Hailing from Rimini, Italy, Luca Gasperoni is one hell of a diverse artist. The dark-pop electronic artist’s latest record has no real defined style or genre, rather leaning in to its eclecticism and collaboration that spans artists from across the world. After touring the world as a DJ, Gasperoni decided to work as a sound designer for games for a while. Eventually, the calling to return back to the realm of music became far too strong for him to ignore. Now, on his indie project, he’s able to live out his dream. Although he might be an introvert at heart, the level of collaboration is simply unbelievable at times. All conducted from a bedroom and leveraging the digital age to work with artists from Italy, US, Germany, Spain, Arabia and Denmark, it’s scale is definitively impressive.
The songs range from experimental and industrial, like the opening track that’s wackily named ‘Animals do not always sleep at night’ to atmospheric and transcedental like ‘Even bigger dream’. There’s a level of detail and imagination to Gasperoni’s production that doesn’t allow any two tracks to share much in common whatsoever. Some pieces are unsettling, making you feel lost and confused. Others are sedative, allowing you to sink into your chair and get completely lost in the minutia of his arrangements. The sampling in particular is a highlight to revel in, with slight voice snippets thrown in for good measure to accentuate certain points or feelings. ‘Even bigger dream’ is a perfect example of that style. Songs like ‘Hide’ are hauntingly beautiful, with a staccato beat and beautifully serenading vocals layered wonderfully on top one another.
‘Album 02 – Superfly’ is far from a simple or easy going listen. It demands your attention, because it’s in the minutia of details that Gasperoni is at his best. If you’re looking for something a bit out of leftfield, something experimental, and something that’s wildly innovative, few electronic projects reach the levels that this Italian artist is on.