a child and used to play around the woods. When you are alone with nature you can really concentrate on everything, from the creaking sound of the leafs to the intricate lights shaped by the tree’s branches. I used to remember those moments as very intimate and full of feelings.
What you have prepared for Wood’d?
I just tried to follow your m(w)ood in the best way possible, and it ended up to be something that usually isn’t in my standard repertoire. I mixed some ambient tunes from great Italian artists with some electronic/house music mainly from UK producers, and the result is kinda smooth and different from my way-more-metallic signature sound. And that’s why I love it.