Fabrizio Lapiana delivers another piece of his art, following his instinct and the research of a sweet spot that seems like is always working when emotions are needed on the floor.
ARTS, the label that was chosen for this latest EP release, is one picked with much purpose. A well-known fixture on the contemporary Italian techno scene, Lapiana’s musical career started in his hometown Rome where he began collecting vinyl and DJing in the early ’90s. In 2008 he launched his own imprint, Attic, which quickly expanded from hosting just his own work into also releasing other artists fitting his personal definition of techno.
It’s on Attic that we can find plenty of Lapiana’s releases, but also on other respected imprints such as ARTS, Figure Jams and M_Rec Ltd, to mention a few. His productions are often dark and hypnotic, yet at times they have brighter melodious elements, with each of these components smoothly entering as the tracks unfold.
With Lapiana’s forthcoming four-tracker on ARTS entitled Shoegazing scheduled for release on November 2nd, we took the opportunity to sit down for an all-around chat to discuss the EP, his relationship with ARTS and Emmanuel, the 10 year anniversary of Attic, his studio inspirations and more.
Enjoy the read and make sure to check out the snippets from Shoegazing from the SoundCloud player below.
Ciao Fabrizio, congrats on the new ep out on ARTS! This isn’t your first release on the label, is it?
Ciao! Yes this is my second ep on ARTS, the first one was released in May 2017.
You and Emmanuel are also friends I believe. When and how did you guys meet?
Yes we met accidentally at Berghain 3 years ago where we had nice time and nice talks. Then after few months he asked me to send him some stuff for his label. ARTS is one of my favorite labels and I was of course happy to do it. So it started a nice work/friend relationship.
Everytime I go to Berlin we try to meet for a beer or dinner, but it isn’t so easy, he is really a hard worker, doesn’t have much free time.
Where do you imagine these tracks played? Any environment you think they’re suited particularly more for?
I have no idea…probably I image track I and IV in big rooms, then II and III in more intimate dancefloors.
By the way congrats on 10 years of running your own Attic label. Do you remember how it felt to launch your label back in 2008 and what your goal was at the time?
I remember well when I launched Attic I had no experience in label management and I just started to produce music after many years as local DJ. I launched Attic especially to release my music and that from some of my closest artists friends.
What was the hardest lesson you’ve learned as a label owner in these first 10 years?
That nowadays PR is more important than music sometimes.
Has the direction and/or purpose of the label changed in this last decade?
The purpose of the label is more or less the same: to release music I like. Of course now I give more space to other artists and the label is better organized.
Also regarding the visual identity of the label there was a big change 5 years ago.
Your own personal music has changed direction over the years. Whereas it was much more dance-focused before, it’s now perhaps deeper and more cerebral. Why do you think that is?
I wouldn’t say this. Of course, my album was very deep and ambient oriented, and while this ARTS release is melodic, it is a dance-focused EP. Soon other stuff I am releasing will be very dance-focused but with my hypnotic and mental style.
What inspires you to make music today versus what inspired you say 5 and 10 years ago?
This is a difficult question.
I can’t say what inspires me to make music now, probably the life I live everyday, what I listen and what happens around me. For example I decided to work on my first album Intraverso during a very difficult time of my life and my mood of course influenced the sound.
When I started my career was probably more influenced by a nice DJ set I listened to…but it can happen also these days that I am influenced by listening to other’s music.
What are some of the characteristics of the music you’re working on today?
I’m working on a lot of different projects, from techno to electro. I can say that I’m trying to give more attention to details, effects, etc. I often said that I see myself more as a DJ than a producer, so my target is to always be doing something more.
Can we expect more music out of your studio in the coming months and into 2019?
Yes definitely. I’m working so much in the studio, especially in the the last few months. I have a new studio and I’m so productive. Apart from the release on ARTS, you can expect other EPs, on Attic and probably other labels, as well as some V/A’s.
You’ve also been touring a decent amount of time this year, even out here in LA for us. Any highlight or particularly memorable gigs that come to mind?
That gig in LA was the best experience this year. I was there for the first time and it was my US debut. I liked so much to see the intimate dancefloor and a crowd that was very interested in the music.
It’s so interesting to meet new people and new cultures even on a dancefloor.
With 10 years as a label owner behind you and more before that as a producer/DJ, what else do you feel is in the future of Fabrizio Lapiana?
I would like to have a nice club residency in my city, as I already had in the past.
Fabrizio Lapiana’s Shoegazing EP comes out on ARTS this November 2nd
