Producer, Composer, Arranger

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

A: I'm still very proud to have worked on my first solo record (I want it to remain anonymous but if you ask I'll link) that you can find on Spotify. I co-produced it and whilst the producer at the time was the technical genius and skilled guy I took care in every single aspect of the arrangements and leaning by his side I learn a lot of the technical stuff back then, things that I knew were possible but that in my vocabulary didn't have a name or a precise scheme. I was so proud of the arrangements I did that I did the unusual choice of having the vocals not as high as you'd expect from a pop record, I thought it was a real shame to bury the many instruments and phrases in favor of the vocals. Today I'd be definitely more minimal and I would serve the song and the vocals most probably but in those months I experimented a lot.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm slowly working on my solo project, it's going to be a record with italian songs. Mostly electronic pop music. I need to shift my focus from it and work on other different projects because it helps me reset my mind about my solo stuff. I'm my worst critic when it comes to my personal productions and sometimes you just got to do something else.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: As I mentioned earlier, in today's digital age, it's almost foolish to buy certain expensive hardware equipment when there are plugins that achieve the same results. I've surprised many by conducting blind tests between analog and digital, and often the reactions are awkward. Once again, in most cases it's a matter of saturation; that's basically the analog magic: the imperfection in its way of generating harmonics in things. Of course, if I had a lot of money, I might indulge in some hardware, but realistically, I believe I'd invest in increasingly powerful computers or better microphones rather than spending on rack compressors or hardware synthesizers.

Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

A: We'll definitely get where you want to go, if communication is good we'll get there sooner than you'd expect.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: the freedom it gives, it's the thing I like the most and although it's not my full time job I wish it was. It was never about the money and I don't think it'll ever be.

Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

A: that since I don't have a ton of analog gear it is automatically impossible to achieve something big and unique. Ask Joshua Jaycen what he thinks about it. Well, I'm no JJ and probably I'll never be but you know what I mean

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: I want to have extensive discussions with them about their desires, their experiences in terms of listening and skills, to understand the common goal and focus it as precisely as possible.

Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A: When I got married 8 years ago we were on a tight budget and I was looking for the wedding photographer and after extensive researches me and my wife found a 20 year old new photographer that had just entered the business along with his girlfriend. I think they had only worked for one wedding before, but me and my wife saw something in them and we decided to trust them. They did an amazing job on my wedding and after we posted their photos on our social media their business literally exploded and then went on to work on hundreds of wedding because of us and even won several important photography awards. Why am I telling you this? because sometimes you gotta trust someone and although they're not as big as you'd like they might still be what you needed all along and they also needed you to show it.

Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

A: easy, a Neumann U87, a 1176 compressor, a Roland Space Echo re-201, a Jupiter 8 and my Fender Jazzmaster

Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

A: I've always played in bands since I was a teenager until now, in 2011 I lived in NYC for 2 years for something that wasn't music related but there I found that I wanted to be a songwriter and the more I submerged myself into the producion aspect the more I liked it and it become something I love as much as making music itself. It's been a very slow process but in the recent years it has moved so much faster

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I wouldn't know, I really care about the warmth of the sounds, I like both very acid and very mellow sounds. Well, that explains it, I think my strongest ability is to mix these 2 types of sounds in a way that none prevails on the other

Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

A: Oh I'd give an organ to make something with Flying Lotus, he re-invented jazz music and I love his lo-fi and destructive approach to sound design; besides his melodies have strong roots in jazz and hip hop but they don't reference them explicitly so it almost confuses the listener and uplifts him at the same time

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Saturation, saturation everywhere, it's what makes the difference and brings life to a musical piece! and humanizing what you do, be careful with quantization because if strict it will definitely ruin your tracks

Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

A: Electronic, Pop, Singer-Songwriter, I love dark stuff too and although I haven't fully put my hands on it I'm very intrigued by techno music

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: The connection with the artist, a vast musical knowledge spanning various genres and eras, and an open-minded approach.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Vitality, surprise, wonder, dynamism, and elements that might seem odd alone but, when combined, create something unexpectedly delightful.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Usually, after defining the song's direction, we create a guide track together or you send one, often just vocals and guitar or vocals and piano. If you have a specific beat, we can start from there. My initial focus is on rhythm, which I believe is crucial. I invest significant time in beatmaking for hip-hop or drums and groove for singer-songwriter projects. I aim for organic, dynamic drums or beats, avoiding robotic feel, making it hard to distinguish between live drums and samples, drawing inspiration from artists like J Dilla. After the rhythmic phase, we proceed with the rest of the arrangement with no limits and when we're done with it, there's my favorite part, the 'ear candy' – small details and variations that add a unique touch to the arrangement.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: My studio setup is really simple, I do almost everything 'in the box' in Logic Pro, I have invested in having the best music plugins in the world for both instruments and sound-design/mixing. I'm on an iMac, and I use an AKAI for the pads, an Arturia Minilab for synth parts and a Nektar Panorama P4 for more complex and piano-like stuff. I have a good acoustic Yamaha guitar, a Fender Jazzmaster and a very expensive pedalboard with some A-quality pedals such as Eventide H9. I use also a condenser mic and a 57 for guitars on my Vox amp. I also have a vintage Yamaha bass that I use when I'm not making synth bassline as my primary instrument from a younger age is bass guitar. I have a good pair of KRK monitors but most of the production phase happens with my HD660s headphones. I can accomodate any request because I'm able to get any sort of equipment thanks to friends and colleagues in case an artist has a particular preference about something.

Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

A: Definitely the work that Finneas has done with his sister Billie, then my big producer idols are Toro Y Moi, Steve Lacy, Thundercat, Flying Lotus, Jon Hopkins, Four Tet, The Weeknd, Kanye, Dangermouse. The italian ones are Cosmo, Mace, Colapesce, Luca Pratolesi, Andrea Suriani, IRKO, Marta Salogni and many more.

Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

A: I listen to initial ideas from artists, often singer-songwriters, and collaborate to arrange the song. We discuss desired sounds thoroughly. When we're physically together we listen to music for better alignment and precise references. If we're in different place we share references and find a starting point. Shared dialogue and listening are crucial.