Following a series of well received singles Defelice continued his fine run of form with ‘Who You Are’. We caught up with the Italian artist to get a deeper look behind this single alongside discussing the perks of self releasing, top tracks of the year so far and more.
HMWL – “Who You Are” marks your first time incorporating your own vocals. How did this change your creative process compared to your previous productions?
Defelice – Firstly, “Who You Are” was my first released vocal single but I didn’t sing on it! The vocals are from a super talented girl called Aya. She has an amazing voice and I’m super happy to have worked with her and we will definitely work again in the future.
Regarding the creative process, I always treat a vocal track in a different way than an instrumental one. In this case I started with a rough demo with a partial arrangement made of chords, bass and an idea of the drop and then I sent it to Aya. She then sent me the lyrics and the topline of the vocal and I immediately fell in love with it. I then wrote the main melody of the drop and then I finished the track. While producing a vocal track you definitely have to because you have to find the right balance between vocal and instruments so that both have the same importance within the song.
HMWL – The track blends euphoric energy with introspective emotions. What was the inspiration behind the lyrics and the overall sound?
Defelice – In the period in which I was producing the first demo of “Who You Are”, I was going through some difficult times emotionally and I think that you can feel it a little bit while listening to the chords and melodies of the track. While discussing with Aya about the main theme of the lyrics, I told her what feelings I wanted to evoke in those who listened to the track. I think that she did an amazing job because the first time that I listened to her voice singing those words left me speechless and I felt again everything that I described to her weeks before.
HMWL – Self-releasing music gives artists more control but also comes with challenges. What made you decide to release “Who You Are” independently, and what are the biggest benefits for you?
Defelice – Well obviously it’s more difficult at first to self release your music because you have to acknowledge that there won’t be a label to support you with its fanbase. At the same time though, I think that all this is balanced by the fact that you can work more freely on the marketing campaign to promote the song and above all, based on the agreement stipulated with your own distributor, all the income from streaming, purchases etc. goes directly to finance all that you and your team have planned. I can definitely say that the results that we are seeing on the majority of the DSPs are proving us right in this case but obviously it depends everytime on the track that you are releasing.
HMWL – Your production is known for its cinematic and atmospheric quality. What’s your approach to crafting those immersive soundscapes?
Defelice – In the past I have always been attracted by soundscores and one that particularly inspired me during my life was the one from the famous video game “The Last of Us” by Gustavo Santaolalla. It was the perfect accompaniment to what was happening in the game and it also made you feel like you were there. In my opinion, the feelings that chords and melodies can evoke in people are more powerful than the ones from lyrics and this is the reason why soundscores and cinematic atmospheres are so important to me. So when I start a track like “Who You Are” I always try to find the perfect chords and the perfect melodies that can convey the emotions that I want without using the lyrics of the song.
HMWL – Can you walk us through your studio setup? Any go-to gear, synths, or plug-ins that played a crucial role in shaping this track?
Defelice – In my studio I don’t have any particular gear because I have just a couple of hardware synths that are a “Moog Sub37” and an “Arp Odyssey”. Maybe, the most important thing that I have in it are my “ATC” monitors because with the audio treatment of the room and the incredible quality of them I can easily find the right elements for my tracks and I can be super precise during the production and mixing process. Talking about plug-ins, “Kontakt” is the one that, with the right library, helped me give that cinematic feeling that I wanted in “Who You Are”.
HMWL – You’re Milan-based, but your music has a universal appeal. How does the city and its scene influence your sound?
Defelice – I’ve been a dj since I was 16 years old here in Milan and I had all the opportunities to listen and to play with a lot of big DJs during my career. Luckily, Milan is one of the richest cities in Italy and during the last decade this fact helped club and festival promoters bring the best DJs. This for sure helped me alot developing my characteristic sound and gave me the possibility to meet and connect with these acts.
HMWL – If you could hear “Who You Are” played at any festival or club in the world, where would it be and why?
Defelice – I think that “Who You Are” is more of a festival than a club track so I will answer with Ultra or Tomorrowland and obviously because they are the most important ones for our scene at the moment. The “impact” that the song could have would be enormous between fans that still don’t know me.
HMWL – As a DJ, what are your top three tracks of the year so far?
Defelice – 1) Innellea and Colyn – Set Me Free. Perfect festival track
2) Echonomist – Damcase from “The Story Behind” EP. Awesome release and perfect for small clubs vibes
3) Steve Angello – Darkness In Me. Perfect track both for big and small stages with a super catchy topline that gets stuck in the mind of the listener
Defelice – Melodic Techno has evolved rapidly in recent years. Where do you see the genre heading, and how do you see yourself pushing its boundaries?
Melodic techno became huge in the last 5 years thanks to Tale of Us and Afterlife especially. Anyma has pushed the boundaries of the genre to places that were unimaginable a few years ago and this has helped melodic techno reach an ever wider audience. I think that we are going to have a separation between “Pop” Melodic Techno and “Club” Melodic Techno. Looking at myself, I can say to you that my goal at the moment is to get more and more recognition by people of the melodic techno scene and then start to try to become someone also for the main pop scene. I have a couple of dream collaborations that can be possible only if I will be able to reach a certain level of recognisability in the pop industry and that is definitely my long term goal.
HMWL – With “Who You Are” now out in the world, what’s next for you? More vocals? More releases? Any exciting projects in the pipeline?
Defelice – I definitely have a lot of music ready at the moment and I can say to you that you can expect both instrumental or big vocal tracks like “Who You Are” in the next couple of months. Also keep an eye on some interesting collabs that I have in the pipeline that you will definitely be surprised about 😉
Pick up a copy of Who You Are here – https://www.beatport.com/release/who-you-are-extended-version/4944819