Fabricio Mosoni [Interview]

Fabricio Mosoni is a young DJ and producer, born in Cordoba, Argentina. Since he was a child he has shown an enormous passion for music, beginning to take drum lessons at the age of 6 at the conservatory in his city. Also some time later he would broaden his horizons by studying guitar and saxophone. At the age of 18 he discovers the world of electronic music, influenced by the deep and melodic sounds of artists like Guy J and John Digweed, he decides to start creating his own music. In recent years he has dedicated himself completely to polishing and deepening his own sound imprint, always in the constant search for new palettes of sounds and atmospheres. This week sees Fabricio making his debut on Flown Records with 'Starting World / The Dream', alongside remixes from Kabi and Ric Niels.

Progressive Astronaut caught up with Fabricio to learn more about the release of 'Starting World / The Dream', his studio process, inspirations, future plans, and more. Enjoy.

Hi Fabricio, thanks for joining us. What is your current mood and what was the last piece of music you listened to?

Hi guys, thank you for the invitation! It’s Monday today so I am in a good mood, with my energy recharged from the weekend. The last piece of music I listened to was The Smiths – This Night Has Opened My Life.

How has the winter in Argentina been so far? And what are your plans for the coming week?

It’s been great for me, it’s my favourite season of the year, so cold weather is always welcome! This week I will go back to the studio after a little break that I took to refresh my ideas. Also I am preparing a 6hs set for the weekend. I will play at one of my best friend's birthday party.

Do you consider yourself a DJ or producer first? And which do you enjoy more and why?

Although I am listening to new music all the time, looking for new weapons for the dancefloor, I would say that at this moment of my life I consider myself more as a producer than as a DJ. But to be honest I enjoy both of them equally. Playing music in a packed club is amazing but finishing a track which I feel proud of, is an amazing feeling as well.

You have been involved in music since a very young age, taking drum, guitar and saxophone lessons beginning at the age of six. How did this more traditional interest and education in music shift into electronic music? 

The drums were my first contact with music at the age of 6. I used to play with two sticks in a chair all the time, so my parents decided to send me to a local conservatory to take lessons (I was destroying almost all the house chairs lol). That year, they bought me a drum set for Christmas. A few years later I started playing the guitar and saxophone, which I still play sometimes. But when I was 15 years old or so, I remember I decided to “give a chance” to electronic music because a few friends of mine were listening to it. I played a random 16bit Lolitas set on Soundcloud but I got really interested in it after a few plays. I would say I shifted completely to electronic music when I went to see Guy J for the first time in 2015. I will never forget that night.

And to add to that, how did those early musical endeavors add to your repertoire as an electronic music producer?

It’s not a coincidence that I consider drums as the most important element when I make music as well as when I listen to it. Those drum lessons I took when I was a kid gave me a strong sense of rhythm and it is undoubtedly my biggest strength in music production.

When you were first getting started in production did you have someone help you or are you completely self-taught? And what would you recommend new producers do to help with the learning curve of production?

In 2017 I attended a 6 month production course with Claudio from Analog Jungs. I think it's really good to learn and take lessons, but if I have to recommend something to new producers is that they have to try making music everyday. I know it's hard and there are days that it feels impossible to create something new, but for me it is the only way to polish your sound and get better in your production skills. Also you have to trust in your sound and ask yourself what do you want to transmit with your music!

When we ask most artists what is responsible for the popularity of progressive music in Argentina the overwhelming answer is Hernan Cattaneo, would that be your feeling also? And if so please speak on that, also to add to that, who else from Argentina inspired you when you first discovered the music?

I have no doubt that Hernan is a big influence on most of Argentina’s progressive house producers. He was the first dj that supported my music in a “big” party, so I will always be grateful to him for that. But there are also other amazing artists from my country that really inspired me when I was starting such as Kevin Di Serna, Ditian and Soundexile.

If you were a tour-guide for nightlife in Argentina what would be the clubs you’d take the people to see and what local DJs do they need to hear?

If they are looking for an amazing party they definitely have to go to the mythical Forja here in Cordoba. The sound system and the lighting are always something else. Also Metropolitano in Rosario & Afrika Club in Buenos Aires are amazing venues to party as well. As far as local DJs are concerned, I would recommend Facundo Mohrr and This & That. I think they have an amazing music taste.

You are based in Cordoba along with many other great producers like Antrim, Analog Jungs, Ezequiel Arias and so many others. For someone who has never been to Argentina, how does the scene in Cordoba differ from say Buenos Aires, or is there any difference at all?

I don’t know so much about the Buenos Aires scene to be honest. But it seems to me that here in Córdoba there are bigger events for thousands of people, in  Forja or La Fabrica. Whereas in Buenos Aires the clubbing scene is stronger.

If you are not DJing or socializing at clubs, where do we find you in Argentina? And doing what?

You will find me for sure in my studio or in El Almendro, which is one of my best friend’s studio. It has a proper acoustic room and amazing gear so I oftenly go there to check my mixes.

Take us through a day in your life, from a possible morning routine through to your production work and more, please.

It’s not so much going on to be honest. Some days of the week I am giving production classes during the morning. If not, I am almost everyday in my studio checking new ideas or retouching older tracks. I try to go for a run a few times a week. It helps me to clear my mind and to reset my ideas.

You have a new EP ‘Starting World/The Dream’, out this week on Flown Records, tell us about the release and how these tracks showcase your current sound.

Yes and I am very happy about that! After a few years of working on my sound, this year I felt that I was ready to let some of my tracks be seen by the world. These two tracks showcase my deeper side I think. Both have heavy atmospheres but they are still very rhythmic. I am very proud of the result.

This is actually your first official release and you’ve made quite an impact with it in our opinion, how has the reaction been so far from your side?

Oh thank you! So far the reaction was great. The tracks have been spinning a lot by the hands of different DJs that I really admire. Also I saw a lot of people asking for the name of the tracks which I think is a good thing!

Why was Flown Records the right label to showcase your first release?

It felt right to release my first EP on Flown Records after I met Scippo & Figueras (label owners) a few months ago in Buenos Aires. I noticed that they are really kind and gentle people. Also over time they became friends. To be honest, I am not very interested in releasing music on a label which I don't know anything about the people behind it. The human factor is crucial to me.

The remixes from Kabi and Ric Niels are also amazing, some of their career best remixes I would say, how do you feel about your music being remixed in general?

I couldn’t be happier with the remixes. I have been following Kabi and Ric's work for years, so when I was informed that they were going to remix my music I knew the EP would be a bomb. I love remix culture, listening to other versions of my music is something crazy and fascinating.

Let our readers inside your studio. What does your current set-up look like? Do you favor physical gear over digital? And what studio tools featured heavily in the writing of the EP for Flown?

I am working with PC & Ableton. I have a pair of Mackie Mr6 studio monitors. A PreSonus Studio 24c audio interface, an Arturia Midi Keyboard and a Behringer Model D Synthetizer which is my latest addition to the studio and it is a beast for leads and basslines. For the Flown EP I use mostly native Ableton vsts and heavy sampling from old records and movies. I'm really into cinema so I like hiding some dialogues or spoken words in my tracks.

What is the task you enjoy the most when producing and what would you prefer someone else to do?

I really like writing drum grooves and basslines. I struggle a little bit with the melodies but I think I am getting better at it.

Now let’s talk about DJing for a moment, it’s a unique discipline at the border between presenting great music and creating something new with it, between composition and improvisation to an extent. How would you describe your approach to it?

Reading the crowd is the most important in my opinion. If you have great music in your usb stick but you put the tracks in the wrong moment it won’t be good for sure. So in every gig I try looking at the people all the time and see how they are reacting to the music I am playing.

Can you tell me a bit about how your work as a DJ has influenced your view of music, your way of listening to tracks and perhaps also, your work as a producer?

Djing and producing are two activities that feed each other. As I get better at producing I get better at DJing, and vice versa. Whenever I play music I take notes of the tracks that worked really well in the dancefloor so I can apply certain aspects of these tracks in my music.

How much prep do you put into the tracks you choose to play?

Not so much honestly, I mark a few cue points and I do some folders for different moments of the set. Or sometimes I edit in Ableton some part of a track.

If you could set up an event with a line-up of five artists of your choice, who would you book and what set times would you ascribe to the artists?

It would go like this:

Dixon b2b Ame 04am to 06am
John Digweed 02am to 04am
Sofia Kourtesis 00am to 02am
Facundo Mohrr 11pm to 00am

Current top five tracks?

Tayga – Jam Sensation

Yourr – After The Laughter (Zahir Tribal Touch)

Marc Romboy – Aurora (Ivory Sunrise Mix)

Satoshi Fumi – Crystalline

Presia – Superette

Aside from music, what makes you happiest?

It’s cliché I know, but being with my friends is always the best plan for me.

Now that your first release is out, what does the remainder of 2023 hold for you? Anything you can share with us?

I have a track coming out on Earthly Delights in September. It's a melodic one with industrial percussion and tribal voices. Also I will be giving a very special remix of Bonobo that I did last year as a free download. So stay tuned for more news!

'Starting World / The Dream' is available now via Flown Records: https://bit.ly/3OIiROE