Luca Formentini is a composer, sound researcher, environmental activist, and winemaker.
He crafts his art from a studio in a century-old, sustainably run vineyard in Brescia, Italy, a refuge for some of the region’s oldest grape varieties.
His sonic explorations traverse the spectrum of sound, from the abstract and intangible to the tactile and concrete, investigating the effects of curated air vibration on human consciousness and perception, as well as the parallels between expressions of nature and the inner architecture of music.
His journey began at the age of 10 while listening to the sound resonating through the body of an old piano.
He realized then that any given sound is not an indivisible, monolithic unit, but a layered composite of distinct sonic artifacts – much like what a rainbow is to white light. Four years later, he was composing his first freeform guitar music.
Over the years, his craft developed as his philosophy matured, sometimes making quantum leaps as a result of intense dialogues—both literal and musical—with world-renowned sound explorers.
He learned about flow in free improvisation through deep conversations with Derek Bailey and Jon Russell. Through shared projects, he discovered the poetry of designing and building instruments from Hans Reichel, the untamed potential of the guitar from Elliott Sharp, a childlike playfulness in manipulating sound from Holger Czukay, and access to something that can only be described as magical or transcendent from Jon Hassell and Robert Rich.
Although its weight and feel, as well as its emotional depth, are unmistakable, Formentini’s music is almost impossible to classify using standard genre designations. It combines field recordings, electronics, self-made instruments, un-guitar, and a studio-as-instrument approach. It is improvisatory, process-based, and often sculptural, not only in terms of sound design but also in composition. It deploys stark contrasts, emphasizes tension, and uses silence as a key compositional element. It is intentionally incomplete, understated, dreamy, often haunted, and underscored with mild melancholy. The best way to describe it would be as a soundtrack to the nuanced cycles of life.
In recent years, Formentini has increasingly deployed his music in cinema and art-space contexts. To date, he has collaborated with artists working at the intersection of painting and sculpture, such as Lucio Pozzi, Albano Morandi, and Julia Bornefeld. He was commissioned to compose music for installations featuring the works of Peter Fellin and Alik Cavaliere, and he scored films for director Mario Piavoli. Additionally, he launched an investigative series titled Art Spaces, which explores how the physical presence of spectators in contemporary museums and art galleries, and the sounds they produce, create an interactive ‘echo chamber’ with the work on display.
The artist is currently working on a book correlating the process of winemaking — from the cultivation of grapes through the fermentation process and curating the taste — with composing, playing, and producing music. The book will cover topics such as taste, matters of the spirit (pun intended), and ecological sustainability.
Luca's first project for Curious Music is the I Am Ghosts series launched in September 2024 with more to follow.
lucaformentini.com
