What do you think we can find at the address « www.superexpresso.com » ? A partner swapping club for Italian people ? A clandestine’s energy drink brand ? Or maybe the name of an heroic fantasy geek’s crew ?
Well, nothing of that kind ! Superexpresso, alias Michele Angelo is an italian designer, living in Barcelona, and known for his style that combinate handmade and numeric work. Comfortable in both illustration and typographic jobs, he appears today as a rising value of european design, with his friend Alex Trochut.
But who says Barcelona, says electronic music, a familiar universe for Michele who count in his clientbase some of the most prolific producers such as M.A.N.D.Y, or Ben Klock.
Focus.
Hi Michele, what hour is it while your answering to ours questions ?
TOO late actually.. as always.
All right, so can you quickly tell us about your career ?
I studied painting at the Fine Arts Academy, but it was pretty boring. So I moved to Milano, to study Industrial Design and Communication at Politecnico. I got my first (and only) job at Vasava, here in Barcelona, where I have been working for two years. Now I’m running my own studio, sharing a place with ex-colleagues and friends Alex Trochut and Dvein.
What pushed you to do graphic design ?
I always had an abnormal love for music, of any kind and genre, and grew up collecting records and cds. So… maybe graphic design was a way to work in a creative field related to this world. It is just later that I realized this was one the few jobs I could ever done. Another one was cook, maybe in the future, who knows.
What are your main artistics influences ?
As I say, I had an insane passion for record covers. Also, the skateboard graphics fascinated me when I was a kid. As « official » artists, they’re so many. I always admired Amedeo Modigliani, Robert Rauschenberg, and to name three, Bruno Munari who is one of my idols. The man was a real raver !
Which technics and what baking do you like the most ?
I can’t really stop drawing. Every time I need to come up with some new solutions or ideas, the pencil is the only way.
So I love drawing. Then I put everything in my computer, and keep switching between photoshop and illustrator, many steps really.
It also seems you got some love for texture, no ?
I’ve been experimenting a lot with textures lately, I love to use treatments that make the artworks more organic. I’ll be giving a masterclass for the Hugo Create project in Madrid about this theme next week.
On which kind of project do you prefer working ? Shirts ? Covers ? Posters ? Identity/logos…
No matter what kind of project I’m working on, the most important thing to me is to have the freedom to experiment and try something new, things I haven’t done before. I need to get new inspirations every time and discover that I can evolve in every job. If not, I get bored quickly. Of course I love working for music and brands, but I’d say I like every medium and client as long as it’s a stimulating job.
Like I’ve said in the introduction, you’ve worked a lot for music’s world, and particularly electronic scene… so is music essential in your creation process ?
Sure it is, no doubt. I need music like water ! And my father is the same, a total devotee. I have my technics and records here in the studio, sometimes we play and is big fun.
There are some days I arrive at work and I start to answer to million mails… so I forget to turn on the music, and maybe one hour later, when I realize, I put some tunes on and the days changes, it’s amazing. Also, it happened that after 3 hours of creative crisis, suddenly a song I like plays, and the light arrives.
How do this collaborations with labels started ? Like for example the one for the Get Physical compilation with M.A.N.D.Y ?
I went to Berlin around March for a weekend, was supposed to be on vacations but I met the guys at Get Physical and showed them some of my stuff. Ten days later they offered me to work on the Compilation artwork. I said ok. The guys are totally cool, and a very nice thing when you work with them is you speak directly with the artists, so it’s a lot more direct and easy. No agencies or art directors. It was lovely to work with them. Then Jason from AiRecords wrote an email and asked me to collaborate. Was an honor for me, I love Area Info.
What are your five top songs ?
1. all songs by Autechre – right now listening to Piezo, masterpiece.
2. KLF – Last train to Trancentral
3. Luke Slater – Love
4. Depeche Mode – Enjoy the silence
5. Pixies – Where is my mind
Your name is Superexpresso, is it because you’re a coffee addict, or more because your proud of your italian roots ?
I don’t even remember where the name comes from… I think it was when I came back from Norway, I’ve been studying there for a while. Maybe I needed to rediscover my roots.
I’m surely a coffee addict, the name reflects one of the best things of my culture. And the positive aspects in my Country haven’t been so many, lately, you know…
Was music the reason why you move to Barcelona ?
One of the reasons that made me happy to move here, yes, but not the most important.
If not why did you choose to stay in this city to work ?
Love.
Barcelona was an old school meca for street art « less now… », but have you participate to thoses crazy years when everybody was painting in the streets years ago ?
No, I’ve never been into street art. I made my own things with the sprays when I was younger, but never had a crew, I wasn’t a real writter. I didn’t really care about that.
Once I went painting with Bruno, my boss at Vasava, and it was fun. The second time it was with a friend, Luca, at La Boqueria, and luckily we had our skates cause we almost got caught by the guards. Such a losers !
What is your vision about the city nowadays ?
I’m not really living the city that much actually, not like I used to. The first years I was going out so much, every weekend, a lot. I liked the vibe, because it was totally different from Italy.
Nowadays a lot of things have changed, the cool parties with the cool photographers, the clubs closing earlier… The last year I’ve been travelling a lot, and now, Barcelona is more a sunny place where is good to ride my bike to the studio, buy super vintage records at Santa Rita and eat fish, a lot of fish. (edit: Ok, there still are good parties sometimes
If you have to summ up Barcelona in just one words what would it be ?
Sun. I know, predictable.
And artistic world in just one word ?
Challenge.
And finally I let you give the last one (word)
Boom!
Bonus question : What question wished you to hear from us, we didn’t ask ?
Q: Want some coffee ?
A: You know the answer.
Jeu de briques
Snake
Pacman
Bubble