Emerging Italian selector Mattia L talks about his forthcoming debut on UK imprint Throne Room Records, his thoughts on Italian club culture, and more.
Who is Mattia L?
I was born in the province of Venice in 1990. Already at 8 years old I started listening to techno, encouraged by my brother. At 15 I began to approach music production with the help of my childhood friend who taught me how to use the basics of Ableton.
Initially I did production for fun and without a solid base, then with the passing of time I put this passion aside and at 18 I started DJing in bars and clubs in the area starting from CDJs and then moving on to vinyl. At 22 I put this passion aside and then at 30 I started DJing again at private parties strictly on vinyl. In July 2024 I began to delve into the world of techno production. Until I produced and published my first ‘Corpo’ EP with Throne Room Records.
Your new ‘Corpo’ EP is about to drop on Throne Room Records – talk us through how you made the three tracks?
I created the three tracks of my EP inspired by the techno of when I was a child. The tracks I listened to on the stereo speakers in my bedroom. I have always admired Italian DJs like Luca Antolini, Mauro Piccotto, Ricky Le Roy, and Luca Morris. Hypnotic melodies that take you into a sort of mantra. The repetition of rhythms and musical patterns in me creates a hypnotic and meditative effect that helps you reach a state of relaxation.
Which other labels can we expect to see you release with soon?
Since I started mixing at home and for private parties at 30, I have often bought vinyls from Drumcode and Terminal M. A great satisfaction for me would be to publish a song or even an EP to be printed on vinyl.
Italy has quite a unique culture around techno, what’s something you think makes it special?
The Italian techno culture that I learned about in clubs in the Venice area led me to love this genre. As already mentioned above, I have some DJs that I listened to as a child and in their songs very rarely did they use lyrics that limited your thoughts. They left the listener’s imagination total freedom to create a story. For me, techno is freedom.
What are some of your favourite Italian clubs to play or visit?
As for Italian clubs, I have frequented clubs on the Jesolo coast like Muretto, K-club, Vanilla; other venues in the province of Padua, Treviso, Venice and some festivals like Electro Venice at the San Giuliano park in Venice. I would also like to play one of my songs at the big outdoor festivals to make people laugh and convey my mantra of freedom and happiness.
What’s one track you’ve really been enjoying recently?
If we talk about a song that has always given me energy and stimulated my imagination, I can’t help but mention Lost In A Dream by Mike NRG. While as the most recent song of which I bought the vinyl, that I like to listen to and mix, I have to mention Pria by Charlotte de Witte.
Mattia L – Corpo EP is out May 9th on Throne Room Records.