Aki Bergen & Richter are an Italian duo who are making a name for their unique style of production and their versatility when it comes to their sets. With a recent release ‘Fly From Here’ just out on their own label Neurotraxx, we caught 15 minutes with the guys to find out how their work styles combine and work so well together….
Interview by Ian Fleming
How are you, what’s good, what’s bad in your world today?
Aki & Richter: Everything’s cool, thank you! Nothing bad, we always focus on positive things.
Why do you love techno so much? When did you first get into it? What draws you to it?
Richter: It is a new way of doing and thinking about music, and one of the few true revolutions of recent decades. Personally I love the way it manages to engage mentally and physically. I started off listening to it by chance: I was invited to a well- known Italian club where Sven Vath was performing several years ago and from there it all began.
Aki: Love is inexplicable by definition. It’s something you feel, a sort of natural attraction for something or someone. Techno is one of my very first loves and it still is. Back in the days when I was a teen, I was immediately caught by 90s early techno movement while listening to its godfathers Derrick May, Rich Davis, Kevin Saunderson and Juan Atkins as well. Unfortunately, when techno music started in the 80s, I was too young to properly enjoy it, such a shame!
You both hail from Italy – what is the music scene like there? Is it thriving, are there lots of young producers and DJs coming up? Anyone we should check out?
Aki & Richter: The music scene here has alot of potential, cannot say the contrary. The problem is that promoters always book the same names, often not particularly talented, just because someone has put in a good word for them or they’re quite close to certain people. This is very bad for many other artists, way more talented, since they have to seek their own way elsewhere just because they do not have those kind of connections. We don’t think this is something happening only here after all. If we had to make a name, we’d advise you to keep an eye on Luyo and its own label Double Cheese Records.
When did you guys first meet? Why did you start working together? What made it work?
Aki & Richter: We were introduced by a mutual friend. We talked a lot and saw that our ideas, tastes and direction of our careers were coincided. All the rest came in a very natural and spontaneous way.
Can you describe each other to us in a few sentences? What do you love and hate about one another?
Richter: Aki is a guy with whom it is very easy to get along. Compared to me he is more reserved, party less and has less temperamental excesses. His tastes on girls are very similar to mine, which for me is good (in case we would get to know some twin!). If I hated something about him, we would not be a duo and would not make music together.
Aki: I’d say we are a couple, a sort of! Rich is a party animal and totally out of his mind! His craziness (a very good and genuine one) is what really makes the difference. He’s loyal and straight as an arrow which is rare nowadays. Moreover he’s likely the most talented piano player and music producer I’ve ever worked with, so there’s nothing to hate about him but now buddy, just hand 50 bucks over for the nice words! lol
Whats it like when you two get together? What does each bring to the table? Do you work in a studio or over the internet?What does each of you do, do you have set roles?
Aki & Richter: We live in two different cities, so we work mainly over the Internet. We have no fixed patterns: one of the two put a rhythmic or melodic idea into the sequencer and sends it to the other that develops it, then we complete the whole thing together. It is as simple as that.
How different is collaborating VS working solo, do you approach it differently?
Aki & Richter: There’s quite a big difference in terms of how we feel the music itself. The approach is mostly as the same as we described above but working together with someone you’re musically connected to is a new way of conceiving music production. We believe that our tunes are the exact balance between us, as human beings and artists as well.
Tell us about your latest EP Fly From Here – what inspired it or influenced it?
Aki & Rich: Our primary needs is to express ourselves at all costs, thus it’s all about the feeling. In this case, we tried to mix vocals, dark synths soundscapes and melodies in order to achieve a true rich sounding material. As you know, we teamed up with Luben who’s an amazing artist (btw don’t look for him, he’s ours!) and the final result is what something warm and uncommon. We’ve been seeking for our own sound since we started off working together and in our humble opinion we made it cool.
What gear did you use on it? Are you hardware or software guys?
Richter: Although I am a pianist and keyboard player, I prefer the software. The wiring and the settings are something that takes away a lot of the time that I’d rather use to make music instead. Software then has reached excellent levels in so many cases.
Aki: I’m mainly into hardware. I own an interesting collection of vintage synths, compressors, EQs and gears for post-production purpose. It allows me to easily find any sound I’m looking for. I gotta say I’m not that strict on this point as I do love software too. In the end, I reckon that a proper use of both is the right choice for the two of us.
After so long in the game, what have you learnt about the music business? What would you change?
Aki & Richter: We have learned to be very careful and trust our instincts when it comes to making decisions or choose the right people with whom to work. If we could, certainly we’d change the way of choosing artists by some successful labels or agencies. As we said before, all too often the right connections have priority over talent.
And what are you most proud of in your career so far? What do you think is your best achievement?
Richter: Release on certain major labels such Universal Music or play in certain places or certain distant countries, such as Japan. Although I do not focus too much on the past, since I believe that the best is yet to come.
Aki: I won a gold disk and have had my music for commercials and movies as well. It was kinda a cool thing. Anyways, the past is gone and I’m so excited to meeting up the future.
What else you got coming up/are you excited about?
Aki & Richter: We have a lot of new stuff coming out in the next few weeks and lots in the oven either. Better keep our mouth shut for the moment but there’ll be many surprises, we assure it!
How do you like to spend your money and relax away from music? What are your hobbies?
Richter: I have always loved to be in the environment, so even when we do not work I love to go clubbing. Outside of music, I’m a big fan of video games, anime, manga and Japanese culture in general. So when I’m not in the studio or in some clubs, I am home to tidy up my Nintendo collection.
Aki: Free time is a Chimaera. When I’m not at studio or playing somewhere with my buddy, I do lectures at music schools so it’s not that easy to find some good relaxing moments. Nevertheless, I always try to make some room for sport, friends and countryside as well. Yes, I do love the countryside and all of those farmish stuff!
Aki & Richter’s ‘Fly From Here’ is out now on Neurotraxx
Grab it here – https://www.beatport.com/release/fly-from-here-ep/1752629
