Bringing sound to a fashion show means discovering the perfect matches that will underline the inspirations and emotions of the designers. It is a long quest for the perfect beat and it has to fit into a coherent flow, capable of releasing the impact of the different projects. The mastermind fitting the ITS fashion show soundtrack pieces of the puzzle together is Gianluca Guerra, aka DJ Jazza Electrosacher. He has been developing and mixing the music for the ITS fashion show for almost 20 years now, working side by side with ITS Founder & Director Barbara Franchin and Director Assistant Michele Colucci.
Studying the fashion projects, grasping their meanings and translating them into sound starts from a meticulous research in a wide variety of musical genres looking for the “most proper” tracks. The soul of these tracks is two-fold: they often sound unmistakeably ITS (distorted, scratched, somehow romantic, electronic, passionate) while fitting the collection they are paired to.
One thing to bear in mind is that the length of the ITS catwalk shows is far longer than traditional shows: we’re talking 35 to 40 minutes, when a fashion week slot would last 15. So besides choosing and mixing/editing the tracks, the coherence, the structure and the overal ability of the music flow to entertain the audience also has to be kept in high consideration.
A SOUNDTRACK FOR A FASHION FILM
ITS 2020 posed an entirely different challenge. The soundtrack had to be conceived not for a catwalk live show, but for a fashion film. This pandemic driven choice meant facing far stricter policies for the music tracks selections. We were forced to research in an entirely different basin, with a limited freedom of choice. At the same time, each collection - which in the case of ITS 2020 included accessories and jewellery as well as the special projects with Lotto and illycaffè - worked as single timecapsules each with their own track. has to be chosen from an entirely different, and smaller, basin, limiting the freedom.
To dive deeper into what - we hope - was a singularity in the ITS universe, we sat down with Jazza to talk about and a process that turn out to be equally fascinating.
THE ITS STYLE
Through the years the process which leads to the creation of the ITS soundtracks identified as kind of “ITS Style”. The track sequence shapes a mood, sharing a vibe that identifies the ITS universe. How would you describe this style, and can you name tracks or artists which best represent it?
It’s totally true! There’s a common thread which got more and more defined through the years. It is also true that this is not an easy concept to define. It is something elusive, mutable, that still maintains an identity. During our meetings we do sometimes burst out and say “this is an ITS track!” Perhaps the best way to describe it is “a track that rises emotions”. An electronic sound, fresh and young as the ITS contestants are. It conveys energy, awareness and a splash of melancholy too. If I were to pick an artist I think it would be Sascha Ring (Apparat/Moderat), capable of switching from a techno dj set to an unplugged set in a theater, to an indie/rock vibe concert.