R.I.P. Oophoi

[NBLR]

......
I wish I could thank him face to face but instead I will go outside and toast the stars with a beer...

I'm very understand your feelings.
It's a very good words!

[SiF]

Man i am bummed about this.  :'( He truly was the first person that showed interest in my music at a time when no one was
giving a damn about my music. He was also the first one to release my music and i will always be grateful for that. Really a shame i never got the chance to tell him how much this really meant to me.

[hjalmer]

kiva silence

np: oophoi | ran kirlian | the physics of heaven


h

[LLoyd]

GG was a good friend and I was so pleased to meet him in California 25 years ago and stay in touch through all those Backroads Music years.  I listened to, enjoyed and sold pretty much all of his CDs.  There was a subtlety to GG's recordings that spoke volumes in whispers.  Prolific, supportive, cooperative, easy-going, creative and clear about how he shared his artistry (and that of his fellow musicians) was how he consistently expressed himself in the world.  These qualities are great to strive for if you are making music.  We did a lot of trading and always stayed in touch up until the last few years.  I wish him vast space and the quietude that listening to his musical journeys always invited ....  his legacy is considerable more space left behind, also in his path ahead. — Lloyd

[drone on]

Beautiful post Lloyd.  Thanks. :)

[drkappa]

A dark umbra has certainly crossed the ambient world with this tragic, if not totally
unexpected news.  Sing a hymn to the silent Oophoi.

Only 55.  That's far too young, yet the ambient & electronic music community seems to
have lost many  of that vintage in recent years.  Condolences to his family and friends.

While Gigi modestly considered himself an amateur in the genre, his quiet music touched
our souls and relaxed our stressed minds.  My hairs still stand on end for some pieces
such as the middle section of "Lord of the Starfields" and "Spirals of Time".  We didn't
regard him other than a musician.  To put that in perspective, in terms of numbers of
CDs, Oophoi is only second to Steve Roach in my collection at around 40 titles.
It is staggering how Gigi could find time to produce Deep Listenings, run a record
label, produce the CDs, and still have time to create such an expanse of music.

Not only with music did his creativity shine through; the `special packaging', his written
track listings, and artwork were integral.  If you were careless enough to break the shells
Gigi could send some more of the same type!  As more music is download only, I fear
we'll lose the CD as an art form that Gigi worked hard to preserve.

I corresponded with Gigi many times.  We shared some jokes, an interest in space, and I
felt his passion for the drone music we both love.   Today I feel sad and a guilty that I didn't
keep in touch distracted by a move to other side of the planet and a new job.  Also I wish I
could have helped him when his website designer let him down a few years ago.

Sad times music lovers.  At least we have the solace of Gigi's artistry, if not his sparkle and
personality.

Best drones Gigi.

[Hallu]

I've been listening to his works for about 8 years now, and to me, he's right up there, with Lustmord, Inade, or SPK. Such a generous guy, both in music and life, he's left a considerable musical heritage. Nobody could make you forget that he uses synthesizers like he did. His sound was truly spiritual and organic, he was an analog purist, and you could really sense it. I actually don't know anyone who remotely sounds like him : everybody uses either big drones and bass or old school synths right now, but somehow he could make you unable to identify the source, and just feel the music. I'm sure I'll still be listening to his music 60 years from now. His body's gone but his spirit and music will live forever.

[richardgurtler]

Nicely written, Hallu!!!

Richard

[Cloud Hunter]

Ah, yes, I heard this news not too long ago from Robert Rich, though I was never aware of his illness. I found his album Amnios to be very inspirational for me while writing a fitting scene for my novel, and may purchase the CD. I remember reading on Last.fm that he uses no digital recording ploys, which I applaud him for; after all, analogue sound will always be better than digital.
May his legacy live for as long as his music will be remembered.

[hjalmer]

little did i know...

dear Jeff,
I hope this message finds you well.
I just wanted to tell you that my new cd Il Silenzio di Dio has been released, and if you confirm your address I can send you a copy. I really look forward to your impressions and thoughts about the music. Your words are always full of magic.

Life is hectic here, unfortunately two months ago I have discovered a cancer of the low intestin, I've been under a horrible operation and now I am under chemotherapy, a devastating experience.

Hope to hear from you soon
Gigi


silenzio
miss him      h

[wavemantra]

Atman fly away

Atman fly away

On the wings of a sparrow fly away

A circle is complete now fly away

Through the mist of the morning

Fly away

Beautiful spirit fly away

Atman fly away

Atman fly away

[Ben F-S]

Truth be told, I've just learned of this tragedy now.  Since the gift of children came into my life I don't have much time for forums like this-too addictive!

I wanted to share with you some thoughts on Gigi: 

Having had the pleasure of releasing his work on Gears of Sand-shit his release sold out in a week and kept us alive--and collaborating with him on the Umbra release "Nocturnes," gave me my first true appreciation for the power of drone.  I've done a fair amount of sonic exploring since but I'll always be a drone head at heart.  Thanks to Gigi for my first deep immersion as my listening has never been the same since.

One memorable experience to share:  While making "Nocturnes" as Paradin I had been getting more and more into field recordings and sent Gigi a cd-r with a whole cacophony of stuff recorded while hiking around a nearby river.  It sounded cool enough to me:  wind, flowing water etc.  But unbeknownst to me there were some chirping birds in there as well.  Gigi picked right up on that "those fucking birds are too cliche.  Keep it simple etc." I didn't know what he was talking about but in any event just sent hyper-minimal stuff from then on...But the final product was one of the coolest things I heard. It was all Gigi's vision.  "Nocturnes" was/is one of the more dark recordings I've ever heard to this very day. I learned a lot about the power of simplicity and tone from Gigi.  He didn't just mess around, the man was a true genius at capturing moods out of thin air-deep listening was no cliche-Gigi could meditate forever on a few ghostly tones.

Sleep well, my friend, your drones touched many and will vibrate on and on...

[phobos]

Nicely put, and thank you for sharing.

[Poaalpina]

OOPHOI. Lord of the Starfields - memorial site of Gianluigi Gasparetti, 1958-2013 aka OOPHOI. Creator of the website - Ran Kirlian.

[BigLooper]

R.I.P. Oophoi.