Gi Gi

By Sean Maldjian, Contributor

Photo by, Angella Choe

Meet Gi Gi

I have found myself under the spell of this terrific Texas based electronic producer. Taking inspiration from the natural world Gi Gi creates larger-than-life atmospheric soundscapes. These sonic explorations will stop you in place and force you to reflect everything and nothing all at once. In our latest interview, we chat with the producer about gear, nature, and their creative process.

Would you rater

If you could pick one species of animals besides people to become 15 times their current size which one would you choose? Why?

A blue whale. The idea of taking any miniature-sized animal and enlarging it has a kind of unsettling effect across the board, so i figure it’s best to take what is already the largest animal and accentuate that quality.

Some questions with Gi Gi

What gear was essential in finding your sound as a musician?

The Ableton sampler & warp feature and selective choice of sample material is what I owe “my sound” to— no gear over here. This is the result of a feeling of intimidation towards going down the gear-hole more than any concerted stylistic choice, but I do feel like this limited palette of tools has allowed me to produce something novel.

What kinds of places do you like to take people with your music?

A place of memory. When a piece of music is particularly effective on me, the place I was at— whether that be a physical location or a more figurative “place in my life”— is central to the bond I form with it. For years after, I’ll remember the time or place that I first connected with the work. To me, it’s a sign of a particularly strong piece of music, and I hope that my own work may have this effect on others.

Do you have a favorite family tradition?

My dad and I have always had a strong bond over music- he’s a musician and an adept listener himself, and is to thank for any such inclination in myself. Ever since i started discovering music on my own I would share it with him, and as a child/teenager I took on a wealth of musical influence from him. Whenever we are together these days we will listen to and discuss music, and in the process share recommendations with each other. This tradition, albeit minor, means a lot to me; I value his breadth of taste & his ability to understand and appreciate music outside his own scope of concentration.

What was the creative drive behind your 2021 release “Lumino Pleco”?

I started making this style of music for myself as a sleep aid of sorts— I wanted music that was engaging enough to listen to if I couldn’t fall asleep, but passive enough to facilitate sleep if I could. These first experiments surfaced on my first LP released in 2019 by Way Inner Pass, and I see this release as the next step in this. In its original form (which is how it’s presented on the physical tape) it exists as two long form, 22-minute pieces. The different “tracks”, as they’re excerpted for the digital release, are stitched together to create a piece that blends the movement of a traditional album with the fluidity of a long-form, meditative drone piece. My hope is that this format will sharpen its ability to absorb, engage, transport.

If you could only use 10 words for the rest of your life what would they be?

“I can only say these ten words, I can't say anything else”

How do you feel about the reception to your 2021 release “Lumino Pleco” so far?

I’ve heard kind words both private and public that have made me feel warm, which is more than enough.

Does nature inspire your work? If yes, how?
It does.

I have a collection of detailed photos of various natural phenomena: moss (as in the cover art for this release), rock formations, erosion, etc. Many are taken by me, some are not (the cover art is by my friend Erla Sól). I’m taken by these intricate textures every time I come across them in nature, and I hope to achieve a sort of auditory analogue to this in my own work.

Any final comments? (This is your electronic soapbox for one last answer.)

It’s a bit trite perhaps, but I do hope this music serves people in this time we’re in, whether it provides escape, comfort, contemplation… Any productive feeling in a moment of many non-productive ones.