Goldgasse, or Via dell’Oro, is a historic alley located in the village San Michele (Appiano), situated along the famous South Tyrolean Wine Road. Goldgasse is also the title of the project and the related album born from the collaboration between Mario Evangelista – a musician, composer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist for twenty years, active also in the bands Pitchtorch and The Gutbuckets, as well as in Collettivo Jambona – and Kern, a Italian real estate development company that designs and builds luxury residences, transforming forgotten places with hidden value into contemporary spaces where history and design coexist.
The Goldgasse real estate project, nearing completion, will create an exclusive renovated historic residence in the heart of San Michele. Kern doesn’t just build houses; it’s a creative factory that designs and creates living spaces. Kern Studios is its expression dedicated to music, and will lead to the creation of a record label dedicated to quality, vinyl, and the art of listening. Producing a record isn’t a detour but a natural evolution: after all, sound, too, is a space to be designed. So, Kern asked Mario Evangelista to compose and arrange music capable of depicting the Goldgasse project and its surrounding areas, close to some of the most evocative peaks of the Dolomites. Leaving him completely free. Goldgasse is the first album released by Kern Studios, to be released on October 23, 2026 on vinyl and digital.
According to Evangelista: «For many years I have wanted to get involved in writing a soundtrack. When Kern contacted me, it was a big surprise because the album commission opened up scenarios that I didn’t even think I could imagine. I composed instrumental tracks that highlighted a coherent and harmonious fusion between ancient and modern elements, as in Kern’s style. To do this, I used synthesizers, acoustic and electric guitars, electric bass, pedal harmonium, pedal steel, percussion, and so on. I wanted to insert both the acoustic and “traditional” aspect of the guitar, as always with multiple tunings, and a certain type of electronics thanks to synths and digital manipulations».
Inspiration came also from the well-known King Laurin’s legend, which explains the optical phenomenon of alpenglow (from Italian: enrosadira), that is the turning pink of the Dolomites at dawn and sunset.
Available today September 11th on all digital platforms, the lead single Laurin is dedicated to King Laurin, precisely the character from the most classic legend of the Dolomites. His imposing presence is conveyed by the rhythm of the electric guitar combined with delay, creating the sound image of his earth-shaking footsteps, while his voice is expressed by a synth line that leaves room for imagination.
Goldgasse is the furthest achievement from anything previously produced by the Italian musician active in Florence, but at the same time it is a natural maturation that represents who Mario Evangelista really is today.
