'I can even play in a garage, I don’t care but if the crowd is good I am happy.' FLmm Mix &a
FLmm, a young producer from the south of Italy has been making waves in the techno realm and first started getting involved with techno as a teenager. His sound has a raw energy and pulsating drum beats that can send you into a trance. His candescent and subversive style has created an emerging platform for him and has been in demand to play all around europe and in some notable clubs like Corsica studios where he recently played for Jaded.
He is also the one of the founders of Pls.Uk who have released music from the likes of Ansome, I Hate Models, Keepsakes and 138. The same level of dedication and virtue that he puts into his music has been put into the label which established 3 years ago.
The mix by FLmm features some unreleased gems with vinyls and digital blended to take you on an eclectic journey.
In this interview FLmm discusses the music scene in Italy and London, future projects, how gets some of his intricate sounds and some upcoming artists coming from Italy.
When did you first start getting involved in the techno industry?
I first got involved in music in general when I was 16 and playing at school parties. It wasn’t until I was 18 that I played in a real club. I got introduced to a promoter in my city and he let me dj in some underground parties going on at the time. This was in the 2008/9 while most parties in italy were main stream music and Italian music. He knew organisers for parties in ‘masserias’ which are like older structured buildings in farmlands and the underground parties were happening there. Up until this point I was only dj’ing, but it was always techno. It’s hard to say because there wasn’t the same techno ‘scene’ that there is now. As you can imagine it was really hard to organise heavy techno parties back then, but thankfully it started to get a massive following. The difficulty in creating heavy techno in South Italy brought me to London. It was here that I started getting into production and where I made my first techno track. I was making techno but I wasn’t officially releasing anything.
There is a big following in Italy for hard, aggressive techno. Do you think this is because Italy is a repressed country politically and religiously?
No doubt there is repression in Italy, but I don’t think Italy is exclusively after hard and aggressive techno. It’s actually quite the opposite. There is a lot of mainstream parties, house, etc. It’s just this period that we are in now that this type of techno is gaining more attention globally. Of course my point of view is coming from the south, I can’t really speak for other cities in italy, especially because 10 or 15 years ago we didn’t have as much access online to see what other places were doing and which artists were playing. Even if the interest in industrial techno isn’t related to the repression of the country I am glad that Italians are following it more. We had techno parties but they were different and I think the accessibility we have now with facebook and social media allows us to access all these other outlets of inspiration from other countries and artists which is amazingly resourceful.
You have now relocated to London, what do you think of the techno scene there and what are favourite clubs to play/ attend over there?
I’ve been in London 6 years now and it’s still my favourite city in the world. I moved here because at the time I knew London was a creative hub for techno and a great place for it to grow and become something bigger than it already was. There was a period in the last couple years where I was getting a bit scared to lose this community with the threat of club closures and the difficulty of organising parties in London. It’s definitely not what it used to be, but I think things are starting to look up. There are so many techno organisations at the moment playing every weekend in London, so feeling that momentum start to kick up again is really motivating and such a relief. As for favourite club in London, of course Corsica Studios is on the top of my list. The crowd is unbeatable, the line up is always great, For me it doesn’t matter where, it’s about who and the energy. I can even play in a garage, I don’t care but if the crowd is good I am happy.
In 2014 Pls.Uk emerged, as one of the founding members what made you want to start your own label?
Well it was a mutual decision with my friend Alessio and I. We wanted to show young people that they can make music and that we’d be here to support them. Labels are a good foundation for that.
Pls.uk has an amazing catalogue of artists and sounds, what is the future for Pls.Uk?
Our next vinyl as Harbot is coming out hopefully around June/July, (always delay with the distribution), It will have two massive remixes!! I can’t say more about the remixes just yet, but it will be worth the wait. Same for the future release we’ll have on board so many great artist. Trust me guys it will be worth the wait!!
What upcoming projects are you working on for FLmm?
Well my next EP as FLmm is coming out with you guys which is exciting! I also have another EP coming out on Sticky Ground. It will be on a cassette which is so cool. It’s great to get involved with these newer labels because they are always coming up with new ideas and it allows us to progress together. For sure so many other work it will come out in Pls.uk. Also I’m getting involve in a lot collaboration, what I really love, as Harbot (me and Empyrean ) also with Sticky Ground crew’s.
You use intricate and complex rhythms with great percussive elements. What are some of your favourite hardware and synthesizers?
My favourite hardware at the moment is Dave Smith Tempest, Microbrute and Roland Tr-8. I love analogue sounds so these machines have a really warm sound that hits close to home! Especially the TR8, it literally feels so much easier for me to make the track. Also I really love record sound from the nature, that most of the time I use for create soundscape. I’ve got so many pedals for guitar that plagged each other I can record so many great sound. My next step will be modular system, it will take time but for sure it will be the next Hardware that I’ll buy.
Can you tell me some rising talent coming from Italy that we should keep an eye on?
From Italy at moment there are so many artist that they doing really well, as BR1002, Luciano Lamanna (this guy is a modular genius), RVDE, RE-P, Empyrean, Danilo Icorvaia. All of them they really working hard, doing really great track. Always happy when I see my name in line-up with them.
Listen to FLmm mix for MOTZ here:
Next event for Pls.Uk: https://www.facebook.com/events/1919659511600981/
![Review: Ireen Amnes - Faus Nova [Instruments of Discipline]](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/bb4d63_ef3ff57fbfd646b2a6b6dec6d04e9564~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_38,h_37,fp_0.50_0.50,q_90,enc_auto/bb4d63_ef3ff57fbfd646b2a6b6dec6d04e9564~mv2.jpg)
