Gigi D'Agostino

Biography

Luigino Celestino Di Agostino (Italian pronunciation: [luiˈdʒiːno tʃeleˈstiːno di aɡoˈstiːno]; born 17 December 1967), known professionally as Gigi D'Agostino (pronounced [ˈdʒiːdʒi daɡoˈstiːno]), is an Italian DJ and music producer. In 1986, he started his career as a DJ spinning Italo disco. His biggest chart successes include "Bla Bla Bla×Bla Bla Bla1999 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Bla Bla Bla (radio cut)3:162Bla Bla Bla (abbentenza mix)6:583Voyage (africanismo mix)17:41", "Another Way×Another Way15 June 2000 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Another Way (radio edit)3:452Another Way (club mix)7:41", a cover of Nik Kershaw's "The Riddle×The Riddle1999 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1The Riddle (Video Mix)3:242The Riddle (Single Cut)3:203The Riddle (Original Mix)4:434The Riddle (Original Longer Mix)6:11", "La Passion×La passion1999 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracks1La passion (new radio cut)3:022La passion (cielo mix)7:273La passion (radio cut)3:304La passion (l'amour toujours LP mix)7:385La passion (Tecno Fes EP II mix)7:096La passion (Tanzen EP mix)5:027La passion (video)3:37", "Super×Super15 December 2000 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Super (riscaldamento radio version)3:242Super (rassodante)8:12" and "L'Amour toujours×L'amour toujours2001 · EPSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks · 2 discsDisc 1AL'amour toujours (l'amour vision)8:45BUn giorno credi (gigidagostino.com)8:51Disc 2CL'amour toujours (gigidagostino.com)8:35DMusikakeparla6:55", all in the years 1999 and 2000. The hookline of "L'Amour toujours" was also used for the 2018 hit game remix/mashup "In My Mind×In My Mind2017 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1In My Mind3:05".

Early life and education

Born in Turin, Italy, on 17 December 1967, to parents from Salerno, Campania, D'Agostino spent his childhood between Turin and Brescia, where the Media Records studios are located. As a child, D'Agostino wanted to be someone in the world of disco music. Starting out by working as a stonemason and a fitter, he began his musical career as a DJ by organizing parties in clubs. His debut was in a club near Turin called "Woodstock". He also worked in a small club called Palladio in Cascinette d'Ivrea (30 km north of Turin) from 1987 until around 1992 and in a club called Le Palace in the Valentino Castle Garden in Turin. He was a resident DJ of the Italian disco Ultimo Impero from 1993 to 1998.

1990s

D'Agostino's first release was Noise Maker Theme, a double-A-sided record with a track by Daniele Gas on the other side, which launched the Noise Maker label, under the direction of Italo house producer Gianfranco Bortolotti. D'Agostino would continue working with Gas, as well as Mauro Picotto's production team in the following years. As a DJ, D'Agostino is known as one of the "pioneers of Mediterranean Progressive Dance", consisting of minimalistic sounds and Latin and Mediterranean melodies. As a record producer, D'Agostino uses the pseudonym "Gigi Dag"; he transforms a piece, originally destined for the discos, into a success for the mainstream public.
After successes like the track "Sweetly×Sweetly1995 · EPSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracksASweetly (Ipotetic version)8:20B1Happily (sotto la doccia mix)8:20B2This Song Tears Easily (mi tiro su la cerniera mix)6:36", he joined the team of Bortolotti, the general manager of Media Records and suddenly reached the top of the hit parades. His single "FLY", published in 1996 with BXR Noise Maker, the label created by Media Records for Mediterranean progressive house, reached the top of the sales in Italy. This was followed by his single "Gigi's Violin".
Subsequently, D'Agostino released the song "Angel's Symphony×Angel's Symphony15 July 1996 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 6 tracks1Angel's Symphony (Simon Sadler edit)3:382Angel's Symphony (Universal FM mix)5:033Angel's Symphony (Mediterranean mix)7:234Angel's Symphony (Plastic mix)5:105Angel's Symphony (Tranxacid mix)5:556Angel's Symphony (Club Mediterranean mix)9:12" with R.A.F. by Mauro Picotto, a friend from Media Records. His biggest project was the self-titled debut album Gigi D'Agostino, consisting of 19 tracks, which sold over 60,000 copies.
After his rise to success, D'Agostino's musical style changed, with his sound becoming more melodic, at midway between house and progressive, with more energetic and melodious sonorities and less obsessive rhythms, also known as Italo dance.
In 1997, he released the single "Gin Lemon×Gin Lemon1997 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 5 tracks1Gin Lemon (radio edit)3:512Gin Lemon (More Gin Lemon)6:283Gin Lemon5:504Gin Lemon (Dub Gin Lemon)6:315Gin Lemon (Picotto mix)5:19", followed by "Your Love (Elisir)" (1998), "Cuba Libre×Cuba Libre10 July 1998 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksACuba Libre (Vedi This Side mix)7:19BCuba Libre (Quasiugualeall'altra mix)7:12" (1998), and "Bla Bla Bla×Bla Bla Bla1999 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Bla Bla Bla (radio cut)3:162Bla Bla Bla (abbentenza mix)6:583Voyage (africanismo mix)17:41" (1999). He later released the album Eurodance Compilation, which contained five unpublished tracks. With this compilation, he earned a platinum disc and was awarded "Best Producer in 1999" at the Italian Dance Awards. In October, D'Agostino released another hit single, entitled "Another Way×Another Way15 June 2000 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Another Way (radio edit)3:452Another Way (club mix)7:41".
In 1999, his album L'Amour toujours×L'amour toujours2001 · EPSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks · 2 discsDisc 1AL'amour toujours (l'amour vision)8:45BUn giorno credi (gigidagostino.com)8:51Disc 2CL'amour toujours (gigidagostino.com)8:35DMusikakeparla6:55 (released in 2001 in the United States) included 23 tracks on two CDs, with the hit song "L'Amour toujours" bringing him to the 10th position in the sales parade in Italy; as a result, he earned another Platinum Disc. His 1999 single "Bla Bla Bla" became a major hit in Europe. He described the single as "a piece I wrote thinking of all the people who talk and talk without saying anything!"

2000s

In 2000, his remake of the Nik Kershaw song "The Riddle×The Riddle1999 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1The Riddle (Video Mix)3:242The Riddle (Single Cut)3:203The Riddle (Original Mix)4:434The Riddle (Original Longer Mix)6:11" sold 1,000,000 copies in Germany and 200,000 copies in France. He also released the albums Tecno Fes×Tecno Fes2000 · EPSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 8 tracks1L'amour toujours (Tanzen vision remix)6:582Campane3:383La danse (Tanzen vision remix)6:154Another Way (Tanzen vision remix)6:155La marche electronique6:016Spostamento5:057Your Love (Elisir) (In F.M. mix)5:348Another Way (video)3:31 (August 2000) and Tecno Fes - EP, Vol. 2 (December 2000).
In 2001, he released L'Amour toujours EP, consisting of three songs: two new versions of "L'amour Toujours×L'amour toujours2001 · EPSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks · 2 discsDisc 1AL'amour toujours (l'amour vision)8:45BUn giorno credi (gigidagostino.com)8:51Disc 2CL'amour toujours (gigidagostino.com)8:35DMusikakeparla6:55" and "Un giorno credi", a single made in collaboration with Edoardo Bennato. "Un giorno credi" reached the top of the parades in Italy and became one of the most played songs in the national and international music networks. He was also awarded "Best DJ-Producer of the Year" at the "Red Bull Awards" in Italy.
In 2001, he also released the hit "Super×Super15 December 2000 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Super (riscaldamento radio version)3:242Super (rassodante)8:12", as a result of a collaboration with Albertino (an Italian music artist), which won him the awards "Best Dance Producer" at the PIM (Italian Music Award) and "Public Award" at the Danish DJs Award in Copenhagen, Denmark. In December of that year, he released Il grande viaggio, a compilation of his favourite songs, including old electronic pieces and new rhythms and melodies. As a result, he was awarded "Best Dance Producer" at the Italian Dance Awards.
In 2003, he released the song "Ripassa" in the EP Underconstruction 1: Silence×Silence2003 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 5 tracks1Silence (video mix)3:382Silence (club edit)3:193Silence (original radio)3:384Silence (club mix)6:235Silence (Vision 2)6:15, a hit which is very important for his next productions. This song helped influence Lento Violento, a subgenre that had yet to be distinguished.
On 15 July 2004, his compilation "Euro Dance" won Platinum certification with 120,000 copies sold in just a few weeks.

In December 2004, D'Agostino released his fourth studio album, L'Amour toujours II.D'Agostino has played in some well-known clubs throughout Europe, including in Italy, Spain, France, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Germany, Switzerland, and England (in 1996, he played at the Ministry of Sound in London with Mauro Picotto).
In 2006, he created his own new record label called "Noisemaker Hard" to differentiate the style of music released under his older record label, "Noisemaker".
In 2007, D'Agostino released Lento Violento ...e altre storie, a compilation which contains two CDs and his new 35 Lento Violento songs. Most important "hits" of the album are "Cammino" (a collaboration with Dimitri Mazza) and "Vorrei Fare una Canzone" (a collaboration with Gerolamo Sacco) according to YouTube views.
After some months, he released the compilation La musica che pesta under the name "Lento Violento Man", which contains two CDs for a total of 38 unmixed tracks.
From 2005 until January 2010, he had radio programmes on the Italian Radio m2o Musica allo Stato Puro (in English: "Music at the Pure State"), called "Il Cammino di Gigi D'Agostino" and "Quello che mi piace ". They consist of DJ sets played by Gigi, featuring new remixes of his songs and songs by Italian and international artists.

2010s

In August 2011, he released the digital single "Stay With Me×Stay With Me1 August 2011 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Stay With Me (Gigi D’Agostino Machine version)3:18". This was released a few months after he postponed the release of his upcoming album Mondo Reale.
In May 2017, CBC News reported that his music is popular in the remote Canadian Inuit community of Arviat, where D'Agostino's "slicing, bass-heavy beats have a lot in common with the music of traditional Inuit drum-dancing."
In 2018, along with Dynoro, Gigi released "In My Mind×In My Mind2017 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1In My Mind3:05", which became an international hit.

Logo

Starting with his 1999 release "Bla Bla Bla×Bla Bla Bla1999 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Bla Bla Bla (radio cut)3:162Bla Bla Bla (abbentenza mix)6:583Voyage (africanismo mix)17:41", many of D'Agostino's album covers have featured a logo consisting of the Japanese Kanji 舞 meaning "dance". He has also used forms of his name written in katakana, [ジージーダグ] (Jījī Dagu) and [ジージーダゴスティーノ] (Jījī Dagosutīno), on several album covers.

Compilations

A Journey into Space (1996)
Le Voyage Estate (1996)
The Greatest Hits (1996) (best-of album)
Progressiva (1996)
Progressiva Hyperspace (1997)
Il grande viaggio di Gigi D'Agostino Vol. 1 (2001)
Il programmino di Gigi D'agostino (2003)
Live at Altromondo (2003)
Benessere 1 (2004)
At Altromondo Part II (2004)
Laboratorio 1 (2004)
Movimenti incoerenti Vol. 1 (2005)
Movimenti incoerenti Vol. 2 (2005)
Movimenti incoerenti Vol. 3 (2005)
Laboratorio 2 (2005)
Laboratorio 3 (2005)
Disco Tanz (2005)
Some Experiments (2006)
Lento Violento ...e altre storie (2007)
La musica che pesta (as Lento Violento Man) (2007)
Suono libero (2008)
The Essential Gigi D'Agostino (2009) (Austria and Germany only) (best-of album)
Ieri & oggi mix Vol. 1 (2010)
Ieri & oggi mix Vol. 2 (2010)
Gigi D'Agostino Collection Vol. 1 (2019)
Gigi D'Agostino Collection Vol. 2 (2019)