April 22, 2025 |
Aside from the clothes, the first thing you remember from a legendary fashion show is its soundtrack. Inside 10 Magazine Issue 74, we spotlight 10 musicians and sound engineers who are adept in masterminding catwalk scores that have gone on to become certified fashion moments in their own right. Next up, ADC303 aka Ugo Nardini.
Fashion lovers know Nardini for the artistic sound direction he provides for shows by Rei Kawakubo, also collaborating with Dover Street Market Paris. He co-founded FTMA, a festival dedicated to sound and visual arts alongside Stéphane de Saint Louvent and is currently focused on completing the album he’s been meticulously crafting over the past few years.
Ugo wears top by FRAGILE OSAKA X ADC303 X SOFIYA LORIASHVILI
How do you describe your work?
It spans various projects, including composing music for films, creating sound installations, crafting performances, curating and programming, and developing compositions for other artists. I’m intentional about what I take on, choosing only those that deeply resonate with me. A significant part of my work involves consulting and leading the musical artistic direction for brands and creative ventures, from organising shows to shaping the musical identity of venues. I’m also deeply passionate about live performances and sonic experimentation. I approach sound as a sculptor approaches their material, treating it as a medium for experimentation and discovery.
Who have you worked with?
I compose and provide artistic sound direction for Rei Kawakubo and Victor Weinsanto. I also co-founded 3537, a politics organisation, with my best friend Romain Eugène Campens. I’ve worked with brands like Airei and Vincent Pressiat and have also developed projects in Japan with inspiring partners across Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. What does music bring to a fashion show? It serves as a bridge between the heart and mind, a framework that shapes interpretation of a moment. Music conveys powerful emotions: it draws us in, captivates us and transports us. It can quicken the heartbeat, make feet tap or touch the deepest parts of the self. Music is omnipresent, like the ambient noise and sounds that punctuate our daily lives and sharpen our perceptions.
What’s your approach to creating a fashion show soundtrack?
I enjoy surprising, even disorienting, by always proposing the unimaginable, the impossible, or the seemingly irrelevant. I wouldn’t say I follow a specific approach or rigid process. Each soundtrack begins with a conversation, sometimes just a single word. It’s through these exchanges that I immerse myself in the artistic direction of the show. For instance, with Victor, our conversations dive into his life, current state, doubts and fears. I extract what he seeks to convey through his collection. Once I understand these elements, I dive into the research phase. My goal is to translate the soul of the show and its artistic director into sound, forming a harmonious, unified whole. Before even thinking about the music, I establish a framework – context, objectives and intent. From there, my personal touch comes into play. I love to defy expectations.
How do you work with a designer?
I need genuine human connection. I’m a warm, tactile person and I find it almost impossible to work with a designer whose intention or gesture I haven’t fully understood. By ‘gesture,’ I mean their artistic, political, or – as I like to say – ‘pirate’ expression: the ability to create beyond convention, beyond rules.
Which tracks or artists have you used the most?
I’m inspired by Aphex Twin, Boards of Canada, Ryuichi Sakamoto, John Cage and others who revolutionised music and sparked my own desire to compose. That said, I strive never to repeat myself or reuse the same ideas. Each composition I create is unique, adapting to the story being told. Just as every show, designer and collection is distinct, our role as musicians is to create the rhythm that allows the collection to resonate. This demands discipline, love and time.
What music genres define you?
I can’t confine myself to any particular genre. My tastes are eclectic and I compose with complete freedom, free from musical constraints. To me, musical curiosity and openness should remain boundless.
What’s one fashion show you wish you’d created the soundtrack for?
I’ve already lived that dream with Comme des Garçons. They entrusted me with the sound direction for the Homme Plus SS24 show, where I performed live with my modular synthesiser. Thanks to the collaboration with William Russell and the Monom Studio team, the spatialised sound system brought the performance to life. I played with deconstructed compositions. It may have seemed improvised, but that’s what I call momentum.
Which designer has the best musical taste?
Without hesitation, Rei Kawakubo. Her unparalleled creativity never fails to impress me. I would also like to highlight Sabisha Friedberg, whose immense talent and soul inspires me.
Taken from 10 Magazine Issue 74 – MUSIC, TALENT, CREATIVE – on newsstands now. Order your copy here.
THE MUSIC MAKERS
Creative Editor GARTH ALLDAY SPENCER
Text PAUL TONER
Portrait FRANCESC PLANES
