“Sundown” is described as a growling epic that merges deeper and melodic sides of electronic music. How do you approach blending contrasting sonic elements to create a cohesive yet dynamic track?
The approach I had on the whole album and specifically on Sundown was one that would allow me to feel free in putting together what I see that’s interesting in today’s scene, with all its colors and musical influences, without having to be as specific as I usually am when working on my signature sound.
For example, around 2000, I started buying my first MAW Records vinyls and really fell in love with the eclectic approach they had in putting together different but coherent styles of house music from various parts of America and Latin America. I really had the feeling they were free to do what they wanted; in modern days, the constriction of having to be very specific with one’s brand is a limitation at times, especially if you want to do an independent album. An album is an escape from those boundaries, and the fact it was written during Covid – a time when we didn’t know how long we would all be off the road for – helped me find that necessary freedom even more.
You mention that “Sundown” carries a message of hope and unity. What specific emotions or themes were you channeling during the production of this track?
Exactly! The realization that even if we are who we are, and we do what we do in life, we are always free to turn around and just say no or do things in a different way than expected. I was realizing whilst writing Sundown about how constrained I was in my loop with all the expectations; the level of intensive touring before Covid was out of control for me and took me to places I never want to visit again! During Covid, many of these themes emerged and many peers of mine started talking about these problems too, so I really felt hope in seeing the possibility of changing my future in a more controlled way of living, both in and out of music.
The creation of “Sundown” was born out of the stillness of the Covid pandemic. How did this period of enforced reflection influence the sound and direction of the entire album?
Stillness allowed me to think out of the box, out of my usual musical comfort zone, and to listen to music with plenty of time and attention. Not being in the usual frenetic loop that comes with touring – when sleep-deprived, one’s attention is much lower. It’s so different to be able to sit with music at home with all the time in the world like I did during Covid, being able to actually listen with great attention. I had forgotten how that felt, and I took great advantage of it to study and improve myself as a human, as a producer, and as a DJ. I felt that freedom more and more as time went by, and it was the key element that set the tone for the album. It gave me the confidence to merge and find new sweet spots between genres that I’d never reached before.
With “Sundown” being both a melodic track and a banger, what role does tension play in your music, and how do you balance it with moments of release and freedom?
Tension is essential for me in making music; it’s an erotic tension that if absent is a total turn off for me – both in writing tracks or playing them in a set. Sundown is full of passion and love and especially tension; the feeling of hope, of being able to start again, is at the core of this track. I rarely love a track of mine this much, but the meaning and feeling of this one makes me say with no doubt it’s one of my most significant Flashmob tracks.
You’ve spent over a decade in the electronic music industry. How does “Sundown” and the broader album reflect your evolution as an artist over the years?
It reflects my growth as a human first of all; I believe art is a mirror of whom we are inside, so the artistic growth is often a consequence of a personal one – at least in my case. I’ve dedicated lots of time to my family in these last few years, and now that my kids are older, I really wanted to get back on this horse with much more freedom. From the outside, people only see the success part, but many aspects of it are not perceived. I’ll tell you one thing: from the inside, real success is when you can live what’s actually happening in your life, and find the right balance in what is important to you. Having the luxury to control your time and use it only for what is vital for you. That’s something I didn’t have before Covid.
In that sense, I have evolved both as Sandro and as Flashmob.
You describe this album as an expression of breaking away from the competitive aspect of music. How has this shift in mindset affected your creative process and the music you produce?
I feel as if I am myself now. I’m not chasing anything anymore. And the funny thing is that I’ve started going back to what I used to love when I started. Music has become a medicine for me, and I’ve stopped making it a business-oriented tool; sure, business is there, but I have found my balance for what I really want to do whilst respecting my brand. The mental approach has changed completely for me, so I am much happier writing songs these days!
Given that “Sundown” was created without the constraints of genres or deadlines, how did that freedom impact the overall tone and experimentation within the album?
My wisdom was to put together all the things I love in electronic music in one single body of work, and I am happy and proud of what I did. There is my core raw house signature sound mixed with more melodic and percussive sounds that are totally new to me. Some tracks are also more radio-oriented or experimental club tracks that don’t really belong to an era or a particular genre, but that are just trying to be timeless. All of this I did imagining how I will feel about this music in ten years.
The primal energy and escapism in dance music are central to “Sundown.” How do you think this track connects with listeners on an emotional or even spiritual level?
I’ve played it and I’ve seen the reaction on people’s faces. But to be honest, I prefer the audience to comment on this – I know it’s coming from the right place, and so I am really sure it will end up generating the right emotions.
In your own words, “Sundown” represents your love for life and electronic music. What specific life experiences or moments during the album’s two-year creation process had the most significant influence on its sound?
The realization that there is no particular correct way of doing things – one can feel free to do as one wishes. We are free human beings with emotions and faults. I’ve lost the pressure of being judged. I had the time to realize better who I’ve become after twelve years of intensive touring (that translates to approximately nine hundred gigs around the world). Being able to sit in my garden for months in total silence in front of a fire with no plane to catch or deadline to meet changed my mindset and made me think of what life really means for me – what I want and how I intend to live the next ten years in this beautiful adventure called music.
“Sundown” seems to be a personal project that defies commercial expectations. How do you hope listeners will engage with the album, and what lasting message do you want them to take away from it?
I hope it will make them smile and maybe even cry. I really hope my album can help someone as much as making it has helped me. Thank you.
