Only Bombs: How Italian Techno Artist T78 Energises Dancefloors
Why did you start your own label Autektone Records and what do you look for in the music you release?
I have a personal approach to the sound of techno and electronic music in general. Music should always be attractive. The song seems to tell a story during the arrangement. I'm not a fan of repetitive music, so I prefer a drop rather than a big one. That's why I decided on the slogan #onlybombs. Because when I first introduced this music to some of my friends, they were a little, but not very, into techno and were just casually listening to techno music in a club or at an event. But they said, "This is not like the techno music I hear at this event, this is bomb, bomb, drop is bomb!" That's why I was inspired to use the hashtag "bomb."
What defines the song “Bomb” for you?
For me the bass line has to be very big and the kick drum has to be very offset because I like offset spaces. Result: “Amazing!” » Follow the moment. Every time I decide to include a track in my DJ set or podcast, it's because I recognize that "wow" moment in the drop. Of course I like more trippy or trance-like music that doesn't necessarily play at a specific point in the song, but it's in my nature to find music that goes in that direction. Whenever I listen to a demo, I see if I can capture that exact moment in the song.
You mentioned your interest in trance and hardstyle as well as techno. What other musical styles and inspirations would you incorporate into your music?
“I think it all comes from my experience as a kid in the 90s and as a DJ. Everything was happening at that time: the birth of techno and trance, the actual development of house music, hardcore, thrash and all these other things. electronic styles. You were excited about everything. As a resident music DJ, you have to perform a wide range of sounds to bring joy to random people on the dance floor. I bought dance-pop music, from techno to hardcore. That's why I grew up with all these genres. Of course I had my favorites, but I love experimenting in the studio. In just one day I can decide, "Okay, I want to do something different." So sometimes I release another one." Music under different names or in collaboration with someone else.
I get a lot of inspiration from my record collection. There are more than 11,000 of them. I have something to inspire! But sometimes ideas come while watching a movie or traveling. For example, I visited Zanzibar last year and listening to the local music was an eye-opener. Inspiration is everywhere.
Technology may be a serious business, but social media has a sense of humor. How does this reflect who you are as a person and artist?
At first I didn't know how to deal with it. My character is like that. You can see it in my Instagram stories or posts. I'm a very spontaneous guy, I play a lot with my children and they love this side of my personality. But at the beginning everyone was like, “Hey, techno music is a serious thing, and everyone has black and white images and a very serious attitude.” But I don't know if that's the right way to present it on stage. I thought, wow, nobody's doing [a comedy show], let's try it. It may not work, but I can easily take black and white photos and serious poses [if that's the case]. But this happened even more during the pandemic because I had more time to use social media to communicate. There were no concerts or concert videos other than a few memories where I wanted to entertain people and hear how my music was created. I don't spend a lot of time thinking about what to do, they come by themselves. It doesn't take long, sometimes five minutes.
