Meet Loki, the musical maestro behind Gucci’s new era of sound Womenswear

Though we may feel like we’re meeting Loki for the first time, this is merely a reintroduction. For the past decade, the artist formerly known as BFRND has been behind some of fashion’s most dystopian runway soundtracks, having cut his teeth in the goth and metal underground of southern France. As BFRND, the artist alchemised industrial noise and pounding electronics for Demna’s runway shows at Balenciaga, a sound that became so synonymous with the house that, when he followed the designer to Gucci, he found himself wanting to wipe the slate clean. “I had to unlearn a lot of the instincts that had defined my sound until now,” the new Gucci music director tells Dazed, having changed his name to Loki just days after Demna’s final Balenciaga runway.

While he’s not abandoning the industrial sound of his past, Loki is keen to separate it from the musical identity he’s creating for Gucci. “My goal with Gucci is to create a unique identity rather than repeating the language people already associate with me,” he explains. “I’m writing a new book, not a new chapter.”

At Gucci’s The Store – its SS27 collection shown last week in Milan – that ambition took shape in his first original soundtrack for the house, with the breezy rhythms of Brazilian bossa nova and a slow-burning tango spilling from the speakers as models moved through the fictional storefront.

Below, we talk to Loki about creating Gucci’s new sound, working with Demna, and the underground scenes that continue to shape him.

Hey Loki – what does Gucci sound like to you right now?

Loki: The Gucci sound is very stylish, even when it’s fun. It’s sexy but assertive. The sound of Gucci is not defined by genre; it’s a point of view.

What did Demna tell you about the mood or world he wanted to create with the music?

Loki: For the men’s part, he wanted something fun and unexpected, something that doesn’t necessarily sound like Loki at first, but after a moment you connect with the energy and realise what is happening. For the women’s, he was very specific about wanting something sensual that keeps building, almost like an endless crescendo.

Can you tell us a bit about your creative process when working with Demna on the Gucci show music?

Loki: Our process starts very early, usually around six months before the show. Demna shows me his research, and we brainstorm about the collection, the set, the music and the atmosphere. From there, I compose alone, but everything happening around the collection informs the soundtrack: the styling, the casting, the attitude, the light. I usually have videos of the looks running in my software while I work, so I can picture specific moments of the show.

“When do I know a show soundtrack is finished?

When Demna says he is happy”

Does the soundtrack always reinforce what we’re seeing, or do you sometimes want it to work in opposition to the collection?

Loki: I usually avoid being too literal, but reinforcing what you see is very important. The music helps connect the dots between the collection, the set, the casting and the attitude. It doesn’t need to describe exactly what is happening on the runway, but it needs to make the entire world feel connected.

When do you know a show soundtrack is finished?

Loki: When Demna says he is happy.

What did you want to leave behind with BFRND, and what has inevitably stayed with you?

Loki: I’m leaving behind the dystopian and overly conceptual sound. What inevitably follows me is the desire to trigger emotion, to bring people on a journey and to show an assertive point of view. The language can completely change, but that intention stays.

What tracks do you have on rotation right now?

Loki: For the past two days, I’ve been listening to “Tokyo” by Nico Rubio. It’s the kind of song you listen to once and then it stays in your head for two weeks.

You found community in goth and metal subcultures growing up. Where do you find that same sense of discovery now?

Loki: I don’t think I can ever find exactly the same feeling I had when I discovered the goth community, but I go to a lot of hyperpop and rave events in LA now, and the community is amazingly kind, accepting and eccentric. It makes me feel free to be myself, and it pushes me to come out of my shell and put some lipstick on.