Before becoming recognized as an influential figure in ambient music, Gigi Masin was working for the Italian postal service. In 1986, he privately released Wind, his first album, choosing to share it mainly with friends and audiences at his intimate performances rather than pursue a commercial distribution. Much of the remaining vinyl disappeared when a flood destroyed his Venetian home. The album’s origins went back to Masin’s years as a local radio DJ, when he used the station’s equipment to experiment with reversed records, altered playback speeds, overlapping tracks, and improvised sound effects. His fascination with these techniques, together with his love of artists such as Weather Report and Gustav Mahler, eventually shaped the distinctive world of Wind.

Although Masin was unfamiliar with the word “ambient” at the time, the album anticipated many of the style’s defining qualities. Its delicate piano passages, restrained synthesizers, and melancholic jazz textures create an immersive atmosphere that demands attention rather than simply filling the background. The recordings were made in a studio beside a Venetian canal, and the sounds of boats passing outside often became part of Masin’s creative environment. He was also supported by Alessandro Monti, who served as producer, bassist, and arranger, along with trumpeter Massimo Dona and tenor saxophonist Marco Barel. Combining bowed guitar, tape, voice, and electronics, Wind moves between warmth and fragility, with echoes of Talk Talk’s Spirit of Eden and The Blue Nile’s A Walk Across the Rooftops.

For decades, Wind remained largely unknown outside Masin’s immediate circle. That changed in 2014, when the Music From Memory label released Talk To The Sea, an anthology that introduced his work to a much wider audience. The response transformed Masin’s career, turning him into a respected elder figure within the growing Balearic movement. As his compositions began appearing in samples used by artists including Björk and the Black Eyed Peas, Masin returned to the studio and resumed releasing new music under his own name.