Order in Chaos: Enrico Sangiuliano & Vito Gatto Explore the Art of Controlled Disorder

Order In Chaos is described as a triptych exploring tension, release, and dissolution. How did you approach structuring the EP around these ideas?
Enrico: It started with the idea of exploring disorder in a musical form. I talked to Vito about the concept and we started exploring some possibilities. Everything came together quite organically. We met in Milan, recorded his strings in the studio and processed my drums. We didn’t sit down and plan a triptych, it just unfolded that way with the material that we accumulated. The tension, the release, the dissolution… that’s the natural cycle of both music and life, right? When Vito and I began exchanging sounds, we weren’t aiming for a club EP or an experimental piece, it was more like letting emotions shape the structure.

Looking back, I think Order in Chaos was a natural evolution and kind of an unavoidable chapter in the whole NINETOZERO journey. It felt destined to appear somewhere in the 9 to 0 path, and Chapter 1 was the perfect moment to drop it, right before everything dissolves. I’m honestly very excited about it. It’s like reaching that point in a story where everything gets off grid but also makes total sense.

The title suggests a balance between control and unpredictability. How did that theme influence your creative and production choices?
Enrico & Vito: We’ve always been fascinated by the idea that chaos isn’t the opposite of order. It’s actually part of it. When you make music, especially electronic music, there’s always this battle between control and surrender. You tweak things endlessly, but the magic often comes when you stop controlling and let the sound lead you somewhere unexpected. So for this EP, I tried to be more spontaneous. We used unquantized drums, free-flowing violin takes, and we didn’t correct all imperfections, we actually celebrated them. The idea was to let chaos speak, and then shape order out of it without killing its energy.

This is the penultimate release in the self-destructing NINETOZERO countdown. Did that finite framework shape the music or add pressure in any way?
Enrico: Yeah, definitely. Every time I approach a new chapter, I feel the weight of it being part of this disappearing story. But on top of the genuine pressure of the countdown, it gives me freedom. There’s no long-term strategy, no label politics, just this awareness that this whole thing is temporary. Every chapter gets finalised right before its release, to anchor each exploration to the present moment in time. Order in Chaos being the second to last makes it even more symbolic. We’re right before the end, and chaos naturally precedes transformation. It felt right to explore that space before closing the cycle.

How does this EP differ from your previous NINETOZERO releases, both in sound and concept?
Enrico: I think this one is the most hybrid so far. It’s not just techno, not just experimental, not classical: it’s all of that blending and melting. The collaboration with Vito opened new textures. He comes from a classical and electro-acoustic world, and that pushed me to explore different dynamics, subtleties, and imperfections. It’s less about perfection and more about expression. Every NINETOZERO release has been like a chapter of evolution, and this one feels like the moment where everything starts breaking down in a beautiful way.

Were there any “happy accidents” during production that ended up defining a track or moment on the EP?
A lot! (laughs) The whole first track, “Adaptation for Strings and 909”, is basically a happy accident. Vito gave me his beautiful strings session, very emotional and dramatic, and I just threw and processed some unquantized 909 drums underneath it. No grid, no BPM, no structure. I thought, “Okay, let’s see where this goes.” And somehow it just worked. It’s the purest approach from both our backgrounds. Vito brings in the strings, I bring in the drums. It sounds human, imperfect, and alive. Massively cinematic. Those moments remind me why I love making music, when you stop thinking and start feeling and you can’t explain how something just happened! I’m super proud of this work.

Tracks 1 and 3 feature Vito’s violin. How did you decide how electronic and acoustic elements would interact?
Enrico & Vito: We didn’t overthink it, honestly. It was more like a conversation between two worlds, strings and machines. Sometimes Enrico would shape the synths to mimic the emotion of the strings; other times Vito would process his violin so much that it sounded electronic and unrecognizable. It became a dialogue between nature and technology, which we find fascinating and necessary.

Did you manipulate the violin parts heavily, or were they mostly preserved in their natural form?
Vito: Both. Some moments are very raw, you can feel the bow, the breath, the tension; others are almost unrecognizable. I love the contrast. It’s like showing both sides of the same energy: one organic, one synthetic. The idea was not to hide the origin of the sound, but to let it evolve into something else.

Was there a particular moment in your collaboration where the combination of techno and violin surprised you or took the music in an unexpected direction?
Enrico & Vito: Yeah, when we were working on “Dissolution.” That track started from processed field recordings and strings, and it slowly evolved into this infinite, weightless space. It’s not even a song anymore, it’s like an atmosphere. That’s when we realized how powerful it can be when two people from different musical worlds just let go of their rules. We didn’t plan to end without drums, but it just made sense. It was the perfect dissolution, both musically and conceptually.

How do you approach balancing the dancefloor energy of your techno with more abstract or emotional textures in a track?
Enrico: That’s the eternal question! (laughs) I think it’s all about balance and ideas. For me, the emotional part doesn’t have to be a melody, it can be tension, texture, or even silence. I always try to keep a pulse, but not everything needs to be functional. Some parts are made to stimulate the body, some to stimulate the mind, or to make you think!

Are there production techniques, synths, or tools on this EP that were new for you or that pushed your sound forward?
Enrico & Vito: We worked a lot with modular gear and some electro-acoustic processing, especially for manipulating Vito’s recordings. Also, a lot of layering between analog and digital — like using the warmth of the 909 and then running it through granular processing. What pushed us forward wasn’t necessarily a new tool, but a new mindset: being okay with disorder, and trusting that it would lead somewhere meaningful. Embrace chaos.

Translating Order In Chaos into a live context could be challenging. How do you plan to present these tracks in a set?
Enrico: I can totally see myself playing “Adaptation for Strings and 909” during one of my all nighters to create a moment of intensity and epicness. Order In Chaos was born with the dancefloor in mind and it’s been a highlight of my sets lately. With its explosive drive, the crowd goes nuts. While “Dissolution” will likely appear as a layer on top of beats to shape something new and in the moment during a set, and of course as a great standalone drone to start or end a night.

Did you make any specific choices with the vinyl release in mind—track order, dynamics, or overall flow?
Enrico & Vito: This whole release has its own logic above any format. Listening to vinyl front to back though, it forces you to slow down and really enter the story. The physical record brings you closer and gives you an object that transcends time and the end of NINETOZERO. The A-side is more about tension and rhythm, the B-side about release and space.

What do you hope listeners feel or experience when they play the EP from start to finish?
Enrico & Vito: We hope they feel movement, not necessarily on a physical level, but emotional. We want them to feel that moment when confusion turns into clarity, or when you stop fighting chaos and start dancing with it. That’s the essence of it: you don’t control life, you flow with it. Furthermore, we hope that this listening experience is perceived as a sonic journey, guided by unpredictability, so also they can embrace chaos, and find their own order in it.

With the final NINETOZERO release coming next, how do you see Order In Chaos fitting into the overall story of the countdown?
Enrico: It’s the moment before the end, the turbulence before silence. Every chapter has explored a different phase of existence, and this one represents the collapse and reorganization that happens before everything resets. It’s intense, but it’s also necessary. You can’t have renewal without chaos. This chapter is about embracing that moment.

Does this EP open new directions for either of you in terms of sound, collaborations, or future projects?
Enrico: For sure. Working with Vito opens a whole new world of possibilities. I’m really interested in exploring this hybrid space further - between acoustic, electronic, and conceptual music. I think techno still has so much to say outside of the club context. And who knows, maybe the next (and last!) chapter will dissolve even more boundaries. I like to surprise myself first.

What advice would you give to producers looking to merge classical/acoustic elements with electronic music without losing the energy of either?
Enrico: Don’t overthink it. Let the instruments talk to each other naturally. Don’t treat the acoustic element as decoration, treat it as a voice. And above all, don’t quantize everything. Perfection kills emotion. Embrace the imperfections, that’s where the human part lives.
Vito: Exploring the world of contemporary and experimental electroacoustic music can open your mind to unexpected ideas and techniques. Take that new knowledge and bring it to the club - or even a free party - and experience how it feels physically, merging both worlds. Then also remember to embrace simplicity, never lose the focus of communicating an idea, a story, a vision, and however profound it may be, do it lightly, have fun, embrace failure and restart, be surprised, trying to inspire in turn curiosity and desire to research on other people. Be brave, personal, and enjoy the process.