The Music Folder

In this new episode of The Music Folder, we talk to composer, producer, and electronic music pioneer Matthew Herbert, in conversation with curator and cultural producer Carlo Antonelli.

The conversation explores the role of the musician within a productive landscape shaped by unchecked capitalism, the glorification of individuality, and the loss of collective and environmentally sustainable perspectives. Herbert reflects on his relationship with sound, the evolving idea of the “musical instrument,” and the place of analog technologies in the digital era. Across the episode, he also retraces the social history and evolution of dance, techno, and house music from the unique perspective of someone who has lived through — and actively shaped — these cultures from within.

Interview by Carlo Antonelli, 27/1/2026

The Music Folder is a talk series curated by Archivio Storico Ricordi, investigating the intersection of music, memory, and arts, in collaboration with VOCE Triennale and Unione Buddhista Italiana for this episode.

In this new episode of The Music Folder, we talk to Norwegian-Mexican musical artist Carmen Villain, in conversation with architect and PhD researcher in Design Sciences Francesco Bergamo.

The conversation traces Villain’s personal approach to music production, explores her dialogue with the spaces in which she performs, her collaboration with artist Johanna Orellana, and her relationship with the Oslo music scene and the label Smalltown Supersound. Across the conversation, she reflects on how these elements shape a practice that moves fluidly between atmosphere, structure, and intuition.

Interview by Francesco Bergamo, 09/10/2025

The Music Folder is a talk series curated by Archivio Storico Ricordi, investigating the intersection of music, memory, and arts, in collaboration with Berlin Atonal for this episode.

For the 25th episode of The Music Folder, we had the pleasure of speaking with Academy Award–winning composer and multidisciplinary artist Daniel Blumberg (The Brutalist), in conversation with NTS Radio host and musicologist Francesco Fusaro.

The conversation traces how Blumberg’s recent film scores — from The Testament of Ann Lee, inspired by Shaker song recordings and books, to Gianfranco Rosi’s Below the Clouds — emerge from a network of archives, both visible and hidden: devotional melodies and nigunim, personal notebooks and sketchbooks, improvised sessions, live venues, quarries, and even the body as a living archive shaped by place. Across the conversation, he reflects on how these layers of memory inform a musical and visual practice that approaches each project as an opportunity for continual exploration and reinvention.

Interview by Francesco Fusaro, 14/01/2026

The Music Folder is a talk series curated by Archivio Storico Ricordi, investigating the intersection of music, memory, and arts.

In this new episode of The Music Folder, we talk to Robin Rimbaud, also known as Scanner, pioneering sound artist and composer, in conversation with critic and curator Marco Mancuso.

Described as a “flâneur èlectronique”, Scanner reflects on the evolution of his creative process, from early experiments with intercepted voices via radio scanners to the transformative power of collaboration. Rimbaud shares memories of meeting figures like John Cage and Merce Cunningham, and reflects on how disciplined time management allows him to pursue a vast array of projects while preserving joy and curiosity at the core of his practice.

Interview by Marco Mancuso, 09/10/2025

The Music Folder is a talk series curated by Archivio Storico Ricordi, investigating the intersection of music, memory, and arts, in collaboration with Inner_Spaces for this episode.

In this new episode of The Music Folder, we talk to James Ginzburg and Paul Purgas of Emptyset the multidisciplinary production project exploring the sonic limits of electroacoustic and computer music, in conversation with researcher Maria Teresa Soldani.

The discussion traces the duo’s interest in materiality, performance, and sound as architectural force, from their reflections on experimental media and global sound practices to their recent work Dissever, premiered at Berlin Atonal.

With a full-frequency approach to sound design and a deeply physical experience of listening, Emptyset continues to challenge how we perceive space, noise, and embodiment.

Interview by Maria Teresa Soldani, 18/08/2025

The Music Folder is a talk series, curated by Archivio Storico Ricordi, which investigates the intersection of music, memory, and arts. in collaboration with Berlin Atonal for this episode.

In this new episode of The Music Folder, we meet Valentina Magaletti — drummer, percussionist, composer — in a conversation with author Virginia W. Ricci.

The episode explores the physicality of drumming, its primal connection to the body, and its ancestral closeness to dance. Through her latest solo album A Queer Anthology of Drums, Magaletti opens a space for reimagining percussion beyond binary narratives, challenging the persistent association of drums with masculinity and affirming the instrument as a field of radical expression. We also delve into her many collaborative worlds, from the angular textures of Moin to cross-genre improvisations.

Interview by Virginia W. Ricci, 12/08/2025

The Music Folder is a talk series, curated by Archivio Storico Ricordi, which investigates the intersection of music, memory, and arts. in collaboration with Berlin Atonal for this episode.

In this new episode of our podcast series The Music Folder, we talk to Laurens von Oswald, director of the Berlin Atonal festival, in conversation with club culture activist Giuseppe Moramarco.

The conversation explores the curatorial dynamics behind a festival unique in its kind, the changing context of Berlin, the central role of the Kraftwerk venue, and whether a festival can be considered an archive of the contemporary. This episode also inaugurates a new collaboration with Berlin Atonal, which will feature further conversations with the artists of the festival.

Interview by Giuseppe Moramarco, 22/08/2025

The Music Folder is a talk series, curated by Archivio Storico Ricordi, which investigates the intersection of music, memory, and arts.

In this new episode we talk to François Bonnet, director of the Institut National de l’Audiovisuel (INA-GRM) and electronic music producer under the pseudonym Kassel Jaeger, in conversation with critic Francesco Tenaglia.

The conversation explores how an institution like INA GRM evolves to stay contemporary, fostering new communities and facing the challenges of transmitting its archival legacy. Bonnet also discusses the re-collection series and festival programming, as well as the fascinating evolution of the GRM Tools, the pioneering software suite that shaped generations of electroacoustic composers.

Interview by Francesco Tenaglia, 30/06/2025

The Music Folder is a talk series, curated by Archivio Storico Ricordi, which investigates the intersection of music, memory, and arts.

The Music Folder #19 Daniel Miller

In the new episode of our podcast series The Music Folder, we talked to Daniel Miller, the visionary founder of Mute Records, a label that has been at the forefront of electronic music for over four decades, in conversation with with NTS Radio host, musician, and musicologist Francesco Fusaro.

The conversation explores Daniel Miller’s deep connection to the evolving world of sound, from his early days in London’s independent music scene to his current collaborations with forward-thinking electronic artists. It highlights Mute’s ventures into instrument design, Miller’s passion for modular synthesis, and the creative potential of these tools. The conversation also touches on cities as cultural memory devices, with Berlin as a key example of transformation and legacy. Finally, it reflects on the evolving role of record labels in 2025 and how Mute continues to support artists in an era of increasing creative independence.

This episode was realized in partnership with INNER_SPACES and San Fedele Musica. Interview by Francesco Fusaro, 11/02/2025

The Music Folder is a talk series curated by Archivio Storico Ricordi, investigating the intersection of music, memory, and the arts.

The Music Folder #18 Mike Paradinas

In the new episode of our podcast series The Music Folder, we are delighted to host Mike Paradinas, best known as μ-Ziq, a pioneering figure in electronic music and founder of Planet Mu, in conversation with semiotician Gabriele Marino.

Paradinas reflects on the concepts of the hardcore continuum, nostalgia and tradition, his early years in the breakbeat scene, and his collaborations with Aphex Twin and Luke Vibert. He also shares insights into the challenges of running an independent label today, from navigating the shifting landscape of digital music to balancing artistic vision with the realities of the industry.

This episode was realized in partnership with INNER_SPACES and San Fedele Musica. Interview by Gabriele Marino, 04/02/2025

The Music Folder is a talk series curated by Archivio Storico Ricordi, investigating the intersection of music, memory, and the arts.