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All modern dance music (or music in general) is a mixture of the old and new, but taking a strong inspiration from the past whilst also cementing your own unique and authoritative sound is something so few people manage to do. That is exactly what Younger Than Me have done, their sound is an unapologetic love letter to the heady peak days of the 90s. Taking influence from Progressive House, Trance, EBM, Breakbeat, and Techno ideas but incorporating that into their own take on what this should sound like.

Francesco Mingrino has been releasing music across a host of well regarded labels, from Jennifer Cardini’s “Dischi Autunno” to the Tusk Wax offshoot “90’s Wax” and many more, each record has been a must buy record and a good example of Francesco’s passion for the music and the dancefloor experience that creates. With his debut LP just around the corner, we felt it was high time to get him back on the site to talk a bit about the music that inspired his music and his LP “**The Golden Age Of Love**” specifically, from the original cornerstones of modern music as we know it, to more obscure pieces you might not know.

INTERVIEW

Hey Francesco, great to have you back! How does it feel to be releasing your debut LP?
Hey guys, happy to come back :) Finally, it’s out, lol. It was a very long wait, taking about 3 years from when I finished the LP until the release date – perhaps too long. Listening to the tunes over and over for two years made them feel old. Music is constantly evolving, as am I, but with all the positive feedback, I can say that it was just my initial feeling, and I’m really happy about this LP. It’s an album, so no need to focus on dancefloor bangers; it’s more of a retrospective of the artist, even though I still play some tracks like “Zaratustra Dance” and “Sadness is the Only Way to Happiness” in all my sets.

Where did you produce the record, and can you tell us a little bit about your studio and how you produce a record?
I decided many years ago not to focus solely on analog production because it limits the creative process. After that decision, I streamlined my studio to include only the gear I really use, along with digital plug-ins. You can hear all my productions featuring my favorite synth, the JP8080 from Roland, plus my baby Electribe, the Yamaha dx200, and the Emu extreme series.

“The Golden Age Of Love” is a vibrant homage to ’90s rave culture. What draws you to this era, and how do you balance nostalgia with innovation in your music?
I’m a ’90s kid who grew up in the late ’90s and early 2000s. I began my ‘raver career’ with Tekno Illegal Parties featuring Spiral Tribe, Teknambul, while also listening to Francesco Farfa and other old Italian DJs from the ’90s in some clubs. What I really miss and try to bring into all my sets and productions is the spirit of this age. It was a real game-changer, not just the music, the crowd, the club, and the building, but the spirit of freedom and revolution. These two vital feelings were blended perfectly to create “The Age Of Love,” so I tried to find these two emotions in my music.

Your music is described as a dynamic blend of various ’90s electronic genres. How do you approach blending these styles & ideas while maintaining a cohesive sound throughout the album? What elements of that era do you find most compelling, and how do you balance these different energies to ensure a fluid listening experience?
It’s the balance of my music plus my set, my old school background mixed with new influences. I love crossover tracks and sets, and this balance gives me the feeling of movement, whether we’re talking about production or a DJ set – it’s the same. Unfortunately, what I have noticed lately is that electronic and club music has lost its political and rebellious edge for which it was born. Even the lyrics and choruses of tracks lack substance, often simply stating the name of a drug followed by a straight beat and pedal. Let’s take, for example, the track by Spiral Tribe, “Forward The Revolution.” The repetitive lyrics go: “You may stop the party but you can’t stop the future,” merging rebellion, freedom, and fun. This is what we seem to have somewhat lost in our days compared to the ’90s.

The title, “The Golden Age Of Love,” suggests a thematic focus on love. How does this manifest across the tracks, and what does “love” mean in the context of your music?
Love is everything in my life, just as it is in music. It is the cornerstone feeling that guides my existence; without it, there is no life and no music. Despite the fact that my job requires 24-hour dedication, music remains my foremost passion. It’s not just a job; it’s dedication, care, and love.

How do you see your music contributing to the current electronic music landscape?
I can talk more about the intention rather than the actual contribution; that will only be visible to posterity. What I’ve been trying to do for a while is to educate the new generations, and I feel this task is becoming increasingly important. Let me explain why: Certainly, the new generations of producers and musicians have been born and raised with modern technology, giving them greater ability to learn and use modern technology to produce a better-sounding product. However, what we are losing, especially after COVID-19, is the desire to listen to more complex music, music with a spirit, perhaps more challenging for a dancefloor but with more emotion. Just look at the phenomenon of trance pop, of which I won’t mention specific names, but the reference is clear enough. So, if even we ‘veterans’ exploit this momentary hype to make only simple dancefloor music, we lose the role of educators that we absolutely need to be for the new generations.

Considering the global influence of Italian electronic music, how do you think your Italian heritage influences your sound and approach to music production? Do you really think it’s that relevant at the moment?
I noticed that in the past, during the ’80s and ’90s, after that, the Italian influence in the global world of electronic music disappeared for years. Now we have a lot of great Italian artists, but I don’t see a proper movement as in the past, and that’s really sad!

You’ve released music on a variety of labels, including your own 90’s Wax. Does running a label influence your artistic freedom and the way you release music?
I mean, 90s Wax is not my own label. I’m the art director because that was the deal with Chriss (owner of Tusk Wax and 90s Wax) from the beginning. On the 90s Wax label, only music from Younger Than Me or collaborations with Younger Than Me are released. It’s my opportunity to release what I really feel without compromises related to marketing, etc.

Collaboration seems to be a significant aspect of your work, featuring artists like Massimiliano Pagliara, Brame & Hamo, and Pablo Bozzi. How do these collaborations influence your creative process and the final sound of the tracks?
I truly love collaboration – it’s a fact! This extends not only to 90s Wax collaborations with Timothy Clerick, Skatebard, Francesco Farfa, Massi, Pablo, and Brame, and Hamo. Additionally, there’s the Y2C project with my best friend Luca (Curses), and an exciting collaboration in progress with Maruwa. This passion extends beyond just musical collaborations; it’s the same reason why I’m drawn to crossover tracks and DJ sets. I find joy in mixing, in blending, and in incorporating new things – even the unconventional ones. It’s the authentic soul of my creative process.

Reflecting on your journey so far, how has your music evolved from your early releases to this debut full-length album?
It’s still evolving, but there was a distinct point from my early releases where I shifted away from dark disco vibes, which weren’t really my style, to embracing 90’s rave vibes that align more closely with my musical preferences. What’s intriguing is that some people still perceive me as playing and producing 80’s vibes or categorize it as a new form of dark disco. Honestly, I moved away from that quite some time ago, specifically around 2017/2018. It’s truly mind-boggling for me. It’s like, “Have you been listening to my productions and sets for the past five years before booking me? Why am I playing in a dark disco night? Why do you still label me as ‘Italo’ in my description?” To be honest, I hate Italo Disco! Hahaha.

For your playlist we asked you to pick out tracks which inspired your music or directly inspired the music on the album, which of those tunes would you mark as being at the core of you as an artist?
I can say Underworld in general was and is my core inspiration. They were the exact switch from the ’80s bad sound to a more club-oriented music. But also everything that comes from the Manchester period was really inspiring me.

In your playlist, did you pick any tracks that most people might not know? Tell us about those more obscure tracks and what captured your imagination?
I don’t know. There are many tracks that are well-known to everyone (I hope), but perhaps tracks like Liquid X or Higher Intelligence Agency could help people better understand where the music that today’s ‘kids’ call Trance or ’90s actually comes from.

Are you touring the album? Where can people catch you live this year?
Yep, sure! Europe as usual, but I’ll be in Asia at the end of May for the album tour and the classic Mexico and Colombia tour in September and October.

Now that the album is in the bag, will you take a break from production, or do you have more coming soon?
I have a new EP coming on Skylax record with two remixes from two super talented artists: Greg from France and Mahkina from Mexico. I’m also working on a new EP in collaboration with Maruwa. The show must go on! Hugs, guys.

Order now, The Golden Age Of Love on 90’s wax.

Cet article Times & Tunes with Younger Than Me est apparu en premier sur Bolting Bits.

Younger Than Me announces his debut full length “The Golden Age Of Love”, to be released on 90’s Wax this coming March 2024. The record is the perfect example of the breadth of his irrepressible and unique sound. Featuring collaborations with Massimiliano Pagliara, Brame & Hamo and Pablo Bozzi. The artist is an Italian native known for a modern interpretation of ’90s club music’ – a dynamic blend of Progressive House, Trance, EBM, Breakbeat, and Techno ideas. This first album is a love letter to a deep-rooted passion for the idiosyncrasies of rave culture and the crossover points with contemporary electronic music.

Younger Than Me, an artistic project by Francesco Mingrino that is steeped in the nostalgia of ‘90s rave, yet not at all trapped in that past. A project that has cemented a special place in the electronic music scene with a string of records on labels like Bordello A Parigi, Amsterdam-Utrecht based platform XXX, Rotterdam’s Bar and Jennifer Cardini’s Dischi Autunno. To this point Francesco has pushed his fun yet forceful sound, with many releases on his own 90’s Wax, and collaborations with people like Skatebård, Francesco Farfa, Timothy Clerkin and Curses (as Y2C).

“The Golden Age Of Love” as a package is curated in Younger Than Me’s characteristic style. Opening with “Long Life Death”, a track that sets the stage with a cinematic soundscape in a classic Carpenter vibe. Picking up the tempo “Zarathustra Dance” takes you right into the golden age itself, its low slung beat and carefully sequenced lead line pushes an ever building tension designed to crack any dancefloor. The track with Massimiliano Pagliara, “Eternal Sunshine Of Solitary Mind”, is one of the highlights, perfectly building around a catchy lead with tight arpeggio and sequenced acid. Leading us into the 2nd half of the record “Sadness Is The Only Way To Happiness” is a proto-trance beast, inspired by that period in the early 90s when Trance was less bright lights and big stages and more dark rooms and smoke filled spaces, an ever building progressive run of haunting vocals, rave stabs and rolling bass.

Whilst YTM is at home presenting dancefloor focussed material, we see him explore the other side too, with “Memory Is A Clock” like the earlier “Vortix”, he ditches the 4×4 for breakbeat territory. Whilst the bass keeps the solid metronome you would expect, “Memory Is A Clock” is a track that takes a few moments, contemplative melody and trademark arpeggios take the lead. When it comes to the other collaborations on the record, the appearance of Brame And Hamo on “Raver’s Heart Is A Mess” sees them lean into the Progressive nature both artists love so much. Then Pablo Bozzi lends his own unique outlook to “We Don’t Know The Way, We Just Stay” in one of the standout tracks, epitomising Younger Than Me’s ability to create profound experiences.

The album concludes with “Music Will Never Stop, Heartbeat Will Never Fade, Party Will Never End”, less of a title and more of a personal philosophy – the perpetual essence of rave culture and its timeless impact on music. A rhythmic belter, juxtaposed with incendiary synth-lines and staple catchy sequence work, finishing the record with one of the true highpoints. In addition the release also features four digital bonus tracks, including “The Other Face Of Loneliness” and a Prog Dance Reshape of one of the records more eclectic cuts “Zarathustra Dance” all offering an extended exploration into the creative landscape YTM inhabits.

“The Golden Age Of Love” is a debut album that ticks all the boxes; it’s a celebration of a bygone era through the lens of the contemporary. Younger Than Me stands as a testament to the enduring spirit and evolving nature of the music that began in the ‘90s rave scene, with an LP that pushes Love, Progression and Fun to the forefront.

Pre-order.

text has been provided.

Cet article Younger Than Me – Zarathustra Dance [90’s Wax] est apparu en premier sur Bolting Bits.

Younger Than Me started it’s journey as a duo back in 2016, but a couple of years ago it turned to a solo project lead by Italian Francesco Mingrino with a home base in Berlin. With critically acclaimed releases on labels like Bordello A Parigi, Amsterdam-Utrecht based platform XXX, Rotterdam’s Bar and Jennifer Cardini’s Dischi Autunno – Francesco also founded his own 90’s Wax imprint in 2017. Since then he delivered both solo EPs and collaborations with the likes of Skatebård, Francesco Farfa and Timothy Clerkin. 90’s Wax operates as a sub-label of Tusk Wax and Francesco happens to be a co-owner of the parent label as well.

Offering a modern take on 90’s influenced progressive house, trance, EBM, breakbeat and techno – 90’s Wax pretty much defines Italian’s love for contemporary influences of club music and rave culture in general. Having founded a new DJ and production collaboration with Curses named Y2C – a project born during corona times and which sees the pair deliver their own version of “rave wave” pairing together their love for 80s new wave and 90s rave – the duo’s fresh “Still there” EP is available now through Live at Robert Johnson label.

About all this and Younger Than Me’s guest mix for Bolting Bits “Mixed By” series in the Q&A session below.

INTERVIEW

Hi Francesco! We hope this finds you well. Real pleasure to host you in our “Mixed By” series. Where are you at the moment?
Hey guys :) Thank you for inviting me, It’s my pleasure to be part of this series! In this moment I’m on the train, coming back home (Berlin) from last night’s gig in Nijmegen

You’ve spent quite a bit of time in Berlin. Would you say that in became your second home by now? What do you like and dislike the most about Berlin?
Yeah we can definitely say it, living here now since 2019.
So, I still like the international environment and the open mindset of the city. What I don’t like for sure is the weather. Musically speaking tho, I think Berlin is still too “stuck” with the same genres, for example in all the main parties you can basically listen mostly techno or house when the electronic music world is huge and has plenty of genres all with their own different nuances. Maybe I saw some little progress in the last year, but still not that much.

Tell us a bit more about your residency at Tempio Del Futuro Perduto in Milan. What kind of place it is and for how long you’ve been a resident there? Any memorable nights/events that come to mind straight away?
Tempio Del Futuro Perduto is a multicultural center In Milan engaged in a lot of social projects. It is not a club, I would describe it more like a “box” of/for culture, arts and social initiatives and that’s what makes it special! My residency there started in 2019 and my favorite nights are definitely the ones where I play all night long!

If you had to compare Berlin’s and Milan’s nightlife and it’s culture. What would you say are the main differences and similarities? Which one do you like/prefer best/the most? :)
Mmm ok, let’s say that it’s not possible to make an actual comparison: Milan is definitely the best place in the country for electronic music, but the actual problem is that Italy in general doesn’t really have a proper electronic music or club scene, which is also one of the main reasons I’ve decided to move from Milan to Berlin. It’s not easy to live out of my job over there.

You had a chance to tour extensively and play in many different places and clubs around the world. Which places/experiences left a lasting impression and where would you really like to return in near future to play again? Or maybe there are venues/clubs that you haven’t performed at yet, but would really like to check them out?
Yeah fortunately I’m pretty busy at the moment and I couldn’t be more glad and happy about it!
So, I have to say that lately I’m pretty much impressed from French scene: I found great parties and big and warm crowds. There’s one club in particular that has a special place in my heart, it’s located in the the north-west of France, in Nantes: the “Macadam club”. I played a closing set on a Sunday at the party “Gloria” and WOW! Everything was perfect! The people stayed with me from the first till the last record, it was very emotional…
There are some others venues that feels like home like “Lizdas” in Kaunas or “Jasna 1” in Warsaw, but also “Mess” party in Paris and “Radio Club” in Irapuato, Mexico. I feel very grateful and lucky to have such a nice and special kind of relationships with some clubs I played in!

We know that you’re good friends with another famous Italian producer based in Berlin – Massi Pagliara. Maybe you’ve been cooking something together lately somewhere in the studio and maybe we can expect to hear something from the two of you in the future? :)
Spoiler Alerts 🚨 maybe …

Tell us also a little bit more about your latest collab Y2C with another famous talent and figure from Berlin – Curses. How you guys decided to get together and start producing? The first Y2C EP is out now on Live at Robert Johnson and there’s more in the pipeline, right?
Luca is one my best friends,,he’s a real brother for me. During lockdown I didn’t see so many people and Luca was one of the few ones. It was exactly in that moment that we started thinking: “why not to try to mix our genres? Ok, they’re different but somehow they fit and sound particularly good together”, and that’s how and when we decides to create Y2C! :)
There are a lot of things in pipeline including some gigs… 😈I’m really looking forward

And what’s cooking in YTM’s camp and studio? Will any productions see the light of day this year? What’s in store for you for the rest of 2022 gigs wise?
Ok, so: Right now I’m mixing my first album, but I don’t know if it will see the light this or early next year, press records time are crazy at the moment but I have an EP coming out soon for the Berlin label “Warning” and some tracks in some VAs

And finally, tell us a bit about the mix you made for Bolting Bits. What was the main idea and emotions when making this one?
Well, basically the idea is always the same: to “communicate” my style to who’s listening to my music ( live or in a podcast ). I think that at this point I quite have my “trademark” let’s say and you can like it or not, of course, but I’m happy and proud to have achieved it.

Thanks ever so much for the answers! <3 All the best from Vilnius,

Interview by Ramunas.

Cet article MIXED BY/ Younger Than Me est apparu en premier sur Bolting Bits.