Hey, thanks for doing this. How have things been going for you, both personally and musically, over the last couple years?

Well, in the last year, I think it went really well, actually; over the last two years, I had my main releases on Dispatch Recordings and three years ago on Commercial Suicide. But still, it has been a great period for me. Dispatch Recordings has been great, absolutely. Ant TC1 gave me the opportunity to express myself in any way I wanted without any restrictions; I had some really productive moments and somewhere I can't hide—I wanted to leave music production and to quit. But still, in the end, I found myself comfortable again and again with music production. Now I have an album coming out, and I'm happy with that.

Good to hear. It's a solid, full-length album. Where did the inspiration for all this come from?

This album came from working on it two years ago. I didn't think about an album actually. I just started making music as I had a strong lack of inspiration. So I decided to take it easy for a while. I mean, a lot of producers used to get stuck in the studio, try to make music... I understood that this doesn't work for myself. There was a period when I had zero inspiration and just decided to stop making music. I started listening to jazz, funk, blues again, and let my brain rest... let the creativity rest for a while. Then the creativity returned again. That's the way I started working on this album. It just came out piece by piece. I can surely tell you that when I began making the tracks for my album, it was a really bad period in terms of inspiration, actually. I didn't want to make any more music.

Yeah, I've heard that happens. It's an intense process.

Yes, it is. Sometimes, as I said, you just need to let things rest. You have this good bottle of wine; to let it rest for a while to taste the real taste of this wine. This always worked for me. Now, when I'm stuck with music production, I never force myself. I mean, not having ideas is part of the creative process, in my opinion.

On the album, you can hear that because of the way you go through the full spectrum of Drum & Bass. There are many different styles present, and the way you made the tracks showcases how you tackle ideas over and over, and then let it rest before coming back to it again. It helps give the music the depth it has.

Indeed. Plus, what I really loved about making this album—and what I really love about Dispatch Recordings and Ant TC1—is that I had the chance to explore the established pathways. As my creative process was messy... that was the best way to express it, actually. Having the chance... I mean, there are too many artists, in my opinion, that say, "Okay, I make drum pop, or I make liquid, I have to stick to it." Drum & Bass is a music genre that can make you express so many feelings. Personally, I'm a drummer. I was formerly playing thrash metal music, specifically San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal music. And I discovered Drum & Bass, and was really getting into it. I understood that Drum & Bass has been influenced by so many musicians and so many musical jazz people. Herbie Hancock was even making Drum & Bass for a while. How can I get stuck in just one thing and one thing only? It's impossible. That's the reason why I was glad to carry from tech stuff, soulful, jazzy, and all the musical aspects that I included in this album.

The fact that you decided to do the full spectrum like this; what were some of the challenges about making an album with so many different styles? Were there tracks you thought didn't really fit along the way?

I don't think it was a challenge for me because everything was so natural. Yeah, actually, I really enjoyed making it. Personally, what happened was that every time I sat in the studio I thought, "Okay, let's start to make something that sounds good. If it doesn't work then okay, leave it." Every time I was making a drum loop or a melody, I was trying to make it bigger and bigger. Everything else comes naturally. Probably the secret for me was that I listen to a lot of music so I enjoy a lot of music. I don't have any prejudice in anything. Even if some tracks are different from the others... there's something cohesive, something that glues them all together. Probably it's my interpretation that glues them together. Everything on "Grand Tour," in my opinion, makes sense. It's a Grand Tour of Drum & Bass... of my personal experience of Drum & Bass, all that I know about this music.

Where did the name come from? Does the name mean anything?

Yeah, "Grand Tour" is of the whole spectrum of Drum & Bass. If you listen to the title track "Frack:" it reminds me of race cars from the '70s, Formula One from the '70s, the whole concept of road trip and motorcycles, driving at midnight, and the concept of a trip. This is what influenced the whole album—it's a trip. It's my trip. I was tripping on Drum & Bass.

Where did the idea for the artwork come from?

I like cars, but I also love summer and plants. So I imagine what about a cactus driving a cabriolet? Actually, I was messing around with ChatGPT, and I said, let's try to make a sports car with a cactus driving. This thing came out, and it was really nice actually, because from a certain point of view, it fits the spirit of the album. It's a bit silly and funny. It reminds me of joyful moments of summer. It makes this really funny image of this artwork. I really like that it's trippy and enjoyable at the same time.

Were there any new methods of production or sound design you tried on this that you hadn't tried on any of your works before?

Well, yeah. I didn't use any sound design tricks. I used a lot of FM synthesis and subtractive synthesis sources, but nothing too special. I kept it simple. If you listen to, for example, one of my favorite tracks, "Unstoppable,"—it's a track with those tech-step vibes. Actually, it's really simple. There's no extreme sound design because I wanted to keep things straight to the point. Every track is really musical. I was keeping a lot to have certain resonances in some tracks, but I also wanted to keep it simple. One thing I really wanted for every track was the drums had to sound like drums. In most of the tracks, the drums are really natural—they are not heavily processed. They are bright, they are moody, but they are still drums. It's not foley stuff, digital drums, or synthesized drums. They are all, in general, acoustic sounding drums. As a drummer, this time, I wanted my drums to sound authentic and real.

Are there any plans to tour behind the release at all?

Not yet, but I'm open to bookings, so feel free to book me! I had to reduce gigs and live performances because I became a dad one year ago, and now I'm having my second child. So Family First; I had to slow down with live music, but still, I'm always open to bookings. I'm ready, and I would be glad to be invited out and very excited to celebrate this release. Probably, the guys out here will organize a small tour here in Sicily.

What's the Drum & Bass scene like in Italy?

The period is something like four, five, six years or so; it's always up and down. See big shows with a name, some other periods when Drum & Bass stays under the sheets. It's more and more this last period is more of an underground period. Taking place in more small clubs and parties, not big venues, and particularly south of where I come from. There is not such a great culture for Drum & Bass. In the north of Italy, there are some crews that organize really nice parties with nice names in the game. But it's always a struggle because in Italy, they had a lot of difficulties in finding their own space. There are some that have played around since over 30 years ago until now. It's difficult to have a really strong scene in Italy, but it works. I mean, with all the difficulties, it works.

Yeah, it's definitely a fact that Drum & Bass has become more of an international genre. You can be in Italy making music and still get it across to the whole world.

Yeah, that's it actually. What I think that I really loved about Drum & Bass in the last year is that when you have some mainstream producer that goes on major stations, people listen to them; in my opinion, it's a good thing because it carries on the whole scene to a next level. There will be more space, more room for the younger and/or smaller producers to rise up and be at such parties. People will learn to listen to Drum & Bass. And if it starts to become a little bit more catchy, it's a good thing as well for the underground producers, in my opinion.

It's nice seeing... There was a time when it was difficult to meet people who knew the genre. Now, even in America, most people at least have heard of it.

Yeah, indeed. I was saying, for example, when Sigma came out, we take that. Of course, I didn't love that style, but I was thinking, "Yeah, why not?" If they played this on the radio, that would be a great thing—it's Drum & Bass. If a kid listens to Sigma and likes that, maybe he will listen to Chase & Status, then Andy C. Then, I don't know, maybe he will listen to HLZ, then SD, and then to anyone else. It's just giving that input. That's the reason why I love when somebody becomes mainstream because it can... Yeah, it can get out there for a second.

What are your plans from here? Got you on the game. Do you have any more releases in the works? What else you have going on for the rest of the year?

Actually, I don't think I have any particular plans or new releases. I mean, this has been a really strong effort. I think I'm starting to think about a new album again. I found with this album that the best way to express myself is making albums. Put everything into a basket, shake it, and then throw everything on the table and see what happens. I have some music ready to go, but I don't want to make small releases, like two or four tracks as with an album, you can express more concepts than an EP. In terms of music, it's so volatile; I'm trying to focus and fire it all together. I want to stick in the studio and try to make a new album as soon as I can. That's the goal, I think, in producing Drum & Bass.

Do you have anything else you'd like to add?

What can I tell you? First of all, I'm glad you wanted to do this interview because this is my second interview for Drum & Bass music in the world. Both interviews I had were because of this album. It makes me think that this album can be appreciated by listeners, and I'm really glad. It seems to work. I had feedback from friends and producers that really give me the hope and strength to continue. Because if people really understand the message you're trying to send them. It's something that really makes you push over the boundaries, makes you go further and want to make more music. It has been lovely, actually. It has been the very first time I saw people recognizing the message hidden behind a bunch of tracks left on the internet. I'm really glad people recognize that... Let's see what happens in the next days, in the next months, how it will go!

Thanks for the chat!