Name: Marco Giambrone
Nationality: Italian
Occupation: Musician, farmer, photographer
Recent Release: Marco Giambrone teams up with Giuseppe Cordaro for Alico, out via Fluid Audio. Also available are The limit of the sky, released in 2001 via Krysalisound, and My Blurry Life published under his nom de plume Silent Carnival.

[Read our Giuseppe Cordaro interview]

If you enjoyed this Marco Giambrone interview and would like to stay up to date with his music, visit him on Instagram.
 


When I listen to music, I see shapes, objects and colours. What happens in your body when you're listening? Do you listen with your eyes open or closed?

Usually to best enjoy every aspect of music I close my eyes. I have the sensation of being able to better distinguish all the sounds, the harmonies, the dynamics of what I am listening to. And then I imagine the space in which these sounds move, the image of each instrument I recognize appears in my mind.

Of course, it's not just hearing that is stimulated by listening. I think that the skin also receives important stimulation from sound and this is able to give us a feeling of pleasure.

How do listening with headphones and listening through a stereo system change your experience of sound and music?

I rarely listen to music with headphones. I use them almost exclusively during recording. From my personal experience, I can only get a precise overview of the sound by listening to a system.

My whole adolescence was characterized by the use of the Walkman and it was exciting to be able to listen to my cassettes everywhere but now I wouldn't be able to do it.

Tell me about some of the albums or artists that you love specifically for their sound, please.

Too difficult to name just a few of the many artists who have created unique sounds.

Right now I'm thinking about Low's Double Negative, Deceit by This Heat, Prazision by Labradford, Laughing Stock by Talk Talk, Ghost Tropic by Songs:Ohia, and many others.



[Read our Tim Friese-Greene of Talk Talk interview]

What fascinates me is the ability that great artists have to dress their songs with the right sounds, making the best possible choice. in the last year I really appreciated a record by an experimental impro jazz band called Selvhenter and their record has a magnificent sound production.



Do you experience strong emotional responses towards certain sounds? If so, what kind of sounds are these and do you have an explanation about the reasons for these responses?

The answer is yes, some sounds cause stronger reactions in me than others. Sounds that move on a low frequency range certainly. Or the sounds coming from acoustic instruments recorded, enhancing the physicality of the sound, the sensation of being in the same room with the musician.

I don't know exactly why, it's a feeling of warmth that comes to me, and which manages to give me sensations of great well-being.

There can be sounds which feel highly irritating to us and then there are others we could gladly listen to for hours. Do you have examples for either one or both of these?

For me, sounds that are too high-pitched or bad drum sounds are very irritating. Instead I could listen to the sound of the piano or vibraphone for hours.

Are there everyday places, spaces, or devices which intrigue you by the way they sound? Which are these?

I can tell you that truly every object that comes into my hands has the potential to have a useful sound for me. Truly every object has potential.

For me a musical instrument such as a guitar, a synth, a sax or a piece of sheet metal, or a plastic container can be used with the same attitude and obtain a fascinating sound from it.

Have you ever been in spaces with extreme sonic characteristics, such as anechoic chambers or caves? What was the experience like?

The first thing that comes to mind are some very ancient artificial caves that are located not far from where I live. They are called Grotte della Gurfa, and the main room is a very high dome with a hole at the top. There is a giant, perfect reverb that can transform your voice, any sound, into a mystical sensation.

I hope to be able to record something in there, perhaps with Giuseppe Cordaro

What are among your favourite spaces to record and play your music?

At the moment this is an obligatory choice, it's my house. Currently everything I record comes from my home studio. It certainly doesn't have some of the features of a real recording studio with large spaces or vintage outboard.

But it is the place where I feel most comfortable. I feel safe and relaxed and therefore most concentrated. It's the classic theory of making the most of what you have available.

Do music and sound feel “material” to you? Does working with sound feel like you're sculpting or shaping something?

Yes, I experience this feeling especially during mixing. For me it is not comparable to sculpting, but to painting. Maybe that's because I paint. But when I mix I always have the feeling of being in front of a canvas.

I know what the subject of the painting is but there are infinite ways to achieve it. You have to choose the right colors, the light, study the perspective, the proportions and make sure that every sound is perceptible even on different levels.

At the moment it is one of the things that gives me the most satisfaction and stimulation.

How important is sound for our overall well-being and in how far do you feel the "acoustic health" of a society or environment is reflective of its overall health?

For me it is fundamental. We should give more importance to silence. We not only have to worry about sound quality but also that there is the right amount of silence.

I feel lucky, I grew up in the countryside and now I live in a very small town, so there is still room for silence. However, I wonder how there can be well-being if we are overwhelmed by noise, at every hour of the day and night.

One of the main challenges of the future in my opinion is being able to give more space to the sound of nature, it's the same problem as the excess of lights that prevent you from observing the sky. Nothing worse.

Sound, song, and rhythm are all around us, from animal noises to the waves of the ocean. What, if any, are some of the most moving experiences you've had with these non-human-made sounds?

For me it remains one of the most beautiful sensations listening to the sound of the wind among the trees in the mountains. Hear the sound of the leaves, different because the trees are different. And the grass below has another sound, and even more fascinating is the sound of the rain that joins all this.

I was born and currently live in a mountain town, I don't have much experience with the sea or the ocean, but the mountains can give me great well-being with their sounds.

Tinnitus and developing hyperacusis are very real risks for anyone working with sound. Do you take precautions in this regard and if you're suffering from these or similar issues – how do you cope with them?

Fortunately I have never had this type of problem even though I have played at high volumes in the past. I try to be very careful now, I absolutely don't want to ruin the pleasure of listening to music in the best way LOL

Seth S. Horowitz called hearing the “universal sense” and emphasised that it was more precise and faster than any of our other senses, including vision. How would our world be different if we paid less attention to looks and listened more instead?

Evidently if we listened more there would be enormous benefits. I'm not just talking about sounds and music. We are too distracted by images, and too busy talking and letting people know what we think on any topic.

Listening to everything around us can only bring benefits and increase our sensitivity, we really need it.