So finally after 9 months of the release of the first session from Perception of Depth Podcast brought by Refracted we are back for the 2nd session.This one is brought by S/EXP a side project from the well known Italian Producer Emanuele Pertoldi.
It's been a great year for S/EXP.He released an album on Eclipse Music wich received great feedbacks from all the corners of the world from various listeners.And now he expects releases on ROHS and Shaded Explorations,this last one it's a label created by him with the aim of helping smaller artists from Europe the first release will be a k7 VA containing artists like Alan Backdrop,Versenkt,The Lone Roamer,Refracted and more.
So as you see S/EXP is an artist that never stops doing what he loves most wich is music you can expect to be hearing more from him in the next years.
Now enjoy this great live set recorded in Club To Club a 3 day Festival that happened in Torino(Italy) some months ago. This live set is all hardware based no computer.
We really hope that you enjoy this session and thanks in advance
POD: Hello Emanuele,everything ok with you?
Emanuele: Not one of the best periods but quite fine.Thanks
POD: Ohh! I hope all that's going on get's better fast.
So tell us who is S/EXP/Emanuele Pertoldi how he was introduced to music?
Emanuele: Yeah sure, just need a change in my life and I think I'll do it soon.
Well I realized just recently that music is the reason of my life and I'm not jocking. It is a strong passion since i was a child but I was not so conscious about it. I started making music before I had a computer at home. I started with a playstation 1 game where you were able to arrange loops, etc then just a bit later with basic software on the first pc. I studied a bit guitar but i was already doing music at that time and it got me bored so I quit.
POD: I see...since young ages loving music. That's what it's all about... Music.
Emanuele: Exactly, air sculptures that make us dream.
POD: I know you don't live in a big city of italy. How does that affected your music? It was a big factor and/or reason for doing the style of music you do?
Emanuele: Actually living in an 800 people village is getting quite boring and I'm stuck now. I like to stay in quiet places too but i also need to meet new interesting and open minded people. In the past this never despondent me, i always did my thing. After noticing that the (almost inexistent) electronic scene here was shit and full of poker faces i decided to pay more attention on the production aspect as when I was not djing.
About my sound / style.. Well, nature sometimes can be inspirational for me, especially with his colours and sounds. I'm a fan of field recordings and used some stuff i recorded around me. I got into techno thanks to a radio show if I remember well. Then year by year i discovered new stuff and started to define my own taste. So the place was not very relevant on this.
POD: And where do you feel your music would be more noticed, where you could show every weekend your music?
Emanuele: I would love to travel thanks to my music and show it where it may be appreciated. No limitis :) But it's a while i'm thinking to move to Berlin. Not to follow the trend, i don't care about it. I like it because it's not chaotic, it's a very approachable city. I'll do everything i can to realize my aims and here in Italy it would be hard, especially where i live and especially if I want to work also directly with people and not only on the web. So if i have to move it will be outside Italy.
At least I'll try i think and then let's see how it goes.
POD: Yeah, personally i would like to move there too but from what i read that city is getting worst every year that goes by.
Would a change to Berlin be good for your music? I mean the style you make Dub Techno mixed with some Deep Techno was "made" with the inspiration of nature and nature it's a thing that in Italy exists in every corner you turn and in Berlin that's not a big part of the "culture". Don't you get scared thinking of how your music would change?
Or you don't want to do this style so much now?
Emanuele: Yes there are indeed certain things to avoid, but depends on what you're looking for. I'm thinking to go there to have more possibilieties for my job (and producing, djing, live is just a part of it) not for getting high every day with hipsters. :)
I think that now i need that change, first of all for my self and so it will be a change for my music too. Well one of the things i like about Berlin is the fact that it has got lots of green parks! But indeed I hope to travel and be inspired by new places and cultures often. I'm still into deep techno but that is just a part of me. Now I'm doing quite weird and more experimental stuff but still deep with more intimate alias S/EXP (Shaded Explorer). And new projects are under construction. For me it's hard to focus on a specific genre, I'm quite eclectic i think and i always like to experiment new stuff till i get a coherent sound.
POD: And the saturation of Dub techno synths on the scene doesn't help your music too,right?
And about this topic give me your opinion about it,why do you think people follow so much a "trend" and "style so much? don't they realize that with this saturation things will get shit? I know a lot of people like this style but others just see an opportunity to succeed and get some good Money,what is your opinion on this topic?
Emanuele: Yep indeed that's why i'm trying more and more to obtain a personal sound. I think people follow a trend because they are lazy. It's easier to follow something instead of searching discovering your own taste. It always happens, it's a circle. One genre gets noticed by the masses and it gets "commercial". But then the ones with good ears understand the proper releases and discard the shitty ones. There's still people doing some proper warm dub techno. But I don't like to much to be labelled under that genre, for sure it was and it is an influence but it's just a part of my sound. By the way I think producers should try to do their own stuff, work hard to make it personal. Copy (not sampling) and recreate from scratch sounds you like from other producers can be a good thing to learn but then you have to make them coherent with your own stuff and create your own ones. There are too much tracks with just a drum loop and a cold, unpersonal, minor chord line with tons of fx.
POD: Yeah that's exactly what i'm talking about i mean it sounds all the same.
Sure there are artists doing their own thing like Abdulla Rashim,Korridor,You,Alan Backdrop,Refracted,Silent Season artists but after that it all gets saturated i guess.
I really like your style i can honestly say that you're doing your own thing i always recognize a track from yours really.
Emanuele: That's one of the most satisfactory things you could ever say to me, i blush. :)
POD: You got a lot of hardware from what i see and you even do live sets with it. How does that changed your way of work,was it a hard transition? you get more inspiration just by touching and feeling the knobs of your hardware? This could be a weird question but i always get mixed reactions on this one because producing on a DAW just with your mouse get's really boring after some time.
Emanuele: Well I started with software like 11 years ago and it was a natural transition for me. It was very slow because i bought thing by thing during the last years. And I'm still selling / buying but now less than before. Now most of the times also in studio i do tracks live, jamming on my machines and synths, just recording the master straight into the computer, withouth overdubs. There are pro e cons for sure. Till i'm doing that way i'm a lot more productive, because I do not think too much, just feel the moment and do music. With the DAW I get stuck most of the times now, because I know I can do that 10% more and it never ends. Hardware for me it's not just a matter of sound but also a matter of workflow, it's just more physical. But i'm not against digital stuff or computer. I also use quite a lof of digital synth and machines. I just do not call LIVE a premade set on Ableton. I'm not saying it's shit, but it's not live for me. So also in the live gigs i just bring some of my hardware without computer, and I have to improve it!
POD: Yeah that's what i'm talking about touching things in my opinion it's more natural,sure anyone produces with what they want the creation of DAW's was brilliant but i guess you get a certain boredom just by producing there.
What other music you like to listen besides Techno? is there something you love to listen almost more than techno?
Emanuele: Yes i'm listening lot of ambient lately. I'm also into other kids of electronic music, indie rock, dub and some jazz too.
POD: You have 2 Labels. One is Evasion Room Records and the other one is Shaded Explorations wich is still to release the first K7 VA. What was the decision for creating this 2 labels?
Emanuele: Evasion Room started as way to express us (me and Ric) freely, without having the urge to satisfy other labels taste and just do our thing. Then the digital side became a nice portal to propose new artists we trust.
Shaded Explorations was born after the VA idea i had. It is connected to my project S/EXP and will be more listening oriented. There are some artists i like and have a common style, or a sound that can work good together, telling a story, an exploration. The aim is to travel and feel into a journey just with sounds. So i decided to do it and now i'm working hard to realize it and do the best I can. Will start with cassette but hope to have the funds to do vinyl in the near future.
POD: To finish what are your all time favourites and wich artists you think are doing some great new music?
Emanuele: Well some of my all time favourites are for sure Brian Eno, Tangerine Dream, Coltrane, Miles Davis, Pink Floyd, Donato Dozzy, Moritz Von Oswald and all his projects, Derrick May, UR, B12, Warp Records, Global Communication, Steve Rachmad, Parallel Worlds and many more.
From the new ones i like a lot the swedish scene like Abdulla Rashim, Varg, Acronym, Skudge.. Then i like a lot Conforce, Mike Dehnert and quite a lot of the other ones under Delsin. I love Prologue and Silent Season and the artists inside like Iori, Sonitus Eco, ASC. etc!
We've got great new talents in Italy too like Alan Backdrop, Edanticonf, Kaelan, Hydergine, my mates of the Evasion Room Live with their single projects and more!
Put Rod Modell in the first ones too ;)
POD: Well you have some great favourite artists that's why your music is great.
Well Emanuele thank you for doing this interview and podcast it was great to talk with you about your music and life :)
Emanuele: Thanks to you for the opportunity, was nice to share my thoughts with you!