RADIO
Gigi Masin – Wind
Released quietly in 1986, Wind grew into a classic long after the fact. Gigi Masin’s blend of melody and atmosphere remains one of ambient music’s most enduring statements.
When Wind was released in 1986 it barely registered outside Italy. Gigi Masin was a Venetian radio DJ and composer working on the fringes, creating music that blended ambient textures with a songwriter’s melodic sensibility. The record sold little at the time, slipped quickly out of print, and became one of those titles mentioned only in collector circles. Yet in the years since its rediscovery it has come to be seen as one of the defining ambient albums of the era.
What distinguishes Wind from other ambient releases of the mid eighties is its emotional directness. Many ambient records of the time leaned towards abstraction or minimal systems. Masin, by contrast, wrote pieces that are deeply melodic, even when they unfold slowly. Tracks like “Clouds” drift gently but always carry a tune at the centre. “Call Me” introduces piano figures that are simple but achingly effective. Synths and treatments surround these melodies, not to obscure them but to give them room to resonate.
The record has a lightness that avoids both sentimentality and sterility. It feels melancholic in places, but never heavy. There is warmth in every sound, as if the music itself is trying to offer comfort. That quality has made it endlessly revisitable. Unlike some ambient works that fade into the background, Wind invites repeated listening, rewarding attention with details that gradually reveal themselves.
Masin’s influence has grown quietly but significantly. His work has been sampled by hip hop producers, cited by electronic musicians, and rediscovered by a new generation of listeners who hear in it the blueprint for a more melodic, human form of ambient. In retrospect it is astonishing that Wind went unnoticed for so long. It feels like a record that should have always been in circulation.
Now considered a classic, Wind shows that sometimes the most enduring records are the ones that arrive without fanfare, waiting patiently for the world to catch up. It is a reminder that ambient music can be as much about feeling as it is about atmosphere, and that simplicity, handled with care, can carry remarkable depth.
