With releases on some of the worlds most respected labels, and a penchant for storytelling though melody and sound, Atelier Francesco is a welcome addition to the Constant Circles roster. Ahead of his remix of Lorenzo Calvio‘s ‘Synth First‘, we invited him along for a chat, and a guest mix on the radio show.

First of all, how long have you been producing as Atelier Francesco? Is this your first project, or have you had other aliases?

I have been working as Atelier Francesco for 4 years now. I do make music under another aliases, but I keep it a secret 🙂

What is your background and how did you get into music?

I studied music when I was a kid, and got straight into electronic music when I was really young. But I consider myself more of an inventor rather than a musician. Or maybe a storyteller that uses frequencies instead of words!

You are making your debut on CC with a remix of Lorenzo Calvio’s track “Synth First” – how did you approach the remix and what direction did you take it?

I had a clear idea regarding this remix – I had an image in my head of a beach, far away, somehow futuristic but sunny. All the sounds I’ve chosen to make this track had to fit with this image. Maybe this was a beach where I’ve been to, and I wanted to go back, or the effect that grey Berlin has, because I can hear a certain melancholy on the track. Maybe all those reasons together, but there is definitely a piece of my life there, I guess as always.

What is your production process and what are your key pieces of studio kit?
I’m not an hardware fan, I rather come up with ideas.. but I do have a fetish for contact microphones and microphones in general 🙂 As for the process, the idea comes first. I need to have an idea, a concept, a person or an image before starting to create a song.. then I start working on the most important element. It can be a rhythm structure, a sound, a melody, an effect… what happens next is always different, and mistakes are always welcome to be part of the game.

You often play live as well as DJing – tell us about your live shows and how they differ from your DJ sets. Which do you prefer?
On my Live show I use a deconstructed violin to make sounds, a Nordlead, some mics and controllers.. something different than the usual live set I would say. I love both DJing (long DJ sets) and live, I can’t say whatever I prefer one or the other. The live show has a lot of work behind, but I like my job so I can’t complain 🙂

What is the coolest gig you have ever played & why?
I think playing at the Brooklyn Mirage in New York was a really nice one, I was playing alongside Matthew Jonson, Frankey and Sandrino and some other heavyweights of the scene, and the club itself is a piece of art.

Can you tell us something about yourself that most people wouldn’t know?
Behind almost every track I ever made, there is a story. The way I choose, use and manipulate sounds, melodies or effects must be coherent with the image I have in my mind. It’s not just dance music, absolutely. If you hear my “All this for a Jump” on Cocoon Records, it’s the story of a person that cannot go beyond his fears, and there is a synth that represents his attempts to “jump”, but it never manages, until the end where the vocal says “I think I understand now: I chose to be afraid, but I own my choices” and it finally manages to “jump”. Also the melody in a way, tries to move away from its repetitive chord but can’t.

What do you have coming up in terms of releases?
I’m preparing an EP for Flying Circus at the moment, and finishing LOADS of music.

You can follow Atelier on Beatport and Soundcloud

You can also catch him on Constant Circles Radio: