Next in line to tackle the acclaimed Picture series from Dynamic is Italian Sasha Carassi. He is a veteran who has long been deeply entrenched in thecae so has some serious studio skills. He shows that on six superb tracks that are all masterfully emotive and majestically melodic with slick grooves to boot. Here we speak to him about his native scene, what makes his sound unique, his inspirations and more…
How has 2019 been for you? What been good and bad?
The 2019 has been a kind of “gap year” for me, full of meditation and ideas. I was thinking about a switch in my career because everything, that I heard around me, had no longer the same feeling with me. So I have dug deeply inside myself, trying to understand what is the right direction. I love spending a lot of time in the studio and I love producing, so on this side it has been a very good year. On the gigs side I can’t say the same, i didn’t play as much this year as i have in the past.
How did the link up with Dynamic come about for the new Pictures series?
In the summer of 2015 Solomun played many times my track “Echoes”, since that moment I have come into contact with him. About one year ago I started to send him a lot of demos, including an album, from which he chose the six tracks for “Picture”.
What inspired or influenced the music? Did you have a plan for it for the start?
Everything inspired me, mainly my vinyls collections. I didn’t have a well-defined plan, but it was an ongoing process. I certainly gave importance to my roots, which include funk, soul, rock, house, techno, electronica and breakbeat, trying to mix and balance these different influences.
As an Italian do you have a certain distant sound that comes form your homeland do you think? More melodic, maybe?
The melody has been the essential ingredient for me, also in my techno productions I have never put it aside. I believe Italian people could appreciate this electronic side of dance music, so I don’t feel myself far from the sound.
What is the scene like back home? Healthy? Vibrant, lots of young talents?
The scene in Naples was, is and will be always healthy, in my opinion it’s one of the most interesting in Italy. We had a very big house music culture in the 90’s and techno in the following years and I believe also for that reason there are and there will be even more artists coming out of Naples.
There are lots of organs, strings, guitar sounds in the music – are you formally trained in music?
I’m not a musician, I’m a producer, I play synthesizers quite well. Obviously the softwares has helped me a lot to compose the tracks, but I’ve got a friend of mine Alfredo Pavia, who has played some parts of bass, electric and acoustic guitars.
What else have you got coming up?
I have many tracks to complete and so I would like to release an album in 2020.
Do you DJ the same music you make, are they related like that?
It depends on many factors, for example where I play and what kind of dance floor I’m playing for. Usually my sets are eclectic, I never focus on only one style, also because a static set could become boring for me.
What dreams and goals and hopes do you have for 2020?
As I said earlier, I would like to make an album and obviously I would like to play my music around the world, mainly in the biggest festivals.
Will you set any new years resolutions?
Usually I don’t set anything. I leave everything to fate!
You can hear the seventh instalment of the Picture series on Beatport here…
https://www.beatport.com/release/picture-sasha-carassi/2773643
