The musical duo Hiver is the story of a friendship, a true “match made in heaven”. Fonds of echoing hypnotic melodies and haunting rhythms, Milanese Giuseppe Albrizio and Sergio Caio have given form to Hiver in 2012. They’ve been described in some features as complementary: a sound designer partnering with a sound engineer, writing and producing together. Surprisingly enough, both men grew up miles from each other, not knowing their future partner was so close all this time.

Juno Plus called their production work “the middle ground between US and European electronic music”. As you’ll discover in this in-depth interview, Giuseppe and Sergio still carry their Italian roots with pride, whether they’re playing their hometown or touring the world. The two musicians just seem to adore Milan, and also gave us some awesome recommendations about their city and its daily life.

Here’s to this fantastic collaboration, in which everything seems to be in its right (and banging) place!

ES: Your story as Hiver only started years later in Milan, with your debut release in 2012. How did you meet, and realized you could create this unique synergy as a musical duo?

HIVER: We met about 8 years ago thanks to a mutual friend. He had a vision that somehow our two personalities could be compatible. And they actually were. We started working together, firstly listening to some music, before starting to jam at home, making beats just following the flow. We never realized we could have such a synergy at that time. But after producing some music, we realized we had more things in common than we expected. And so began our journey towards what we are today.

Check Hiver‘s tracks below:

ES: What would you say your biggest influences are (genres, artists)? Do you consider Italy and its musical references and club life as an important part of your musical identity and construction?

HIVER: Italy and especially the club scene in Milan played a fairly pivotal role at the beginning of our career as DJs and producers. Thanks to the establishment of “Dude Club”, we immediately started to get in touch with DJs and producers from all over the world. This movement allowed us to get to grips with the major artists of the scene, and consequently improve ourselves over time. In the past years, things have changed a lot. We believe the Italian scene still plays an important role in defining who we are.

ES: Every month, you are the curators and performers of the Dreamachine night at the Tempio del Futuro Perduto in Milan. Could you tell us what this monthly rendez-vous is all about?

HIVER: After many years spent playing around and being resident DJs, we decided to look further and started to build something of our own. We felt the need to build our identity within the electronic scene. From this need was born “Dreamachine“, which aims at bringing those who have been – and still are – the artists we respect and appreciate to Milan. We started this project with other guys who share our vision, and the beginning was really impressive. We decided to move to a new location called “Temple of the Lost Future” that embodies the values we have always sought in the scene.

ES: You guys spent some time in Taipei and Hong Kong in March. Can you tell us more about your time there? How would you describe your performances at SOMA and Social Room (with Ocean Lam and Taku Hirayama) compared to when you play at home?

HIVER: Every time we play far from home remains a unique experience. We always deal with the kind of audience or culture we are facing. Over the years, we’ve learned to respect and appreciate every type of audience. Obviously, however, we cannot hide the fact that audiences in Taipei and Hong Kong are among our favorites.

The experience in Taipei with the guys of “Soma” was really impressive. We met so many people and each of them made us feel good. About Hong Kong, we can say that Ocean and Taku are two of the most esteemed and appreciated local DJs. They managed to create something unique in Hong Kong. We’ve been to HK on our first Asian Tour in 2017, and since then we feel that a great connection has been established with the guys. We are happy about this friendship that goes beyond the party.

ES: You’re based in Milan, Italy. Besides being beautiful, this city must be filled with hidden treasures. We would love for you to give us a tour through a short series of questions, some of our readers might want to make the most of their time there! What place would you recommend…

→ To go see some art when it’s raining outside?
HIVER: Fondazione Prada and Hangar Bicocca. Both are incredible places with beautiful art and amazing exhibitions.

Fondazione Prada

Hangar Bicocca

→ To spend some time walking on your own with some music?
HIVER: For sure one of the best parks in Milan is Parco Sempione. It is a relaxing place, and at the same time full of greenery where you can rediscover yourself.

Parco Sempione

→ To spend a night partying to great music and sharing deep vibes? HIVER: We could be biased but at the moment “Tempio Del Futuro Perduto” is the one. We had the last party on the 4th with Claro Intelecto & Alan Bacdrop and it was amazing.

Tempio Del Futuro Perduto

ES: As always, we really enjoy receiving some recommendations from artists such as you with another series of questions about what you love!

→ Who were your latest musical highlights? What songs or albums are currently on rotation in your speakers?
HIVER: For sure the latest album from Efdemin on Ostgut Ton [featured in our second New Music Round Up]. It’s a piece of art, and is redefining the electronic music in some way. Then there’s also the latest album (“Song For Alpha”) from Daniel Avery. We love his way to intend electronic and techno music nowadays.

→ Any TV show or movie you’ve seen lately and you think everyone should have seen?
HIVER: One of the best things that ever happened to Netflix is “The O.A.”. We love the way Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij speak about certain concepts and philosophies.

→ If you could see any artist or band – dead or alive – live, who would you pick?
HIVER: That’s easy. The first would be Tangerine Dream!

→ Apart from Milan, what are the favorite venues you’ve played and attended as guests?
HIVER: We have a lot of favorites venues. For sure the one that deserves a mention is “Polifonic” that is gonna happen again this summer in our homeland. Then for sure the ones in which we played in Asia like Social Room, Soma, T.A.G. in Chengdu. Another place that we really love is “Gare” in Porto.

ES: What should we expect from Hiver in the months to come? Are you currently working on new material? Or other shows apart from your performances in Italy?

HIVER: We have some plans for the future. While we’re speaking here, a new track (“Pert”) from us is out on the iconic !K7 Label. It’s a track included in the new DJ-Kicks curated by Peggy Gou, a good friend of ours. We have also a featured EP with an artist and friend that we appreciate and respect a lot that is Z.I.P.P.O.. The EP will be out this summer and it will be a different thing from the music we released so far. Then we’re working hard on new stuff and planning some tours in places we’ve never been.

ES: Once again, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. See you in Milan!

You can follow Hiver on Facebook, Instagram and Soundcloud.