1. How old are you, where are you living and how long have you been producing and Djing?
Arno & Dirisio: Hi Guys, we’re Matias Arno (20) and Guido Dirisio (21), we live in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Both of us started producing electronic music in highschool, we were classroom partners, we were 15 years old by then, a year later we started to buy our first tools and started to experience mixing songs.
2. Where do your musical roots lie, what are your first memories of electronic music and when did you know you wanted to pursue it seriously?
Arno & Dirisio: In childhood we listened a lot of bands, such as Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Rush, Placebo, Radiohead, Mozart, Bach, Gregorian chant, Astor Piazzolla, and many others. Our first memories of electronic music go back to the age of 5, we had access to what was then known like “Marcha”. When we were interested in electronic sounds, the scene in Argentina already was very well established, more than anything for the legacy that Hernán left us. We went through several genres, which were the most heard and to which most had access in the clubs nearby, until we attended to the Moonpark that we saw Hernán for the first time, from there our concept of electronic music change. It is to this day that the Progressive House became and continues to be the genre that fills us all over sense.
3. What is the state of electronic music or more specifically progressive house in Argentina? The country is well known for its love of the genre, is it still growing in your opinion?
Arno & Dirisio: From our short experience in clubs, always felt incredible, both the response of the clubbers and the quality with which argentine producers make music. We dare say that the Argentinean public (Including ourselves) is very critical and very rigorous with their tastes, which makes you to be a state of quite high self-overcoming. As a consequence of this there are top-notch artists like Marcelo Vasami, Fernando Ferreyra, Martín García, among others. Each time the scene grows more and more and in giant steps.
4. How difficult was learning to produce for you in the beginning? Did you take any Audio Engineering programs or production courses to help you out or are you pretty much self taught? And did anyone give any advice early on that really helped?
Arno & Dirisio: At first it was quite frustrating, we started learning alone, at that time we had FL Studio and with the few tools we had, it was very difficult to achieve acceptable sounds, we believe that the frustration was the product of not knowing well the tools of which we had, for this reason we started to inform and learn everything we could from everything we had at that time and from what that we were acquiring. From the ages of 15 to 19 we were totally self-taught, we went to a few classes with Andrea Cassino, and to the INSOUND academy to take a short course to secure some things. Someone once told us something very important, do not expect the production tools to do the work that your creativity should do.
5. What parts of the production process do you find the most difficult and what comes easiest for you? When you do hit a creative block what helps you through it?
Arno & Dirisio: The most difficult or longest part is when you have to give the final touch to the track. Almost always when the track is a 90% finished, we are at least 10 days without hearing it, to be able to return the work well renewed. When we have a creative block, we immediately do anything other than producing, search music, read, watch a movie.
6. You have a new EP entitled ‘Echoes’ out now on Varona. Tell us how you approached writing the tracks, how they ended up on Varona and what’s coming later this year from you?
Arno & Dirisio: Echoes is a work we did at the end of 2016, we came to VaronA by social networks, we saw that there was many national artists and thought to bet on the label, a few days later of sending the demo, Luis Kiverling contact us. The EP at first was going to be two tracks but in the end we add Echoes (original mix) and it was the most sold of all. This year we have a lot of projects made and to be completed. In addition to new music, we are immersing ourselves in the world of Downtempo and Ambient.
7. Apart from electronic music what other genres do you listen to and who are your favourite artists outside of electronic? and do these genres or artists have a direct effect on your own productions?
Arno & Dirisio: We listen to a lot of music, among which we like most are Radiohead, Oasis, Pink Floyd, The Doors, Breaking Benjamin, Astor Piazzolla, Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, Anuradha Paudwal, Thomas Newman, among others. The truth that we were very little inspired with instrumental music
8. What was the first and last physical (CD, Vinyl, Cassette etc) piece of music you bought?
Arno & Dirisio: The first CD of Matias was Metallica: S&M, at the age of 5 and the last one was The Doors: The Doors, Strange Days and L.A. Woman. The first and last CD of Guido was Hernan Cattaneo’s Balance 026.
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9. Tell us something about yourself that might surprise people?
Arno & Dirisio: Always before playing in a club we do a spa day, it’s like a ritual
10. What five tracks are you currently loving the most at the moment?
Madloch – Pressure (Madloch Remix)
Cid Inc – Shifter
Urban Flex – Magical Tale
Rag & Bones – Paralyzed (Quivver Remix)
Karen Overton – Your Loving Arms (Martin Roth Extended NuStyle Remix).
11. There are countless producers out there trying to find their way and create their own unique sound like you have, what advice do you have for them?
Arno & Dirisio: Our advice is to be clear on what you want, if you really want to say something with your music.
The most powerful tool is not for sale, it is our brain and soul that will take the control. Do not waste time thinking that the more things you buy the more rich your music will be, the little time we have of experience taught us that the simplest and true attracts many more people than something ostentatious and empty.
12. If the final DJ/live set of your career was next week what would your last track be?
Arno & Dirisio: Craig Pruess Ft. Ananda – Lalitha Ashtotram (Audio Junkies & Sahar Z Remix), undoubtedly.
‘Echoes’ is out now via Varona, you can purchase the release: here
