ITW : WORG [LYKOS RECORDS]

Thank you Worg for accepting InDepth’s invitation! Alongside this interview, you have recorded a live performance for InDepth. How did you prepare it and what was the idea you wanted to convey through it?

First of all thank you for the invitation, it’s a pleasure to take part of this beautiful podcasts series.

The preparation behind a live for me is always the same, first of all I have to acquire enough new material that has more or less a common background idea, then add it to the live project (which are actually different, depending on the situation in which I have to play), then get familiar with this material and start playing with it, breaking it down, manipulating it in different ways and at the same time adding other sounds either from the Ableton Live project itself or from external machines.

For this podcast in particular I wanted to try some unreleased material that I’m working on recently and that I added to what I called “LIVE DEEP”, having as I said before different types of projects for the live on Ableton and that I choose to play depending on the occasion. The basic idea, anyway, is to tell a story, make people dance and to accompany the audience in a voyage.

Can you tell us a bit about your process of producing for your tracks and this live ?

The process behind the creation of a track is never the same. One thing I’ve learned to do with time is to divide the work in the studio into three phases: Creative phase, which is the most fun for me, where I spend whole days creating and recording sounds, experimenting with vst or synth hardware, creating patches, percussive grooves or libraries of sounds and presets.

Another phase is dedicated to writing and arranging the tracks. I analyze the material I previously recorded, I do an editing job cutting and selecting only the audio material that interests me and I try to assemble it. Then I add a few more sounds made on the moment and I build the skeleton of the track and start processing the audio signal with dynamics, spectrum and effect processors. Another thing I do at this stage is to draw or edit real-time automations on the arrangement section of Ableton Live, for the various individual sounds.

The last phase is the one I dedicate to the mixing of the track, raising or giving energy to the single sounds by mixing them together and working a lot with eqs, compressors and the stereophonic spatialization of the sounds.

For the live the procedure is as I explained before I acquire the material by finishing the tracks then I break them down into 8 elements or stems and add them to the various projects of the live.    

What do you often do to get inspired ?

Seeking inspiration for me means walking through my city Rome. Take a walk in the alleys of the city centre, or in the historical districts like Trastevere or Monti or in the villages like Testaccio or Ostiense. Visiting some church or monument or going to see some exhibition helps me a lot.

In these strange days with Covid-19 virus and quarantine, do you feel you are more motivated and inspired, or less?

Let’s say that I only have more time to dedicate to production and music, but I don’t feel very inspired and I think I have few external stimuli or I don’t have them at all, not being able to do certain things.

With this podcast and this interesting talk, we are discovering your music and your studio process but now, can you describe yourself ? Your background and what you do today. And how did you started your journey in electronic music ? 

I’m an electronic music teacher in a music school in Rome and until a year ago I was working in an audio post-production studio (mixing and mastering). My electronic music journey began at the age of 16 when I started going to the first parties and attending first raves and then clubs. After years spent in the dancefloor, after finishing high school I decided to enroll at Saint Louis College of Music one of the most prestigious music school in Rome, where I graduated in Electronic Music Composition, discussing a thesis on granular synthesis.

After graduating for a period I devoted myself entirely to the artistic aspect and then to teaching and working as a mixing and mastering engineer.

Can you tell us more about your label «Lykos Records» ?

Lykos Records draws its inspiration on such a decadent charm. The label builds its poetics on journeys through time and history, with particular attention to that aura that still today makes both Greek and Latin mythologies eternal and memorable. The musical style varies from a deep, hypnotic and mental sound to rougher, visceral and pressing ones. A new generation of artists and remixers, flanked by some of the most renowned international masters, are involved.

Each release is a unique piece for collectors as it is enriched by hand-drawn artwork. Actually, the ruins of ancient Rome are illustrated by artist Roberto Mulliri, whose works condense the magic of two thousand years of history. His drawings recall the seventeenth-century engravings, with exasperated perspective visions mixed with violent optical effects. The illustrations on the covers of Lykos Records are an invitation to discover some precious Roman treasures – they are a journey through myths and legends between Colosseum, Pantheon and the Imperial Forums.

The label is nourished of Rome, of its history and of those souls that roam its streets.

As label owner, you probably receive lots of demos from artists. What makes you decide whether or not you work with an artist ?

Yes I get a lot of emails from a lot of producers many are also very promising. Unfortunately (or luckily) for the moment I only work with people I’m in contact with, with whom I work in my daily life and whom I respect as a person (having met them) and then also as artists. Then being a small independent label I do not print many records per year so already in September I have all the releases already scheduled.

What’s coming next for you in the spring and summer, any plans, releases or exciting projects you’d love to mention?

As for the label (despite several delays due to this virus) I’m planning two releases, the first LYKOS-IV by one of the Roman artists I esteem most and with whom I had the pleasure to work in his mastering studio, that is Gianluca Meloni in art Laertes, who presents an ep with two originals of his and two remixes, one made by me and the other by the great Psyk. And then there will be LYKOS-V where I’ll come back with two originals and two remixes of which I don’t want to reveal the identity yet.

As for the personal profile I have two releases in June with OPL on Illegal Alien and a vinyl always with OPL, out in September on the French label Lowless. Then I have several V/A’s coming out in the next months and then another record coming out on a Korean label in Seoul with two originals and two remixes made by two artists that I admire very much and that I can’t wait to announce.