Cataldo Cappiello, an Italian composer, guitarist, and producer now based in the UK, boasts a rich musical journey with seven studio albums, five EPs, and over 25 singles. His work spans multiple esteemed studios, including Fade In Studio and Black Eight Studios. Cataldo’s music defies genre boundaries, reflecting his life’s diverse phases and deep emotions. His releases with labels like Lofi Bloom and Chillhop Lofi showcase this versatility. Notable collaborations include Benzyh, Chloe Edgecombe, and Vera Clinco. Cataldo’s limitless approach to music makes his compositions as expansive and profound as the sky, continually evolving and resonating with a broad audience.
From the very first notes of Cataldo Cappiello’s new track “Taiga,” I was immersed in a rich sonic landscape of emotion. The melancholic piano melody, paired with delicate atmospheric synths, tugs at the heartstrings.
What astounds me is how an instrumental alone can convey such profound feelings – I heard pain, angst, vulnerability, but also glimpses of determination. Cataldo Cappiello has a true gift for coaxing so much visceral expression from his arrangements.
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About halfway through, the piece takes on a cinematic twist that gave me goosebumps. It widens the scope into a sweeping epic while retaining the rawness of the origins. I was captivated, transported somewhere deep yet expansive. Another peak arrives around the 3:27 mark that raised chills across my skin. Where some music exists solely in a single dimension, “Taiga” invites the listener on a journey through multiple emotional planes.
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Above all, it’s a testament to the power of instrumental storytelling at its finest. Cataldo Cappiello moves with masterful grace between light and dark, joy and melancholy. From start to finish, “Taiga” leaves a lasting impression through its tender yet impactful soundscape. It will resonate long after the final notes fade.
We recently had an opportunity to have a chat with Cataldo Cappiello about his new song and beyond. Read on to know more.
Q: Hey Cataldo Cappiello! Congratulations on your new single “Taiga.” The track conjures such vivid imagery and emotion for a listener without lyrics. What was your creative process like in crafting “Taiga”?
A: Hello, Sinusoidal Music, and thank you for this beautiful opportunity! While making “Taiga”, I was going through a complicated and painful moment in my life, which left me yearning for a freedom only music can make me feel – “Taiga” has been my escape route, and I hope it can be the same for my listeners, whether they’re going through something, or they just yearn for a way out of their own routine. As my collaboration with Don’t Stop Studio keeps getting more and more refined and advanced, new challenges arise during the choice of the source sounds. Many lessons were learned, that’s for sure. Anyway, by the time we were done working on Taiga, we were absolutely exhausted, but we had a big smile on our faces, as we realised we had made our best mix+master to date.
Q: I am very intrigued by the title of the song. What inspired the title “Taiga”?
A: The title is referring to the Nordic biome that goes by the same name, and I think that’s just fitting, given how reminiscent this track is of other pieces of entertainment that are set in the taiga – Skyrim and Game of Thrones to name a couple. While making the song, I was picturing myself flying over a forest of pines, as the fog slowly travelled through the valleys, and stags roamed the lands. For anime fans, the title of this track is also a reference to Taiga Aisaka, main female protagonist of the “Toradora!” series.
Q: The cinematic peaks in the song were one of my favorite elements. Take us inside your mindset as a composer in crafting such impactful musical moments. What are you focusing on to achieve that type of emotional resonance?
A: My most affectionate followers know I’m a fan of Alcest, Sigur Rós, and post-rock and metal in general. Although “Taiga” uses mostly classical instruments like piano and strings, the approach of the song is very, very typically post-rock, with slow, atmospheric build-ups that culminate in emotional explosions, featuring a high number of layered sounds. My friend Ivan from Don’t Stop Studio, who knows all of my stems inside-out, likes to say that I tend to create strong climaxes by stacking instruments that are rich of frequencies in the mid-low range of the spectrum. Something that truly helped me to achieve those euphoric, explosive emotional peaks is Jacob Collier’s “Audience Choir” plugin – those recordings are just so pristine and beautiful, they really made a difference.3. The cinematic peaks in the song were one of my favorite elements. My most affectionate followers know I’m a fan of Alcest, Sigur Rós, and post-rock and metal in general. Although “Taiga” uses mostly classical instruments like piano and strings, the approach of the song is very, very typically post-rock, with slow, atmospheric build-ups that culminate in emotional explosions, featuring a high number of layered sounds. My friend Ivan from Don’t Stop Studio, who knows all of my stems inside-out, likes to say that I tend to create strong climaxes by stacking instruments that are rich of frequencies in the mid-low range of the spectrum. Something that truly helped me to achieve those euphoric, explosive emotional peaks is Jacob Collier’s “Audience Choir” plugin – those recordings are just so pristine and beautiful, they really made a difference.
Q: Your background spans many genres and styles. How did your diverse musical journey influence the sound and arc of “Taiga”?
A: Post-rock asides, I’m an avid fan of any music genre, and I listen to a lot of music everyday. “Taiga” is clearly influenced by my experience working on lo-fi beats, my early ambient experiments, and probably a lot of videogame soundtracks, and maybe even a bit of jazz here and there. Anyway, building massive climax moments has always been a passion of mine, and is a recurring feature in most of my original music.
Q: As an artist, what do you hope listeners take away from “Taiga” on an emotive or intellectual level?
A: For me, “Taiga” is about escaping and feeling free. It’s exactly halfway between an epic tale and the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi: it can be a euphoric experience, or a zen one, and it all depends on the listener. I don’t think music’s job is to communicate – rather, its mission is all about letting the listeners discover themselves, as meaning always comes from within.
Q: You’ve collaborated with many talented musicians. How has working with others shaped your solo work? What have you learned from those experiences?
A: I think the quality of my output is mature enough for me to start working as a freelance composer for video games, films and TV. So you can expect more cinematic and orchestral compositions in the future. I also want to broaden my horizons in terms of collaborations – I want to focus less on mere numbers, and more on actual meaningful interactions with brilliant musicians and beautiful people. That said, thank you so much for having me, I truly appreciate the space you’ve dedicated to me today. And thank you, everybody, for listening! Cheers!
To be a part of Cataldo Cappiello’s musical journey, you can follow him on: Instagram and Twitter
Enjoy listening to “Taiga” by Cataldo Cappiello here.
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