The 41st edition of the Romaeuropa Festival presents, in the setting of Teatro Argentina and in collaboration with the German Academy in Rome – Villa Massimo, one of the pioneers of dub techno and one of the most acclaimed German composers worldwide: Moritz von Oswald. On stage with Silencio, eight voices from the vocal ensemble EVO, accompanied by electronic textures and synthesizers, create a hypnotic flow that merges voice and machine, classical and electronic sound.
The concert is an immersive journey in which melodies, rhythms, and sonic textures intertwine, revealing Von Oswald’s relentless ability to transform every note into pure sonic experimentation.
Moritz von Oswald, a legendary master of electronic experimentation and technical rigor, holds an essential place in the modern history of avant-garde music. Tracing his career means moving through some of the most important moments, places, and figures in the history of electronic music. In the early 1980s, after training as a classical percussionist, von Oswald first established himself within the avant-garde group Palais Schaumburg, laying the foundations of a path that would soon become synonymous with electronic exploration. His collaborations with Thomas Fehlmann, Juan Atkins, and Mark Ernestus in projects such as 2MB, 3MB, and the seminal Basic Channel, alongside his solo productions, defined the foundational models of techno, minimal, and dub soundscapes that continue to resonate within the genre and far beyond. A central figure in the Berlin electronic scene, von Oswald has made a decisive contribution, both as a musician and mastering engineer, to shaping the sonic contours of contemporary electronic music.
Over the past two decades, von Oswald has continued to push the boundaries of musical research, exploring experimental and improvisational territories through a series of major projects. His ongoing collaborations with Carl Craig, in various formations and shared projects, reflect a common drive toward sonic exploration and have resulted in innovative compositions that merge classical influences with contemporary electronic languages. Among these stands out their commission for Deutsche Grammophon, in which the two artists reinterpret works by Ravel and Mussorgsky through a contemporary electronic perspective. Equally significant is his collaboration with Juan Atkins in the project Borderland, which plays a key role in continuing innovation within techno, blending foundational elements of the genre with forward-looking electronic visions. This partnership not only renews their original sonic vocabulary but also opens new rhythmic and timbral possibilities. Von Oswald’s deep connection to jazz is strongly evident in the Moritz von Oswald Trio, where the encounter between electronic music and jazz elements generates a rich, improvisational dialogue between different languages. The Trio, which has included musicians such as Vladislav Delay, Max Loderbauer, Laurel Halo, Heinrich Köbberling, and the legendary Afrobeat drummer Tony Allen, demonstrates von Oswald’s ability to transcend traditional musical boundaries, shaping a hybrid, innovative, and introspective sound.
As founder of Dubplates & Mastering, von Oswald played a crucial role in raising the standards of sound quality in the music industry. Under his direction, the studio became a benchmark for precision and mastering excellence, contributing to the clarity and detail of electronic music production. His remixes and productions stand out for their ability to reconfigure original material in a reflective and profound way, offering reinterpretations that go beyond conventional forms. His production approach is rooted in meticulous attention to sound, influencing a wide range of practices and languages within electronic music. Von Oswald’s contribution to electronic music is also marked by the use of sophisticated dub techniques, which have become a fundamental element in many of its branches, enriching the genre with a deeper and more layered sonic dimension. This approach has helped bridge the gap between dancefloor dynamics and more reflective listening experiences. Moritz von Oswald remains a key figure in contemporary electronic music, continually pushing the genre in new directions through innovative projects and high-profile collaborations. His work not only preserves and reworks the historical roots of these languages, but continuously projects them, with tireless curiosity, toward new territories, constantly questioning what electronic music can still become.
EVO Ensemble is a vocal ensemble specializing in contemporary and experimental music; it was founded, and is directed and coordinated, by mezzo-soprano and performer Virginia Guidi, a vocal artist specialized in 20th-century repertoire, board member of FIS and member of Nuova Consonanza. The ensemble is composed of young singers under 30 from diverse musical backgrounds (early music, opera, jazz, pop, beatboxing), based on the strong belief that diversity represents a fundamental contribution to music, offering a more complex and integrated vision of contemporary artistic practice. EVO Ensemble has performed at prestigious festivals both in Italy and abroad and has collaborated with major institutions including RESIS, the Venice Biennale, Filarmonica Romana, Fondazione Scelsi, Nuova Consonanza, Reate Festival, and Villa Massimo. The ensemble is also active in social and environmental initiatives and in 2020 founded EVO Forest on TREEDOM, a virtual forest dedicated to music, with the aim of raising awareness on environmental and social issues.
