Last week Federico Ambrosi reached out to me via Instagram. Federico is a house/tech house DJ and producer born in Verona, Italy. He saw that I write about dance music and had read several articles including an interview I did with Zoibaf and a press release I shared on Groove Armada’s new album Edge of the Horizon. He shared some of his music with me and I was hooked! His new single “Conscious” is fire and his hit single “Stop Or Shoot” reminds me of the Henry Edmonds viral YouTube video.
Not sure where Federico currently lives, but he is quick to respond and his Instagram feed is full of his travels. Is it in Ibiza? Or maybe he is in the studio in Barcelona or at home visiting friends and family in Italy. I don’t care where he is, I’ve enjoyed getting to know this guy. Sorry, listening to his catalog on Spotify. If you want a jam that will have you dancing around the room, check out “Egypt” – Original Mix.
Federico, thank you for reaching out. I really enjoyed this. It is my international pleasure to introduce you to Federico Ambrosi.
You recently reached out to me via Instagram. Glad you did! I’ve been enjoying your work. Remind me, how did you find my profile?
Hi Ricky! Glad to do this interview for you, loving your blog!
I was surfing the net and I found an interview of an Italian DJ (I don’t know him in person) on your blog! After seeing you did some great interviews to big artists like Groove Armada and many more, I thought it would be great to do something together !
Speaking of Instagram, are you active on any other social media website?
I have a Facebook Page as well , but I don’t use it that much. Sometimes I just update it sharing my new tracks or videos and photos of my last shows.
I’m not a big fan of social media but the positive thing is that with Instagram it’s so easy to share my new music and other information with the fans. In this way people know where I’m going to have the next gigs and the release date of my next EP for example.
I don’t know if you can classify SoundCloud as a social media, if so, I often use it to share my new tracks and my sets.
Where are you originally from?
I was born in Verona, Italy, but I usually travel a lot. I really love traveling and seeing new places!
Tell me more about Conscious.
Conscious is like my “ace in the hole”! That’s because it was released on Jamie Jones’ label Hottrax and for me he has always been my idol since I began to play music.
Releasing on his label was like a dream come true! The track also had a nice response and I got big support from some top artists like Solardo, Detlef, Francisco Allendes and Franky Rizardo!
When I was working on the Conscious EP, I made something different from the usual. I tried to experiment more to give fresh vibes and at the same time a good energy when the bass comes in on the drop!
Who are some of your biggest inspirations?
I began to produce music after listening to Paolo Martini in a club here in my city. He was my first point of reference and the crazy thing is that now I have some collaborations with him on various tracks! Paolo in that times played many Jamie Jones tracks and others from his label Hot Creations. This sound influenced my style strongly.
COVID-19 has had an impact on nightclubs this year. When things get back to normal, what are some of your favorite places to see a show?
COVID-19 destroyed our world of music and events. People need to be back dancing, enjoying and we DJs must be back feeling the love of the crowd.
I really hope everything will be back to normal as soon as possible! The first place I would like to see is Ibiza because I lived there and the island has some positive vibes and power that is impossible to compare. For sure the second place I want to be back playing is South America, another place where people feel the music in an incredible way!
What’s the best concert you’ve ever been to?
I’m a bit biased! For sure “Paradise” in Ibiza or Ants at “Ushuaia”. “Paradise” is the party of Jamie Jones and the atmosphere you can feel there is so nice!
I recently watched Armin van Buuren’s MasterClass. Have you had a chance to watch that yet? If not, do. It’s incredible!
I didn’t have a chance to watch that yet. My genre is completely different compared with his genre but anyway he is an icon in electronic music so if you tell me this I will for sure keep an eye on it! There is always something more to learn and the key is to have hunger for knowledge and new discoveries!
What’s your process for creating a new track? Where does it begin and how long does it take you start to finish?
It’s different every time. Sometimes I have an idea before sitting at the laptop and sometimes the main idea comes out while I’m making the starter groove. Other times I get an idea from a vocal or from a sample!
There are a lot of big names out there. While I like guys like Armin, David Guetta and Ferry Corsten, I also like the deep underground stuff. When you’re not working on a new track and are just listening to dance music, who are you listening to?
There are a lot of artists I admire! I listen to all kind of music. It depends on how you feel and based on that you need a different style. For example, when you need to chill or relax you listen to something quiet while when you need some power you listen to something more energetic!
Talking about my genre, I listen to a lot of artists. To name a few: Shonky, wAFF, Patrick Topping, Jamie Jones, Detlef and something more commercial like Whitney Houston, Purple Disco Machine, The Chainsmokers and more…
It looks like you like to travel. Again, when this pandemic is gone, where are some of your favorite places to visit?
As I was saying before I can’t wait to be back in South America especially in Argentina where I did my last tour! People gave me amazing vibes! I have a lot of friends there and in Chile too!
When I will be back we are planning to go to Uruguay, Colombia, Bolivia and Perù as well.
What advice would you give someone just getting started in dance music?
My opinion is that the most important thing is to produce your own unique subjective sound. I mean, it’s important that people recognize your tracks from miles away! This means you have reached your personal sound and when people ask you to play your own track in a show well it’s something indescribable and really gratifying.
I’m not a DJ, but am obsessed with the Bose noise cancelling headphones. What headphones are you using?
Yeah, Bose are nice for listening to music at home or around.
For playing I think that Sennheiser HD 25 are great! I’ve always used that ones!
There are also a lot of other good ones, it’s something very subjective!
Tell me more about your relationship with Madness Producciones Mendoza and the recent live set they released.
The guys from Madness Producciones Mendoza are Franco and Fede, I met them last December in Mendoza during my gig there! The party was incredible and people welcomed me like a prince! Now Franco and Fede are like brothers for me and I remember every single minute spent in Mendoza, like the lunch I had with them and a lot of other Argentinian guys!
They made me try some meat and it is amazing! Now they are organizing me some dates in Argentina as well! In these difficult times we usually create some live sets so people can enjoy a bit of music from their homes but all of us want to be back dancing on the dance floor!
When you’re able to perform live, what can fans expect from a live set?
Usually I don’t do live sets but if I were to do one, I think you have to improvise a lot!
“Perform Live” could be also interpreted like playing a sequence of tracks you didn’t prepare before, and this is my case. I like to play the track I’m feeling in that exact moment.
Playing live with Ableton is like launching loops or sounds in the exact same way you do when you create a track. It’s not a simple thing at all!
Tell me more about your Hottrax imprint.
The first track “Conscious” is more energetic and there are some chords that create a good atmosphere while the kick and bassline give a power to the groove.
The second track “Analize” is something with more style, different from the others. I worked a lot on that track! There are a lot of instruments and on the bassline the cutoff filter continues to close and open creating a weird effect on the track. You can remember the tracks because on the drop there is a voice saying “Analize” where the title comes from.
Do you ever make a mistake while performing?
I’ve never made big mistakes but certainly I’ve made small ones. Nobody is perfect, we are human ahah!
The important thing is to adjust the small mistake quickly and everything will be good! The DJ is the one who can adjust the mistake as soon as possible!
Above all, the key is to convey good energy to the crowd and if you convey positive energy people can feel it! They realize it! If you reach this, you win!
Where can folks at home learn more about you? Also, where can they hear some of your work?
They have to follow me on my YouTube channel, SoundCloud, Spotify and Instagram as well to be always updated! I’m happy if people learn something more about me, I’m always trying to be positive and I’m honored if I can be a source of inspiration for young producers.
What’s next for Federico Ambrosi?
In the next months I have a lot of new music coming out on Nathan Barato’s and Carlo Lio’s label Rawthentic Music, on Solardo’s Sola and a great EP on my bro Detlef’s label Issues.
Thanks for reaching out and for doing this interview. That was fun! In all of the interviews I always give the artist the last word. Go.
Thank you, Ricky. It was a pleasure to reply to your questions! My last words are, “believe always in your dreams and in your passion, one day the best sunrise you’ve ever seen will arrive.”
Connect with Federico Ambrosi:
Website: https://federicoambrosidj.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/federicoambrosidj
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/federico.ambrosi
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/federicoambrosi
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5Q9fyaoh5FFG2EtEJtsHK1
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/federicoambrosidj
