Federico Grazzini is an Italian producer, DJ from Cortona, Italy, living between Ibiza and Florence, balancing studio life while touring Europe and beyond. He maintains a well-founded connection with Ibiza, where he holds residencies at The Zoo Project and Unusual Suspects as well as performing at many more. Outside of Ibiza season he can be found playing in established venues scoping from London’s Fabric to Tokyo’s Womb.

Last month he dropped his ‘Gonna Get It’ EP on Jamie Jones Hottrax which you can stream and buy now.

[Buy/Stream Link Here]

 

Hi great to speak with you Federico. How are you today?

Hi, very good, thanks! Just landed in Ibiza, where I have a few meetings about the next season before my first “island gig” of 2019 next Saturday.

 

 

You are a native of Cortona, Italy. Would you tell me about your musical influences growing up there that shaped your tastes today?

I’m native to Cortona, and resident between Ibiza and Florence, so there are many different environments in my background… For sure, living for a long time in Ibiza keeps you updated with all the new musical trends. Also, sharing a studio in Florence with very creative artists keeps you inspired. Anyway, I’ve always been interested in old school funk, I’m sure it comes out on the groove of my productions.

 

 I was basically a child having fun with friends. Most of the time now I’m still doin’ the same, but in clubs

 

Where were your first gigs when your started your journey as a DJ? Did you struggle getting onto club circuits?

My journey has been a natural process and very gradual, since I started in a local radio in Cortona in the mid 90’s, I was basically a child having fun with friends. Most of the time now I’m still doin’ the same, but in clubs 🙂 I started quite early in my area, then slowly moved around Italy year by year, then Europe, then…

 

 

Were you always learning the artform of music production alongside DJing or did you start later on in your musical journey?

It’s always been part of the game for me. I love the feeling of mixing my productions, and I enjoy to edit everything I can imagine for the dance floor, so it’s not easy for me to split up the DJ side and the producer side.

 

I used to get bored using the same workflow for a long time, so now I usually “experiment”

 

Last month you dropped a heavy two track EP on Jamie Jones Hottrax imprint, how did you tackle this creatively in the studio?

I used to get bored using the same workflow for a long time, so now I usually “experiment”. This time I was layering analog and virtual synths, looking for new sounds that could result in a modern sound, but with old school flavour, on top of a 909 drum line recorded through a series of fx pedals. The results are those 2 tracks, I’m not the right one to judge them, but I can tell that in club they do their job 🙂

 

[Buy/Stream Link Here]

 

 

Could you take us through your current studio set-up, what are your essential bits of kit?

As I said before, I like to change, it’s funny, but I obviously have some things I couldn’t live without: Roland 909 & Korg Electribe MX for drums, MicroKorg & NordRack 2… then Alesis 3630 compressor (Daft Punk’s one, it’s sidechain is unmistakable), Electro Harmonix Memoryman and Cathedral as delay and reverb, and a small custom box by i-nstruments called SX-I, multifx + synth that I use on my DJ sets too.

 

 

Can you inform us of any rising Italian artists you have noticed recently?

Herva is pure creativity, Dukwa sounds super fresh and Frank Storm is very effective on the dance floor. Don’t get confused by their names, they are Italians, coming from different backgrounds and with different attitude, but definitely worth a check.

 

If i keep thinking I could write all day, every single gig in Ibiza has a story to tell.

 

As a regular performer in Ibiza, what have been your career highlights there?

I’ve got a lot of great memories in Ibiza, from my very first Space opening party, to the last unforgettable Space closing, through my residencies at The Zooproject and Unusual Suspects. I played some eclectic sets in different locations like the Caravan in the car park of DC10 for Paradise and the closing set at Pikes after Mark Ronson, then my first time in the historical DJ booth of Pacha… If i keep thinking I could write all day, every single gig in Ibiza has a story to tell.

 

 

You were recently crowned ‘best Italian techno DJ Producer of the year’ for 2018. What a great honour, how did you celebrate?

They gave me a good suggestion on how to celebrate. Alongside the Award, they gave my a magnum bottle of good wine, sharing it straight away with friends is been the best way for doing it!

 

 

What can we next expect from Federico Grazzini?

I’ve lot of music coming out soon, but the best part is that I’ll finally have my own party, It’s going to be every last Saturday of the month in Riccione, the Italian club area on the east coast, in a very beautiful open air club. I can’t tell you any more just yet, but stay tuned on my channel, in the next days you’ll see!

 

 

Is there anything else you would like to tell us?

Smile, it’s free! 🙂

 

View this post on Instagram

 

#smile It’s free

A post shared by Federico Grazzini (@federicograzzini) on

 

Federico Grazzini ‘Gonna Get It’ EP dropped on Hottrax on the 8th March.
Buy and Stream here:

[Link]

 


Follow Federico’s socials here:
Facebook / Soundcloud / RA / Instagram

Comments

comments