LAURA MASOTTO - The Spirit Of Things Reworks
After the release of her second album for 7K! records, The Spirit Of Things (March 1st 2024), Laura Masotto is now preparing to release a collection in EP format of remixes and reworks made by artists of the electronic, ambient, international avant-garde scene. The release of "The Spirit Of Things Rework EP" is scheduled for March 21, 2025
This 2024 has been a crucial year for Laura Masotto for her artistic development and for this extraordinary Violinist/artist/composer to finally become aware of her own compositional and musical growth (achieved thanks to the album The Spirit Of Things) and above all with the continuous and convincing live performances around Europe.
In fact, during the summer Laura Masotto performed in some of the most interesting and influential festivals of the post-classical, indie and avant-garde scene such as Haldern Pop Festival, Hemmersdorf POP Festival, Ypsigrock Festival, Ship Festival and many others including opening shows for Hania Rani and Joep Beving.
This new work sees Laura Masotto entrust some of the tracks of The Spirit Of Things to the expert hands of some of the most cult figures of the electronic scene such as Robert Lippok (already part of To Rococo Rot and a true legend of German electronics) and the post-classical Greek/Berliner producer with minimal techno twists Hior Chronik. Then there are new names on the European scene such as the pianist and sound designer Rubin Henkel, the kraut-psychedelic of the Roman project Ekranoplan as well as the ambient ensemble Illuteq. The EP also closes with a reworking for string quartet rearranged by Laura Masotto herself.
This new chapter in Laura Masotto's career is an important point that opens up new perspectives for the musician/violinist from Verona (Italy) for future growth in the global scene dedicated to instrumental sounds and derived from the world of ambient and classical music.
Comments from the “reworkers”
Hior Chronik: I really appreciate the work that Laura does with the strings and her violin, we have already collaborated in the past for a song of hers called “Refugees” and it was a pleasure to get my hands on a song from her new album. In the rework I tried to give more depth to the song by inserting elements of beat and sound carpets through synths and effects.
Robert Lippok: I listened to ‘Human’ a few times and sensed something driving and feverish in the piano melody. That spoke to me. I wanted to focus on that in the working process. From then on, the sounds carried me away. Just as some authors describe when they write about the development of characters in novels, the elements in my mix took on a life of their own and ultimately led to the drum crescendo at the end of the piece.
Rubin Henkel: The color orange itself was a guiding inspiration. To me, it represents more than just vibrancy and warmth; it symbolizes the duality of life’s brightest moments—the energy of a sunrise, the calm inevitability of a sunset. This duality is what I aimed to capture in my rework: the celebration of joy in the here and now, balanced with an awareness of its impermanence. It’s a reflection of how I experience summer—intensely alive, yet always slipping away.
Ekranoplan: The first time I heard Laura Masotto’s The Body Is A Tree I suddenly pictured myself in a forest at night, therefore my rework is like a movie in three parts. In the first part someone is walking in a forest at night, in the second he/she gets lost, in the finale he/she starts to run to find the way out of the forest. The original track is that beautiful, evocative and inspiring that I knew where I wanted to go with synths and percussions before even turning them on.
Illuteq: The elegiac undertones of North perfectly matched with the ILUITEQ's aesthetics and vision. The elements of the original track have been enhanced and expanded, with the purpose to create a sense of profound melancholy and darkness, so as to depict a long Nordic winter. Additional parts have been added, making use of granular synthesis and analog equipment, while a minimal piano line permeates the ending of the track.
Laura Masotto: Human Ensemble Rework is a new arrangement of the piece Human, rewritten by the original composer Laura Masotto for a string quintet consisting of two violins, two cellos, and a viola, and the original electronics. This rework transforms the piece into a more orchestral composition, the composer’s intent was to further blend the rich textures of string instruments with the rhythmic pulse of electronic sounds. The piece explores a deep interaction between the organic warmth of the strings and the compelling drive of electronic elements, creating a sound that is both intricate and cohesive.
