Interviews

SofaTalk, is a producer who remains true to his passions and his values - he doesn’t make music for the mainstream. His highly musical releases are all built upon a foundation of jazz, soul, and authenticity. His next release ‘Two Hearts’ is a perfect testament to those values.

Here we have the pleasure of his company to talk through his new release, his chosen city of Rome, and his inspirations.

Thanks for talking to us. Where are you at this moment and how are you spending the day?

Thanks, I am very happy to talk to you. At this moment I am in the studio, with my laptop, focused on your interview and I think I will spend the day virtually and with great pleasure with you.

Where were you born? Where are you based now?

I was born in Pescara, a lovely city on Adriatic coast, Italy. I have been based in Rome for many years now.

What do you love most about where you are living?

I love Rome, very chaotic but a magical city, with its history, its archaeological sites, the sun, my ideal home!

Tell us about the music culture and scene where you are?

In recent years it has grown a lot as regards unconventional musical culture. There are many spaces dedicated to live music by emerging bands, well organized festivals.

For club culture, Rome has been the temple of -techno” for a long time but in recent years I see a great opening to other sounds that range from House, Disco, Broken Beat to faster rhythms such as UK Garage, Dubstep, Bass... with a great involvement of young people, this gives hope for the future.

How long have you been making music?

I started making music in the mid-nineties, I was studying in Bologna and I had a small studio in a basement. At the time, composing and recording music was much more complex than today. The technology was analog, I had an Atari ST connected via Midi to my first synths that are still in my studio today. With a Lenco turntable I sampled from jazz funk, house, electronic records on my Akai S900. I experimented a lot in those years, I still have many demos recorded on DAT.

What kind of artists, DJs, genres were you into growing up?

I have always had a strong passion for music since I was little. My mother made me listen to Chopin, I would stay for hours listening, when the record reached the end the needle of the record player would scratch and I would put it back to the beginning. As a teenager I discovered Herbie Hancock & the Headhunters.. from that moment my journey began.

What lead up to you producing and putting out music?

I started playing piano and drums when I was 16. I immediately understood that I could take a step forward, I played keyboards with other musicians, just for fun, but every time I felt a lot of emotion.

Also, in the late 80s I started following the house movement, I bought a lot of records like English Acid House and Chicago House. I didn't have turntables but my friend who lived upstairs did. We spent entire days at his place, we recorded the mixes on cassette and then listened to them on loop.

What was your first ever release?

My first release, "Floating Thoughts" was produced in 2010 but was released as a Vinyl LP in 2013 by Stevie Kotey on his Ambassador's Reception. I really admired Stevie, his stuff on Bear Funk and especially his collaborations with Chicken Lips. I sent him the demos and he immediately fell in love with them.

Which of your records do you think had the greatest impact so far?

From my point of view the album with the greatest impact is definitely "South Side" released by the French Broken District in 2019. A project full of collaborations, many hours of studio sessions.

I have beautiful memories and a deep friendship with Broken District, I was born the same time as Antoine, with whom I have a great connection. We often hear from each other and talk almost exclusively about music.

If there a record that went under the radar that we should check?

A record that I care a lot about is "Fragments Ep", released only on vinyl by the French Escapade Records in 2018. In this project I was able to collaborate with Kaidi Tatham with his great remix of my "Like a Magpie". The whole album is really well made, unfortunately it is not available on streaming portals or digital download. Some copies can still be found in online record stores and obviously to listen to it you can also find it on youtube and soundcloud.

Who are the artists that inspire you. Who do you think is making good music?

The artists that have always inspired me are Floating Points, Four Tet, Theo Parrish, Kyle Hall, K15, Steven Julien, Harvey Sutherland, Lone, Max Graef, Henry Wu.

I am currently in a creative phase of change, I am working on more things different from the productions of the past. I am obsessed with producers from dubstep & Uk bass scene, such as Falty DL, Martyn, Pearson Sound and his Hessle Audio who are making really very innovative and interesting productions.

What is the most recent record you purchased or downloaded?

The latest purchase is a vinyl copy of Stefan Ringer & Marquinn Mason "Bounce Lesson" released on Eglo. Very nice, I recommend it.

What can you tell us about Cognitiva the label and your relationship with them?

I'm the owner of Cognitiva, I started it in 2016 and I take care of its art direction and promotional visual identity.The musical vision of the label is dedicated to sounds ranging from nu jazz, broken beat, house, drum & bass, UKG, and other sonics formed upon a jazz foundation. The label is largely album focused, choosing to work on more emergent listening experiences. I am very motivated to release and promote the music that I feel in my soul.

Talk to us about the new release Two Hearts and the initial idea.

The initial idea was to work on something that recalled the late 80's Chicago House productions, recreating the unmistakable sound of labels like Think Bottom Line, Emotive, Big Beat & Easy Street.

I started from the rhythm parts using electronic drums like Roland Tr 707, 727 and 909. Building on them some harmonies using vintage synth sounds like Yamaha DX7 for the bassline and Korg M1 for the piano chords. They came unfinished and rough, but they needed the final touch, the vocal part. I wanted them to sound like the songs of Adeva, Jomanda, Inner City and CC Music Factory.

What can you tell us about Erin Buku?

In 2021 I had the pleasure of giving one of my tracks to the Australian “Innertribe Records” for a lovely compilation. The label owner is Jules (Inkswel), who is also a talented producer that I have been following for years. Erin is part of the Innertribe family, I immediately thought of her, an exceptional singer, I knew she would be perfect for this release. Inkswel put us in touch, I sent her the demos and she loved them.

How did the process flow between producing and the vocal?

Creating a feeling with singers is always complex, being able to make them express themselves freely while trying to maintain your ideas.

I immediately found chemistry with Erin, She also worked on the lyrics and it was really easy with her to find the right key for the right harmony and melody.

What are you most proud of with this release?

I'm very proud of this release, especially for the collaboration with another exceptional musician, Stefano De Santis, an Italian Jazz Funk keyboardist who played additional Hammond parts that gave the song an extra boost!

What drives you to create music these days?

The music market today is really complex, if you don't do mainstream stuff it's hard to carry on experimenting in the field of electronic music. There are many producers and labels that deserve more attention from the young audience. Underground movements have always been the core of my concept of making music, I think this is what leads me to continue making works that come from the heart, from the soul.

Where do you find the most inspiration when it comes to discovering new music?

I do a lot of research by digging into every record store in the places I go for work or vacation, I listen to a lot of music on streaming portals, I like to discover new labels and producers by listening to their entire discography... fresh air for my ears!

What can we hope to see next from SofaTalk?

I just finished recording my new Album composed of 8 tracks, it will be released at the beginning of 2025. I worked on it for two years, I'm really satisfied with it. It's a record full of collaborations with many other musicians that ranges across a wide spectrum of sounds. I can't say anything else for now but I will definitely keep you updated.

Check out the latest release from SofaTalk.