Brando Lupi it's the international guest of our micro 13LMNTS festival where we celebrate our 13 years of activity. We sent him some questions, here are the answers.
Elements: Let's start by the begginning. How did music come into your life?
Brando Lupi: I've always loved music…as a child i've spent the best part of my life making drawings,painting and listening music. At 12, i've started to play with decks with a friend trying to learn how to make scratch and cutting and other stuff,at the time was the funniest things for a dj…no "sync button"… At 15,in 1990, i've done my first gig in a club in the center of Rome called "Blue Zone". In the same period i've started to study piano and guitar and i still practice every day.
E: Techno, when didi you start lo list and whjat makes you be a techno DJ?
BL: It was a "step by step process"..from acid house of the aryl 90's ,like Tyree,Humanoid,Fast Eddie,and many others,till the first techno productions.
E: You're Known as a techno DJ and producer, but also ambient producer and sometimes DJ, and you're a industrial rock lover, and we heard that the guitar is one of your favourite objects and that you are a virtuous guitarist. How do you manage your time between all these passions?
BL: In this last 23 years,i've dedicated my whole life to music…wake up at 7 in the morning,8 hours a day of practice for piano and guitar and the rest of the time dedicate to recording and production…no much time to do other things,just few days of break making some shoots with my camera.
E: The Italian techno, specifically the Rome techno scene is nowadays an essential reference for techno fans. You were one of the protagonists of the genesis of this movement. Under which circumstances did is it arises?
BL: In Rome i've always meet very very good djs,technically seriously prepared,with eyes open to new music and new techniques to learn. We've played techno since the beginning.
E: Changing the subject: despite an already long carreer when comparing with other producers of your generation you have published fewer records. Is There is some kind of reason for this? These days you're more associated with techno, however you have a few tracks in the genre, why?
BL: I've tried to open my label in 2000,before Elettronica Romana and other cool recent labels from Rome,but honestly,a lot of shit happened and after that i've produced some nice records for other labels,together with another producer,i've seen a lot of "strange" events…so i've decided to come back to play with bands and say "fuck" to a certain music scene. It was a very depressed period,i've alway put all of myself in music sharing all that i know…but at the same time,i've recorded a lot of different stuff. I've moved from my old studio to another place…no money,no space to organize my work and a big sense of refusal for a certain "underground" scene and all the bullshits and manipulations that i've seen regarding my personal experience. Now is finally the time to come back to techno with all my love for it,and i'm near to finish some new productions for three really cool labels…we'll see…
E: You are known as a non-aligned, as someone who sees itself in the music industry as it is. How do you see the electronic music industry in nowadays?
BL: I think that there is the "plastic millionaire industry" of electronic that produce shit and ,on the other side,a lot of serious underground labels that are fighting against a lot of complications…and these are the labels with the best techno productions…in my opinion.
E: To conclude: you will be in Portugal on the night of 12 to 13 July. No longer is your first time coming to in our country. Having played in Boom festival and indoor club Lux, what did you think of the portuguese public? And what expectations do you have for this party in Coimbra?
BL: I like a lot Portugal…from people,to food,to "Lisbon Story" by Wenders…Boom Festival was an amazing experience and i've loved the Lux…a beautiful night with Minilogue,Manu,and all the guys of Soniculture. I have great expectations for the Element Festival…the place is amazing and i know how friendly and warm are portughese people…so we'll see you soon!
