Italian trio Solaire (Serj Muller, Filippo Diamantini & William Vincenzi) have made quite an impression on When We Dip over the last few weeks. Largely due to their fantastic new EP Autoritratto on Mexican imprint Cohesive (sister label of Mexa) which caught our earbuds in just the right manner. Their brooding, energetic techno looks set to propel them to bigger things in 2015 and deservedly so.
With all that in mind and hot off the release of Autoritratto (Dec 1st) we caught up with the young trio to discuss their fledgling project and all it entails!
Solaire: Facebook / / Soundcloud
Whose decision was it to start a trio then? And how did it first come about?
Filippo: It all started when I met Serj on a job and, knowing that he was also a producer, I said to him that we must do some tracks together. It was something that I had thought about before and after that chance meeting it became a reality.
And how did you all meet? Were you friends before you realized you’d similar music tastes?
We had the same passion and we lived in the same place but we did not know each other. A nice afternoon at the table and we decided for all three of us to unite in the studio and see what happens. Then shortly after we released our first EP so it was clear we were all on the same wavelength. ☺
We wanted to ask about the Italian and Brazilian scenes – how do they measure up to one another?
Like I said before, William feels more Italian so doesn’t make that comparison with the two, but anyway there are some great Brazilian artists in techno we like, like Gui Boratto.
So where are you all based these days then? How does the production process work between you guys?
Each of us have the possibility to work at home and carry the ideas into the studio to close it. We have two studios now. The main one is Filippo’s studio, than we have the new studio of William’s. We must use every free moment to make music because between university and our jobs, we can’t devote 100% of the time unfortunately.
Do you all DJ together too? Or how does that work?
At the moment we play with vinyl all three together but we are planning to play live. The live idea fascinates us a lot because we can express ourselves the most.
Have you all produced individually before you started to work together? Who’s in charge of what in the studio?
Serj: Filippo has produced already for a while by just going out on some independent labels, but William and I are still starting to learn. The “conductor of the orchestra” is Filippo because of his great knowledge and skills.
How do your sounds compliment one another? Do you agree on most things in the studio?
William: Sure, then when Filippo joins us, we can add to our dark sound some more musical and melodical stuff. Of course sometimes it happens that we do not agree but it’s part of the job. Tracks must reflect what we are musically so we each put a little bit of ourselves.
So what was the original idea behind the Cohesive release? And how did it end up on a really cool label such as Cohesive?
Some time ago we came in contact with a label (Serkal) that was interested about our project. Then they decided that it was not really their style but told us that Mexa might appreciate it. From there came the collaboration and friendship with Alex Rubio co-founder of Mexa. He proposed us his project about Cohesive.The project has fascinated us and we like the fact that he proposed some type of techno.
So has the label really supported you from the start then?
Alex has liked everything that we have came up with so far, and it is nice especially the fact that he believes in us and knows that we are young producers. Alex has done a wonderful job with our EP in every aspect. He is a true professional.
Do you find you’re all still finding your feet as a trio? If there was one thing you could improve about Solaire,what would it be?
You can always be better. We don’t think we are yet complete, but evolution is a constant development. It’s a journey that never ends and the beauty is not to “become” but the journey itself.
What’s your involvement with the local scenes at home? Do you promote any parties or have any residencies?
No for the moment we want to invest our energy to produce and perform only.
What’s been your most memorable gig since you started? Is the best yet to come from you?
So far we have had to perform in various clubs, local and national. Unfortunately here there is little culture of this music so it is difficult to come out as an artist. We hope to come out and be appreciated for our production.
Are you full-time producers? What else takes up your time?
We are working hard to make it work. Filippo started working as a nurse while William and Serj work. We use every single moment that we have to come together in the studio. Then as I said before, everyone at home can work and then finish the project in studio.
What do you see as the future for Solaire?
We hope to do many great records and enter into the elite of the most talented producers. We think that we can offer the public a kind of music never heard before. We want to excite the listeners. Techno is not only hard kicks and bass, but you can create trips and tell something different.