Alchimist [Interview]

Alchimist, whose real name is Trianni Fabrizio, was born in 1966 in Gallipoli in Italy. In 1980 under his first stage name he follows a career as a DJ until 2012. In the same year, moving to Belgium, he gives life to his new musical project Alchimist. Fabrizio loved music from an early age and made electronic music his passion, composing with a pc "Amiga 500" keyboards Roland, Alessis, Korg etc .. Fascinated by computers and turntables he started using both for mixing at the age of 14. Attending parties and concerts and frequenting the radios, he realized that his place was behind his particular consoles and not on the dance floor! He then dedicated himself to perfecting his DJ Producer skills by composing songs inspired by the soundtracks of Hanz Zimmer, James Horner, M83, and Jean Michael Jarre. Also influenced by the science fiction literature of great writers such as Isacc asimov, from which he takes inspiration for the titles of his productions. A fusion of virtual and digital technologies characterize him in his genre, his skills concern, in addition to musical knowledge, the overall supervision of the work and his excellent ability to know how to use machines and software. Furthermore he has the particular sensitivity in creating melodies that meet the taste of the reference public such as the "Techno Melodic" He quickly attracted the attention of record companies and signed contracts with several labels such as Technological record / LTU record / See to Sea record / Sonno record / Wout record His music is available on all reputable download platforms. Nowadays, Alchimist is entering charts like, iTunes, Beatport, Apple Music with his EPs “Astra chapters, “Foundation,” Tales of robot, “Positronics “Final Odyssey and many more! This week finds Alchimist returning to Wout Records with a new EP 'Nuage Électrique'.

Progressive Astronaut caught up with Alchimist to learn more about the release of 'Nuage Électrique', his background, creative process, DJing, and more. Enjoy.

Hi Trianni, thanks for joining us. How are you doing today? And what was the last piece of music you listened to?

Hello to you, I'm fine thanks, I'm full of energy. Lately I've been listening to the song "je exist" from the album "nuage electrique" because it's a piece that gives me a lot of energy.

How has your year been so far and what are your plans for the week?

I must say that 2023 is a year in which I dedicated myself a lot to production, I will also spend the next few weeks in the studio producing, I can't do without it, it's something that makes me feel good

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

I consider myself a producer with DJ experience among other things and therefore I feel complete from this point of view. I myself think of the "colleague", let's say that he will play my music and therefore I try to convey as much as possible what I want to express and what I would like to come across.

You have been producing for quite some time, all the way back to the days of the infamous Amiga 500, tell how you initially discovered electronic music and how you eventually got into producing at the early age of 14.

I was 13 years old when my older brother Cosimo bought Giorgio's album EMC2 and played it continuously, I was fascinated by those sounds so different from those I had listened to previously. In short, everything began in an almost natural way. A few months later I bought a midi keyboard which was rare at the time and interfaced it with the Amiga 500 plus. I played in a small closet under my mother's house covered with gray carpet, I can still smell it, and I never stopped from there. As the months went by I enriched my little improvised studio with a Roland poly 800, an Alessis drum machine, a Fostex 8-channel multitrack. I dedicated my entire adolescence to music, aided by Lenco is75 mixing all the hits of the 80s.

Tell us about growing up in Italy, how did it affect your path into electronic music? And who were some Italian artists you admired in your younger years?

I've always been attracted to new sounds. I listened to Giorgio Moroder, Vangelist, Depeche Mode, and the Rockets. I listened to every soundtrack, imagining it in an electronic guise, I was attracted to delay and reverb as well as flanger and chorus, these were the sounds that would make the music of the future.

You moved to Belgium in 2012, after living in Italy for over 40 years, how did the re-location affect your creativity in the studio and passion for music overall?

So, I arrived in Belgium with a suitcase full of ideas and the desire to do something new. I was ready for the journey of realization. It's never too late. So I started my new studio and the Alchimist musical chapters project, publishing the first EP "Astra chapters" with Tecnological records

How would you compare the nightlife of both countries?

Nightlife in Belgium is more eclectic, people want to have fun to make the grayness of life disappear through music and healthy fun. I believe that in Italy, however, electronic music is more niche. During my Italian nights I tended to listen to more commercial music than electronic or techno. Here in Belgium I find it appreciated by a wider audience, simply that.

You have a new EP ‘Nuage Électrique’ out this week on Wout Records, tell us about the release and how it showcases your current sound.

First of all I would like to thank Wout Records who, with their professionalism, gave me the opportunity to launch "nuage eletrique", a record made up of 5 unreleased songs and the 3rd album that I have released with them. They know how to enhance my sound as they give me the opportunity and freedom to use innovative techniques in the musical field without any limits whatsoever.

You’ve mentioned science fiction writer Isaac Asimov as someone you draw inspiration from, tell us about that and was there anything in particular which inspired the tracks on your ‘Nuage Électrique’ EP?

In recent years I have read many books and stories by Isaac Asimov, his were futuristic visions which are surprisingly current like that of artificial intelligence or that of the mix of mechanical parts inside a human body, we ask ourselves the question of what human remains by replacing the organs with Robotics and at the same time one is led to ask what is real and what is artificial in Nuege Electrique

Let our readers inside your studio for a moment, what is your current setup and what studio tools are featured heavily in your recent productions and more specifically your ‘Nuage Électrique’ EP?

For my production and mixing I use "Ableton 11 and it is a complete Daw in every aspect for the production of "Nuage Electrique I used arpeggios and sinty sounds made with "Diva" and "a vst like "Serum modulating the sounds in an original way. very satisfied with the result.

This is your third release on Wout Records, what was it about the label that makes it a good home for your music?

No fortunately this is the 3rd time that one of my EPs has been published by Wout Records I started with "Foundation and followed with "Tales of Robot in 2022 this year "Nuage Electrique, Wout Record as an independent label produces and promotes the products in the most qualified music stores with professionalism.

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

When I produce what I like most is the creation of the melody "the little loop" as I call it. When I compose I prefer to do it alone and a moment in which I concentrate all my creativity I am fascinated by the creation of the song and by the specific point in which to insert this loop, it is my moment and I prefer to do it by myself

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?

When I am at the console in an evening, I observe the audience in the room and I identify with them and I ask myself what I would like to listen to, I close my eyes and go and propose everything I would like to listen to, and like a game, my technique includes 3 deck 1 2 and 3 which I use to launch loops of tracks that have left a mark.

How much prep do you put into the tracks you choose to play? Or are your sets totally spontaneous?

My DJ set is made like a piece of furniture full of drawers, in each drawer there is a series of songs that are the most popular, in another drawer there are unreleased songs and in yet another the tracks that made the history of the 80s 90 and 2000. It comes naturally to me to take certain flights of fancy with the tracks, it's like having your own mental map that you share with others. To explain what I mean, I always give the example of a cultured man who is such precisely because he manages to find within his knowledge the source he is looking for. For me it's the same thing with music, I know where to look for the pieces that I want. they serve to assemble my music in a certain sense. It is knowledge of the subject and passion.

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?

I listen to a lot of music and for a DJ it is an excellent tool to keep up to date but this also helps me stimulate my creativity as a producer. For me they are two worlds that travel parallel on a single track until they merge into a production. It's difficult to say where the DJ begins and where the producer's work ends.

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?

I would have this phantasmagoric evening opened from 6pm to 8pm by “Paul Kalkbrenner 20 22 “Charlot de Witte, 22 23 “Amelie Lens, 23 24 “ Tales of us, 24 04 “ Anyma

If you were not a DJ/Producer what do you think you’d be doing with your life?

Since I play both drums, keyboards and guitar I would most likely play in a band

Current top five tracks?

my 5 favorite tracks?

Etenity Anyma, TuraniQa

Airsand - Better Off Alone

Ruback Sevenn - Riders On The Storm,

Manu Cerasa - Dark Places,

Alchemist Guilty or innocent

What’s a book you’ve read or film you watched that has left an impact on you, and why?

The book he is reading is Wohpe by Salvatore Sanfilippo, very exciting and clear, it raises reflections on life itself. I can't say more, I would ruin the reading but I recommend it.

Apart from music, what makes you happiest?

Music for me is already happiness, in the same way family is happiness. The rest, let's say, which has less value for me, I live on music and the production of it is poetry for me so I don't want anything else.

What does 2024 hold for you in terms of releases and gigs? Anything you can share with us?

For 2024 I am working on a new EP "Asilomar composed of three tracks which I hope to release in February, the rest will be seen. I thank you for the time dedicated to me and best wishes for a 2024 made of serenity and peace.

'Nuage Électrique' is available now via Wout Records: https://tinyurl.com/bdewn3b6