10 Years of Midgar Records: Celebrating a Decade of Thought-Provoking and Genre-Defying Music
The season of sun-drenched days is upon us, and there is magic to be found in the simplest of moments. After such a long winter it always fascinates me how we emerge with so much new energy – ready to dive into endless nights filled with incredible music, and exploring the depths of our creativity and imagination. However, it's a conflicting feeling to anticipate enjoying our freedom and privilege while witnessing the ongoing war and suffering. Without delving into too much detail, I want to remind you, dear readers, that we stand in solidarity with those who suffer and protest against oppression and war. We should never forget how fortunate we are to be safe and able to enjoy life, along with our favorite things like music and art.
Without a further ado, the new season also brings a new article featuring and celebrating a very special label from Berlin – Midgar Records. The year 2024 is significant as the imprint celebrates its 10th anniversary and begins a new chapter of success and recognition in the electronic music scene. Earlier in March, I had the chance to sit down with label owner Jacopo Severitano, artistically known as Severja (pronounced Se-ver-ya) for a long chat to discuss the history of the label, the growth in the past years, his values, creative vision and much more. Stick around and learn more about one of the boundary-pushing magnificent labels out there.
Severja’s musically abundant origins in the South of Italy
My first real encounter with Jacopo was during Monument Festival in Norway in 2023. At that time, I had been a fan of the label for a while, and following the musical journey of Severja as well, but never had the chance to experience any of it firsthand. The third day of the festival was opened by one of the most mesmerizing musical experiences I’ve had – a very special DJ set by Severja featuring all kinds of music genres, and moods blended in a skilful seamless way, almost resembling live poetry. Fast forward a few months, and my second encounter took place at an Embodiment event at Radion in Amsterdam, where Severja was on closing duties alongside Rosillon, Lara Palmer and Agonis. The next day we sat down to discuss Midgar and get to know each other.
It all starts in early childhood for Jacopo. Growing up in the south of Italy, he comes from a family with a creative background. His father was DJing and was the owner of an independent radio and later a club. The club of Jacopo’s father was a place where he and his friends would try and create a new experience, against the small-town prejudice about nightlife and all that it brings. ‘’I went there with my parents in the early hours of a club night, and then they would bring me back home, but I have seen and experienced a good Sound System and felt the power of it from an early age. I still have memories of how the place looked. It was busy. Growing up, I was close to music, because of my dad, my brother and cousins who were always passing music around. The first things I listened to were of course Italian music, but later I was introduced to club music by my cousin who brought CDs from his trips to Ibiza or Cyprus, and my dad’s tapes that he would record, or radio shows – basically all possible directions!’’ From the point of view of a parent, I can imagine that sharing one’s experiences and interests can sometimes ignite the hope that children would follow a similar path. It is not always the case, but when it happens, that’s a different kind of magic and connection that is formed.
Jacopo Severitano artistically known as Severja
‘’Sadly, the club’s fate was not very lucky and after some time it had to close. As I was in the teenage years, I was already closer to all of it and interested in maybe learning how to DJ myself. My dad was initially not sure about this wish of mine, given his recent experience with nightlife, but he still supported me. One day he came to pick me up from school earlier to have lunch together with the family, and I wasn’t there, because I had skipped school with friends. He called me to ask where I was, and I was caught. He was a little mad, but still came to get me and bring me home. He opened the trunk of the car and there they were – two turntables. The most beautiful gift. So, this is how it all started for me. From then on, it was a learning process and a lot of practice. I had some friends that were playing house music at the time from Chicago and New York, and some Detroit techno. Later on, I moved to Rome to study. My parents always had this rule for me: You can play and have fun with it, but you should stick to your studies and build a career that does not depend on music.’’
‘‘Berlin was truly the place where I connected with techno, and where Midgar and my career as an artist began. I feel like having this background with different genres helped me to be more open-minded with the kind of style that I would later on work with when I play myself, and when I curate Midgar.’’
This is really good advice. We live in a world, where non-commercial artists are hardly able to make a living by just their art. Having a certain security rooted in some kind of a professional skill set is one of the few ways to gain freedom to be creative nowadays. Jacopo nods in agreement and goes on:
‘’I went to Rome for design school, which was a great life experience. I had to figure out a lot of things on my own, and life in the big city was different. It brought a lot of music discovery too and a closer connection to techno and other genres like EBM and new wave. My entire education was in this musical vibe. I also went out to Goa and heard Donato Dozzy for the first time, but I must say techno in general was not ‘love at first sight’. The first time I went to Berlin was for a holiday during my studies, and I went to some clubs and even managed to get into Panorama Bar. I remember seeing Berghain for the first time and thinking ‘I don’t know if I like this. It’s heavy and intense.’, but it grew on me. Berlin was truly the place where I connected with techno, and where Midgar and my career as an artist began. I feel like having this background with different genres helped me to be more open-minded with the kind of style that I would later on work with when I play myself, and when I curate Midgar. I try to always keep it diverse in terms of sounds. With hypnotic techno for example, it has always been present in my DJ sets for years, but there was a point where I realized that I can find that ‘depth’ in other kinds of music too. You can build everything, as long as you have some technical knowledge of harmonies and how music actually works. If I look back on my entire musical journey, I could not imagine it any different than it was. Berlin was the last step that solidified and merged everything together for me, especially since I had the chance to experience all kinds of artists during many weekends there.’’
I couldn’t agree more. I have seen it time again and again – artists with a wider range of interests in sound tend to tap deeper into their own creativity. I can also very well relate to experiencing the magic of Berlin, and how greatly influential this city can be for the development of one’s interests, taste and creative aspirations. It’s an enchanted place, where living sometimes comes at the cost of important life lessons, but nevertheless it leaves an undeniably beautiful mark on one’s life.
Life in Berlin and the beginning of Midgar Records
‘’Indeed, after quite some time of enjoyment, I needed to also be productive and realized that I can do both, as long as I had a good structure and discipline. Soon after I moved to Berlin, I met an old friend from Italy – the artist Synthek, who was running his label Natch Records. I started helping him out by doing the graphics and other tasks, and in the process, I learned so much about how to run a label, what to do and what to avoid. When I started Midgar, I already had quite a good head start and a clear vision of the importance of having a consistent and clear representation.’’
What a great opportunity to learn the ins and outs of the business, while working with his two passions – music and art. The story of Jacopo so far got me thinking whether he always had the dream to create his own label, or that came over time with him becoming more and more entangled into the Berlin local scene through his work with Natch Records and gigs around town in places like the iconic Paloma Bar? ‘’I love to do things of my own, also with art – creating a universe of my own, which I feel confident to share with people. The idea about having a label came to me after the work I’ve done with Natch.
I started thinking for the first time that maybe I could do something different than what I was already seeing in the scene. In my opinion the labels that I knew had kind of a limitation on sound. For example, when I discovered Wata Igarashi’s music I was impressed. I found his music through a label that did just one release and stopped, because the label manager passed away. The label was called ‘’Mariana Wax’’ like the Mariana trench – the deepest point in the ocean, and it was a compilation with Wata, Mike Parker and Dave Twomey, who was the owner. Wata’s track is still one of my favorites – 12-13 minutes, acid, slow but still very intense – absolutely Wata’s style as I would say. I thought to myself then, ‘Ah slow techno!’ and mind that it was 2013 then, and I was very much influenced by the stomping, fast and strong techno I’ve been hearing around Berlin clubs. I was enjoying more music for the body than for the mind back then. I already knew Mike Parker, but not Wata and I fell in love with his music. I immediately thought that If I would ever be to start a label, he is an artist I would definitely like to invite, and this is how it all started. As soon as I established Midgar, I contacted Wata via Facebook and offered him a vinyl release.’’
That’s quite special. Whether back in 2013 or now, being offered to have your own vinyl release is flattering and a special thing! ‘’Definitely. I think an artist knows that you are putting effort when there is such an offer. You take a big risk and you believe in this music so much that you are ready to maybe lose money. I think this is kind of like a golden rule for the label: To evaluate things in this way, and not only look at commercial success.’’ Through this statement, the values of Jacopo as a person and as a label owner manifest strongly. He goes on to add ‘’I already knew that this record won’t sell out, because it was ‘difficult’ music for that time, but after some time when I looked back on it, I was even more proud of this decision.’’ How great is it that when we take a risk and it pays off, we get these overwhelming feelings of motivation and conviction to keep doing things our way and stick to our values?
‘’It’s the best, but it’s important to know that risks will not always pay off. Sometimes it will be hard, but even if you have a great record with amazing music that does not sell well at the moment, sooner or later something might happen. People might realize after some time that it is great and ‘rediscover it’ in a sense. This is kind of what happened with the debut EP ‘’Junctions’’. It was well received and people liked the music, but it took a year to sell out. Only later, when Wata became a bit more known, I repressed it and it went in a week. Even I myself, have moments in which I hear a track and my initial reaction is that I am not convinced, but with quality music the more you listen to it the more it grows on you. I realized that I am also learning this way and that is great. You can put out music that people need a bit of time to understand, and when they do, they appreciate it even more because of the process. On the other hand, you can fall in love with something instantly, and there is nothing wrong with that, but sometimes with music it can almost be too easy and can lead to getting bored quicker.’’ It’s an interesting view, and definitely one I can relate to as someone that has gone through loving so many genres over the last decade, though with some it has taken me years to become weary of. After this lovely introduction to the history of Midgar it’s time that we went deeper into the label’s identity, and further artist guests that appeared.
A deep dive into Midgar’s catalog, identity and Severja’s work for Monument
‘’Everything started in a very organic way. I wanted to work with people who are great artists in my eyes, but also nice people that I connect with.’’ Indeed, the catalog is quite interesting and varied. In the early days of the label, we see artists like Edit Select, Luigi Tozzi and later on quite a few releases by Wata Igarashi, shifting towards boundary-pushing sounds even more with appearances by Ruff Cherry and more recently Aa Sudd, Agonis and Tammo Hesselink.
Among these, the EPs by Ruff Cherry and Aa Sudd stand out as personal favorites. Listening to their work felt like an 'Aha moment!'—a revelation of fresh and unexpected sonic territories, so much so that describing Aa Sudd's style for example, proves challenging; it exists at the borders of techno, displaying an innovative approach that results in potent, dense soundscapes, but it feels like everything at once, and simultaneously just like what you didn’t know you needed. Overall, nearly impossible to put into one box, which can be said for the imprint too. Midgar’s 10-year catalog defies categorization, unified only by its commitment to quality and a shared sense of hypnotic drive. My favorite aspect of the label is the seamless delivery of unpredictability – you never know which sonic universe the next release would take you to.
‘’I feel like that some of the followers of the label, when they saw the Aa Sudd release coming in a moment when there is a rise of the fast-paced dubby, trancey kind of techno, they maybe expected that I will go just for that, but for me it was about saying: ‘We also do that but not only.’ If you look at the Agonis release, there is also some fast-paced music, and note to trancey vibes, but it’s not fully that. Same for Priori. I like to give hints at some genres, but not fully go into them. For me Tammo’s release is very trippy and dubby. The way that the tracks hit you, the bass and everything gives you this warm drive. Next is Keplrr, and for me his music reminds me of my first Panorama Bar morning sessions. It’s foggy party vibe.’’
Again, so different from Polygonia’s highly percussive EP! ‘’Yes! I want the sound palette of the label to be wide, but as you said, to have this common thread, and for people to not identify the label with only one particular genre. The idea is: You have a party and there are all these moments like opening and peak time and the closing.’’ All the elements of the story basically. ‘’Exactly! Connecting this to making my label nights this will be my goal – to have artists that fully represent a certain moment of the night and have them play.’’ I can already see that by the labels that he is collaborating with for the Midgar tour, but before we get into it, I was curious why is Severja not producing music himself?
‘’I make music, but it is not in my plans to release anything on my label anytime soon. For me the main focus is to have Midgar as a great platform for others to release on.’’ I can understand that motivation. Especially when one is a multi-disciplinary artist like Jacopo involved with playing music, art, and contributing to different electronic music organizations, there are only so many things one can focus on at 100%. One cannot split their focus and always give everything to so many projects that on their own are very serious, big and time-consuming. Better do fewer things but great, rather than many but not at the best quality. Jacopo agrees and goes on to add:
‘’When I make music, it relaxes me and it’s really fun, but I never do it with the intention to release it.’’ Sometimes that helps, knowing that there is no pressure to deliver something with the goal for it to go further, it makes the process a lot more enjoyable. ‘’This is something that actually happened to me with visual art. I used to absolutely love making graphics and drawing, which I still like, but before I would sit for hours and be super productive and with no effort at all. After years of doing it, it can sometimes be a struggle.’’ It’s a job! No matter how passionate one is, a job always has its ups and downs.
I wanted to delve deeper and discuss the label's overall identity and concept, including its name, the inspirations behind it, and the visual art. As some of you might have already associated, Midgar is a name that is also present in the Norse Mythology, where Midgard represents the human realm. Let’s see what Jacopo had in mind:
‘’It actually comes from a video game! When I started the label my brother helped me, and we discussed that maybe the name could be a little tribute to our brotherhood. Final Fantasy was a game that we played a lot together. Most of it takes place in the city of Midgard. It’s one of the best stories and video games of all time in my opinion! The story was a strong influence on me for many things. I took a lot of inspiration from it. Besides the name of the label, some names of tracks in the beginning especially, were also hinting at it. I wanted for people to know that I love this game. When you follow a label and like the music, and all of a sudden discover that you have even more in common, for example this game, you are instantly even more connected through more common interests. I thought it was cool to create this vibe around it. The game does take a lot of inspiration from the Norse mythology, but it takes also from Japanese culture, pop culture, climate change and a lot of stuff that makes it so rich and layered and I feel like it represents well what the label is trying to do.’’ And own personal interests perhaps? ‘’Yes! It represents me a 100%.’’ That’s how the strongest identities are born in my opinion. A brand with a deeply rooted core value that reflects personal values, opinions and interests. ‘’I found out after some time that even the logo became so recognizable and something in itself. More than just a nice aesthetically pleasing logo, but more a symbol of something’’.
The visual identity of Midgar is one of the most impressive ones I have seen in the electronic music scene, because Jacopo is a very talented illustrator and his imagination runs wild! Every record cover is unique and it tells its own story. I truly believe that when something is so visually striking and appealing, there is instantly more desire to discover what is behind it. In a way he is lucky that he can develop all that by himself, as the creative process is a hard thing and the moment that you have to explain your vision to others, it gets even harder. ‘’I am very privileged indeed that I can do it all by myself. I am curating the label but I can also draw it.’’ Full control of all the processes means also a more coherent experience for the people. From the way business is conducted through curation to the final product that one holds in their hands - it all comes down to one mind. It kind of feels like a full circle as we can see the inspirations and topic behind the label show in other aspects of Severja’s life. He is often visiting and playing in Asia for example, and is now working with the Monument crew, who are from Norway, so in some way everything comes back to deep connections in all those areas.
‘’Exactly! The connection with Monument was in a sense unexpected, but when I met them and we started to hang out more it started to make a lot of sense because on a human level we have so much in common. When I went to Oslo to check out Vigeland park I was really impressed by how much the statue designs there are what I look for when I try to draw something and make an artwork. I normally try to create a harmony between lines and curves and the statues there follow this principle, and it actually feels like home. Now with the new Monument identity for this year we went back to the roots in a sense. The logo I designed for them is based on rock carving from Scandinavia. I studied the ones that were found and I tried to carry the lines and simplicity in the designs. Super basic – the warrior, people on the boat, the pregnant woman. Everything is neat and beautiful but very simple. I tried to carry on these principles and then connect it to the ‘’dance’’. With festivals normally there is attention to music, the artists and the act, but I don’t see so much attention to ‘Dancing’. People go there to actually dance and move their body and somehow it is taken for granted that the visual identities don’t celebrate this aspect. They look at something catchy and sound waves, but for me the core is something else. That’s how the Monument rebranding came about, and this year it’s going again into this topic and I am trying to explore it in many different ways. The iterations of the logo will be many but the core is still recognizable.’’ The simplest of things are the hardest to design. To create something simple and yet so bespoke is very difficult.
‘’Luckily it comes quite easy now, because I trained a lot and I worked a lot with Monument. In the past I have worked for Parallel festival as well 2nd 3rd and 4th edition. It was a different approach, but it was more challenging to find the elements and bring them to people’s attention. To me it was always important to create a story and not just standalone things. For Monument it’s very easy to create a story because there is so much already in the background, and you can just pick elements and go crazy with it.’’
‘‘With festivals normally there is attention to music, the artists and the act, but I don’t see so much attention to ‘Dancing’. People go there to actually dance and move their body and somehow it is taken for granted that the visual identities don’t celebrate this aspect.’’
Monument Festival 2024 graphic elements. Get the full experience of Jacopo’s artworks here.
In fact, I have seen a lot of Jacopo’s design portfolio and he has worked on so many different projects. Some smaller, some bigger. As a visual artist he engages with a lot of different platforms in the music scene and helps them to discover and develop their identities. ‘’I do it when I can! I like to support people when I have the time, but I don’t take too many of them because I am a perfectionist in my work, and I always end up going the extra mile because quality is so important to me, even though time is scarce. When I connect with the project and people behind it, I am definitely happy to take on such work! In general, I believe that I have something unique as a designer, and it’s a good way for me to be economically stable and to support my beloved projects like DJing and Midgar. I have done corporate work before, but I don’t see myself do that in the future because then there would be no time for anything else!’’ Understandable! Personally, I also had a big collusion with the corporate world this year that affected my life in many ways. Luckily, nothing bad lasts forever and some things that helped me spark my passions again were definitely the discovery of new sounds and artists that do things differently. All this DnB-infused techno, halftime, the good old 00s trance, and no consideration for genre boundaries whatsoever has truly been a magical push for me. I wonder what inspires Jacopo these days? What sparks his passion for discovering new music, or sound?
‘‘The records that I like are those that really bring a vibe. To bring a vibe it means that tracks are more than just a nice arrangement, but also can make you travel somewhere in your mind with it. As a label manager I want to make records that people want to buy not just for that one track, but for the full experience.’’
‘’I will tell you what I say to some artists that I work with for the label. When I have an artist for example that is interested in releasing on Midgar, I give some sort of guidelines. The records that I like are those that really bring a vibe. To bring a vibe it means that tracks are more than just a nice arrangement, but also can make you travel somewhere in your mind with it. As a label manager I want to make records that people want to buy not just for that one track, but for the full experience. So, I follow that principle. Different tracks and stories but they bring chapters from the same book. Almost as if every EP is an album in itself, even though it’s 4 tracks or 3 but you have to bring a story in it. I was following this religiously in the beginning, but now after 10 years the label is more diverse, I do it depending on the release and on the artist. In the end the tracks that I choose are those that make me feel something that is almost like a visual image in my head – where I am, what I am doing, what I see. As a visual person when I listen to music, if I can already imagine what cover I would draw then it’s probably the right one.’’
The process of releasing on the label, the proudest moments and the lessons
As we scratched the surface of the topic, I feel it’s time to talk about the process of releasing on Midgar. ‘’It’s rare that I release an artist who I don’t know. It happened only once perhaps, but normally to me it’s really important to know the person. I don’t want to say that you cannot release on Midgar unless we are friends, but generally I tend to really want to work with people that I can feel some energy from.’’ Understandable! While there is no better feeling than the flattery of others who see, love and recognize your work and want to be part of it, the initial spark is very important when choosing who you work with. ‘’In addition, political views, life, and general values are important for me and the label. You want to work with people that would represent it good.’’
I guess this process gives a lot of freedom and peace of mind that whoever he is working with will deliver up to the standard. ‘’Yes, in those moments one can even be a little more ‘demanding’ when there is trust. For example, in the case of Ruff Cherry me being demanding actually helped the artist discover what he is capable of. If you do it and push in the right way with the right kind of feedback you are actually helping the artist to find their best sound. If you listen to older Ruff Cherry releases, you can realize the difference in the sound compared to the last one. They are all good, but the last EP is completely wild. It’s different reasons, some of which are technical, but in the last release I asked him to do something different. He is very open-minded and wanted to learn and asked me to send him some artists that inspire me. So, I sent him Pessimist and Felix K, people like that and he was like ‘Ok let me see, I think I have a connection with this sound’, which I was sure he does, and when he sent me these fire tracks of the ‘’Phantom Fortress’’ EP I was mind blown. He thanked me because through this feedback he actually found a style that he felt he was supposed to do all this time. This made me really happy!’’ The label goes way beyond just a release, it influences someone’s career in such a positive way! ‘’It does. I think you don’t just put music out there, it’s also self-discovery, friendship, many things and I’m really attached to all these artists that I work with. Knowing that they learned something, or their life changed in some ways because of Midgar is simply beautiful.’’
‘‘I think you don’t just put music out there, it’s also self-discovery, friendship, many things and I’m really attached to all these artists that I work with. Knowing that they learned something, or their life changed in some ways because of Midgar is simply beautiful.’’
Speaking of pride, looking back on 10 years of Midgar, what is one thing that Severja is proud of? ‘’I think one of the things that I am most proud of in the context of the label is not giving in to some of my fears of not breaking through. If I would tell you one thing or one record it would maybe take away the importance of the others, but in general not giving in to standards that the scene set or required from me. I knew that it is just a matter of choices, it’s not that you cannot. There are many people nowadays who try to become ‘artists’ and just DJ for a bit to become famous and then be gone. It’s also about choosing how much to sell yourself and in which way. I don’t think that ‘selling yourself’ is a good approach. You can do that but at which cost? The quality of your work? Your own integrity? I am very proud of this value and the integrity of the label.’’
People often underestimate the fact that when you create quality it takes time until it becomes successful. It takes a little longer but if you are patient eventually the right people will find you and connect with you, and the rewards will be so much bigger than if acquired so fast. It takes a special kind of character to realize this and follow through with it and reap the rewards, which I think Jacopo is doing right now. In the past decade the label has gained a lot of popularity, and especially in the last 2 years, Midgar Records has become a more widely mentioned name in the industry. I think the next years will be those of reaping rewards.
‘‘One of the things that I am most proud of in the context of the label is not giving in to some of my fears of not breaking through.’’
‘’It’s interesting because now that I announced the 10th year anniversary, people are shocked that the label is so old. When they see Wata Igarashi for example, they are so surprised.’’ At any point in time there is always someone that hears it for the first time, and the cycle restarts and it’s so great. ‘’Definitely. I don’t know if they all aged so well, but a lot of them did and one can still play them.‘’ In my opinion a good artist will be able to combine new music with tracks from 10 years ago and make it sound like the most insane thing ever. Just the night before our interview, Severja did that himself when playing old Regis tracks combined with deep and round hypnotic rhythms making it sound completely otherworldly during that closing set at Embodiment. ‘’I am a big Regis fan!’’ For me it was quite the surprise, because most of my ‘Severja experiences’ have been more of the experimental kind of set where he combines all these very different tracks that put together sound like a poem, rather than a set. Every track is unexpected and hits different emotions, and it's not so much for the body but more for the mind. It was such a dense sound experience presented in a very playful way.
‘’Thank you! It’s always nice to get such feedback, because I feel like I still struggle for people to understand that I can DJ, and that I actually do this not on the side of running the label. Probably it’s because I don’t push my profile in this way.’’ It’s true, nowadays If you don’t oversaturate the audience with all your capabilities people tend to only see some of the things and not consider the rest. But in my opinion when one connects with the right people, who understand music and music experiences in the way that you do, they will give you the full trust as a DJ. I feel like that’s what happened at Embodiment as well. ‘’For me having the closing set was an honor. It meant that they really trusted me to close the night well. By seeing that people were still into it till the very end it meant that I kept it interesting and good energy.’’
Circling back to Midgar, let’s have a contrast with the things that he is proud of and see if there is something that was maybe not so much on the positive side in the past decade or that it was difficult? ‘’It’s hard to tell. I think working with the wrong people has happened. Not talking about the artists, but I mean distribution, and some mastering studios or pressing plants. Sometimes I was a bit naïve in a way that I was handling stuff. I don’t have regrets about the curation at all! Maybe sometimes I shouldn’t have been that shy or reserved about the quality of my work. Not talking about showing off, but actually taking some merit of what I do. I always tend to put myself a bit back.’’ Artists tend to do that don’t they? They remove themselves from their art and stand alone to observe.
‘’This happens when you really care!’’ Absolutely, and more when there is the perfectionist mindset. ‘’I got this music discovery from my dad, and he is a man of many principles and he was always passing me those values to be fair and respectful of art and of the artists and how to be appreciative. Nowadays the main issues in the world come from Ego. I didn’t want this to be the case with Midgar. When you do the graphics, the curation, the communication and social you are one person that does everything. Even though the intention is not to be an ‘ego show’ it can be perceived that way because it’s all one person doing this. That’s why for me even posting about it and openly being so proud about it was a bit of an ‘overdose of what Jacopo is doing’, and I was a bit conflicted about it. I never wanted to put a shadow on the artists and music by that.’’ It’s really good to reflect on those things right? Being in this great place where he feels good about the proudest moments, the mistakes and the lessons - the whole project, is a sign for me that the next 10 years will look different in a new and exciting way. ‘’Absolutely. I have a good base now and if I ‘expose myself’ now it’s okay.’’ Above all, Jacopo and people like him, please never forget that it’s admirable to do so much work! All of these tasks, on paper might seem like not much to someone who is not in it, but try doing that yourself for one day and you will appreciate the insane capacity and capabilities of people who spread themselves over multiple responsibilities within passion projects and delivery quality and heart.
‘’For 2-3 months I have had this mentorship program called ‘quietLoud’ with Alma Ernst, who is the senior booker of Little Big agency. I got to know her through my friend Panicos from Heed Agency and we worked on the branding project together. Instead of asking for monetary compensation, we agreed to give me the mentorship in return. I am learning. I think it’s important for me to see myself through the eyes of other people that I respect a lot and who have a good heart. It’s very interesting!’’ Taking steps in the direction of self-appreciation are so important! ‘’When I look at myself, I am very outgoing and present, but when it comes to my work context, I am taking a step back.’’ I believe it’s good to sometimes take the role of an observer also because one can understand people in this way, and know how to approach things and how to deal with what’s at hand. Jacopo smiles and agrees wholeheartedly ‘’Yes, and to self-reflect!’’
Celebrating the 10th anniversary through collaborative showcases around Europe and upcoming releases
To celebrate the 10th Anniversary, the label owner decided to host a number of collaborative label showcases around Europe. Some of them already took place and we got some hints about how they went on Instagram, but I am eager to find out what the plan for the whole year looks like. ‘’The first one was with Amenthia in Berlin, Fitzroy, on the 16th of March. It was really great because we are good friends and the club is very easy, not so famous, but at the same time an amazing place to party. I have been doing parties there since a while, not Midgar but other parties like Hitze, which I did with Alfred from Harmony Rec. - a lot more playful events, and others. The club has this more colorful crowd, it’s very queer, and the sound goes in all directions. It was a good way for me to explore what the place can do and I felt confident enough to do a Midgar event there, because when there are the right people it's a really amazing vibe. The morning hours are lovely because the light comes in which is not a common thing in Berlin clubs. You leave with such a better mood. If you leave a dungeon and then see the daylight it hits you hard.’’ Haha yeah, the contrast is way too big. Jacopo continues to share:
‘’When you have a club where the light comes in the morning you kind of already enter the day and you don’t go out and feel in a ‘What am I doing with my life?!’ kind of way. It’s just a perception of the moment but still, I find it nicer. I think it’s one of the best line ups this place had so far, so I hope that it will bring more attention to the club itself.’’ Additionally some artists from this line up like Garçon, Aa Sudd, Tammo Hesselink and Katatonic Silentio don’t play too often in Berlin, which brings an extra layer of special. ‘’Totally. It was a great success and there are some further plans to maybe repeat that in November.’’ Dear readers, this is an official notice to start planning your next Berlin trip! ‘’Then later in March there was another one in Italy, together with Crossing Avenue in Bari, called Domus. It’s friends of friends of friends doing a party together near the seaside. It’s amazing. Normally it’s an event where people show up to play for almost no money. Just spending quality days with nice food, wine and music. I was there with natural/electronic.system. Later on, in June we had another event with Mantis at Garage Noord in the Netherlands. My closing set together with Toé from Ouroboros Festival crew stays as one of my best memories and funniest moments at gigs this year so far.’’
What a collaboration with non-other but the mind-bending sub-label of Delsin, Mantis! It’s an exciting project, where we see a big overlap of the endless desire for sound exploration and pushing the boundaries of electronic music. The dutch audience had the pleasure to dive deep into the two label’s musical universes spread over two floors at Garage Noord in Amsterdam featuring Konduku, Lynne, Tammo Hesselink, Vardae, Toé, Severja and Mattikk.
‘‘I don’t only book artists from the label, but also friends and people that I know are close to the label, who would do a great job if I booked them. I tend to work with artists who I know will take this booking very seriously, and they do it because we love each other as friends.’’
‘’July was busy too, as I returned to Oslo this time in the company of Priori, followed by another great collaboration with my friends from Patterns of Perception for a dreamy afternoon open air at Backsteinboot, and an afterparty at Fitzroy.’’ Oh my! All of those events were somewhat the biggest fomo I have experienced in years! Every line up curated carefully to give those otherworldly sound experiences in cozy locations with so much community involvement and care.
‘’Some important upcoming gigs for me are an ambient closing set at Monument festival, but the time slot is a secret due to Norwegian law, a closing on Saturday night at Ouroboros Festival and another mind-bending Midgar collaboration in Paris in late October, but at this moment I cannot disclose the line up. All I can say is that it will be big! There might be other plans too, but I am not in a rush. I really want to do things that make sense with people that share the same views on how to create an event etc. It’s possible to have another one in Berlin as well potentially in a collaboration with Monument, but stay tuned!’’ I wonder what is important to Jacopo when constructing the events? For some he is curating artists that have released on the label together with others that complement the sound aesthetic. In the case of Garçon and Agonis, for example, the former is not a producer but they have a crazy B2B act together. ‘’For instance, this one in Fitzroy, as much as the ones that I did last year at gART.n in Berlin, the line up has to make a lot of sense in terms of progression.
There is always an ambient start. I don’t only book artists from the label, but also friends and people that I know are close to the label, and I know that they would do a great job if I book them. I tend to work with artists who I know will take this booking very seriously, and they do it because we love each other as friends. Of course, some of them might need to lower their fees. If I would book Wata Igarashi or Forest Drive West for a normal price, I could not afford to have other people. It’s more about having this special occasion where you have a line up that would normally not happen. It’s not always possible, but the important part is that there is a good progression over the night and people know that what they would play over the night has to reflect somehow the vibe of the label. It has to be a diverse night, not too much banging, but solid. I prefer if there is a sweet kind of ending, not too hard. I know that Garçon does a great job, I trusted him fully. I must say some promoters or some clubs are scared to do this because they don’t believe that the club will be full.’’ It’s our battle and what we have to do, but luckily, we still find the people that connect with each other. I totally feel that frustration, as someone who has one foot in the events realm. It's important that Jacopo already found a lot of nice promoters that recognize this and he can work with, and celebrate the success of his one of a kind label together.
I wonder in terms of releases what are the plans alongside the ‘Midgar goes on tour’ year? ‘’We just had Keplrr come out, then later on there will be remixes of Priori’s ‘’Pareidolia’’ record. For certain releases one year later, I do remixes. It’s a nice way to reimagine the music. The remixes will be by Forest Drive west, not one but 2 - both fire! He is extremely humble and easy going and an incredible producer. I hope both will be on the record, then Notte Infinita - an Italian artist who is very good, I actually play his music often. I opened my monument set when I had an evening slot a few years ago with his track. Then upsammy with a more IDMish vibe and then there is Maara. Upsammy is a very cool act so I am excited to have them on the label. I try to go again in different directions, but it is a club EP. Later on there will be OK EG - a duo live act from Australia. ‘’ Australian music scene has exported some great talents, and it definitely caught my attention. ‘’Yes, they do it really well, Lauren and Matthew are some of the nerdiest studio heads and this is a really good sign. I love when people love their gear and want to get crazy sounds of it. Really sweet people that I met in Melbourne. Their music brings you places. The tracks have different tempos from 130 to 142 but you can also slow them down. It's a beautiful record and I’m super looking forward to see it released”
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Once again such a diverse palette of emotions. ‘’Not so much techno this year, but it depends. Ruff Cherry is back with ‘‘Exonda’’, and the other one will be the Dutch artist Human Space Machine. I like him, he is very sweet and nice and also before talking to him and him approaching me, I played a lot of his music and I always thought he has something extra. I felt the emotions there, and I think it’s important to feel something. They are not just following this sort of ‘make the tracks in a way that they are supposed to be made’. It’s something which you find nowadays a lot when people learn how to make music, they use the same formula according to what a ‘’techno track’’ is and then you miss the identity and what the artist is trying to communicate, while I felt that in his music it’s there! He is taking his time, and I also don’t push artists because I want them to take their time. ‘’ That’s great, you know yourself that you can’t force the creative process. That’s already a massive schedule for one year. I understand that when you run a label some years are slower than others. It depends on community relationships and what comes when, but I must say that I am very excited about what’s already planned! I believe people will also be quite surprised and curious to see all these different sides of you and the label. ‘’Thank you, I hope so! I am playing with the idea to create maybe a special edition for the 10th anniversary, but that’s not confirmed.’’
To end our conversation, I was curious what else Jacopo likes to do outside of music? His life is very engaged with a number of activities but they always find a connection to music, so what about the rest of the time? ‘’I try to do photography whenever I can, during my daily life and when I travel. I love to work with clay and I am learning from my girlfriend, she is really good at it. I make incense holders, cute little ones that look like sculptures. I try to have a good social life with friends. Most of my friends are out of the music industry, and not DJs. I like to hang out with people that I just like, having the same interests is not mandatory. I cook! I am very good actually – risotto, parmigiana, meat, fish everything but in terms of baking and creating dough and stuff it’s not for me.’’ Cooking is also my guilty pleasure in a way. It gives so much peace of mind. ‘’I love to cook for my friends and look at them when they eat my food expecting the reaction.’’ shares Jacopo through laughing and goes on ‘’A lot of recipes are very special from my mom. I even made a book for her compiling her recipes for her birthday, it was really sweet.’’ The secrets of La Famiglia that will pass down the generations!! He laughs again and says ‘’Well, in fact my mom always wants me to share with people, so they are not big secrets.’’
After being absolutely immersed in this inspiring conversation that we had over a few hours, I wanted to round it up with some inspiring closing words from Jacopo: ‘’If I can give a piece of advice to people who are starting their own labels or are new at this, I would say that they should focus on telling their own story, and not the story that other people tell already and they think it’s a good one.’’ I believe this is some of the best advice coming from a very experienced, professional and kind-hearted person like Jacopo. I want to sincerely thank him for giving me the experience of getting to know him and the label closer. For all you dear readers, don’t forget to buy the music and support the label and the artists! Till next time, dear Nachtblumen.
Severja recorded a special treat for you - a one hour podcast, taking you on mind excursions into the dubby, layered depths of techno. Incredible selection and vibe awaits you in the 25th episode of the Nachtblumen podcast. Enjoy!