Performer
Michele “Xenomorph” Gaggia has been playing keyboard instruments since the age of five. He earned a Diploma in Organ and Composition from the J. Tomadini Conservatory of Music in Udine in 1988, followed by a Diploma (with honours) in Harpsichord from the University Mozarteum Salzburg in 1995 under Prof. Kenneth Gilbert. He has attended masterclasses in harpsichord and organ with Ton Koopman, Kenneth Gilbert, Harald Vogel, Françoise Gérard, and others.
He has performed solo recitals and chamber music concerts in Italy, Germany, Austria, and Holland, collaborating with ensembles such as the Camerata Academica (Salzburg), the Salzburger Kammerphilharmonie, and others.
Michele Gaggia began performing and programming analogue and digital synthesizers in 1985. Over the years, he has developed an extensive custom library of distinctive synthesizer patches and samples. He performs live on both synthesizers and historical keyboard instruments.
Composer | Arranger
Baroque Counterpoint and Canonic Forms
Between 1985 and 1988, Michele Gaggia studied the music of J. S. Bach intensively, with particular interest in Bach’s strict contrapuntal forms as found in the Kunst der Fuge, the Goldberg Variations, the Musical Offering, and related works. He believes that the most extraordinary aspect of Bach’s canons lies not in their complexity, but in Bach’s ability to create music of profound beauty and emotional depth while observing the strict rules of these compositional forms.
To explore the “secrets” embedded in Bach’s masterpieces, he composed Il Gioco delle Perle (The Glass Bead Game), a series of canonic variations in baroque style for organ, along with other complex choral and double‑canon works. In 1987, Il Gioco delle Perle was performed at the Norddeutsche Orgelakademie, receiving enthusiastic praise from the press.
Hybrid Textures
His solo work combines classical themes (often inspired by Bach) and complex musical forms with elements from trance, ambient, rock, pop, and jazz. The idiosyncratic sound character often leans toward hybrid textures, blending acoustic/organic and electronic/synthetic elements, frequently with a cinematic quality. Although frequently inspired by conceptual ideas, these pieces are not strictly programmatic.
Besides his solo compositions, he has arranged and composed music for documentaries, film, and video games across a wide range of musical styles. In 2019–2020, he collaborated with Walter Mair on the composition and arrangement of the dynamic soundtrack for Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time (Toys for Bob / Activision).
You can listen to a selection of compositions on the Production | Media / Music Credits page.
Producer | Sound Engineer
Michele “Xenomorph” Gaggia has been active as a music producer and sound engineer since 1992, working across a wide range of musical styles including classical, jazz, contemporary, pop, rock, electronic, folk, and ethnic genres.
Between 1991 and 1995, he studied sound engineering with Prof. Reinhard Hanel, advanced acoustics and microtonal hearing with Prof. Horst‑Peter Hesse, and composition with Prof. Alexander Mullenbach at the University Mozarteum Salzburg.
His music production company, Digital Natural Sound, was founded in Italy in 1997 and relocated to Germany in 1999. Since then, Michele Gaggia has produced hundreds of albums in numerous genres, with a particular focus on classical ensembles and orchestral productions.
Visit the Productions | Media pages for a comprehensive list of credits as producer, sound engineer and composer/arranger.
Gramophone Awards 2001 & 2008 | Reviews
His recordings have frequently been praised by the international music press for their excellent sound quality.
- The production Trevor Pinnock | J. S. Bach: Partitas I-VI won the Gramophone Award for 2001 Baroque Instrumental.
- The production Trevor Pinnock - EBE | J. S. Bach: Six Concertos for the Margrave of Brandenburg won the the Gramophone Award 2008 for Baroque Instrumental.
Please visit the Awards & Reviews page for more details.
Record Labels / Music Distribution Companies
Among his current partners:
- Deutsche Grammophon, Germany (www.deutschegrammophon.com)
- SONY Music Entertainment, Germany (www.sonymusic.de)
- Red Bull Media House, Austria (www.redbullmediahouse.com/en/)
- Oehms Classics, Germany (www.oehmsclassics.de)
- Schott Music, Germany (www.schott-music.com)
- SCM Hänssler, Germany (www.scm-haenssler.de)
- BIS Records, Sweden (bis.se)
- AVIE Records, United Kingdom (www.avierecords.com)
- Stiftung Mozarteum Salzburg, Austria (mozarteum.at)
- Arcana, Italy (www.arcana.eu)
- Urania Records, Italy (www.uraniarecords.com)
- Westermann Verlag, Germany (www.westermann.de)
He has also produced for: Ars Armonica (Spain), Essential Performance Reference (USA), Universal Music Group (Germany), Fontec (Japan), MusicaImmagine Records (Italy), Stradivarius Dulcimer / MEC Records Milano (Italy), Classic Concert Records (Austria), Trust Your Ears (Germany), Expanded Music (Italy), Brisa Entertainment (Germany), and others.
Acoustic Consultant
Michele Gaggia has extensive experience in acoustic consulting and studio design. Among the projects he has contributed to are the design and realization of the Mozarteum Medialab (2001), the specifications for the new Mozarteum recording and mixing studios (2006), and the development of the new recording and mixing studio at FH Salzburg in collaboration with WSDG (2005–2006).
He has also been responsible for the planning and design of KK Studios (Salzburg), the complete acoustic development of the AIKON Media & Technology studios in Grödig (Salzburg) in 2011–2012, and the planning and design of the PLUS Media Studio (Salzburg) in 2022.
Please visit the Acoustic Consulting & Studio Design page for more details.
New Media | University Lecturer
Michele Gaggia has been a lecturer at the Salzburg University of Applied Sciences (FH Salzburg), Department MultiMediaArt, since 2002. He currently teaches:
- Audio Introduction | Specialization
- Music Production
- Music Production 2 | Mix & Mastering
- Sound Synthesis
- Film Scoring
Additional information about these courses can be found in the FH Salzburg | MultiMediaArt section.
From 1998 to 2009, Michele Gaggia was also a lecturer at the University Mozarteum Salzburg (www.moz.ac.at). Between 2002 and 2006, he taught in the Universitätslehrgang Neue Medien.
Courses taught include:
- Music Production (Basic, Advanced)
- Mixing & Mastering
- Creative DSP & Sound Design
- Synthesizer Programming
- Web Design
- Video Editing (Basic)
Web Designer | Graphic Artist
Michele Gaggia has been active as a professional graphic and web designer since 2000, when he established XenoStyle, a company specializing in the web presentation of artists, particularly musicians. XenoStyle also created websites for several educational and artistic institutions, including LIA – Lab Inter Arts, Intermediale Künstlerische Bildung, Mozarteum Medialab, and others. He has also designed cover, inlay, and label artwork for numerous CD productions.
Please visit the Web Design | Graphic Artwork page for more information and examples of his work.