"Discovering new musical boundaries is a priority": Interview with Audiofly

UK talents Luca Saporito and Anthony Middleton are Audiofly; Get Physical’s recent long player specialists and a duo who have carved out a sound all their own in the past years.

With big bold house and tech productions featuring plenty of vocals and pleasing melodies, the guys have also released on 8Bit and Supernature in their time.  

February 11th sees them join the likes of Davide Squillace, Inland Knights and James Teej at The Warehouse in Leeds for Filth's 5th birthday party.  We caught up with Luca for more.

How was 2011 for you now you look back?

2011 was full of changes critically important to the development of Audiofly in the future. A year of discovery as well. Human discovery, musical discovery and more importantly, self discovery. It was the year that we realised how much the hype machine influences this scene these days. Needless to say, that feeds our desire to keep doing what we are doing (despite all the trends that come and go) and do it as best as we can. Last year we've also seen a lot of changes the world over. Thanks to the internet, it was almost impossible not to notice how effective Social Media can be when people decide to come together for a cause. 

On a lighter note, it was also the year that Flying Circus (our party brand) became a truly global force and it culminated with a truly memorable party on a beach in Playa del Carmen with some of our great friends in the scene. Also the year where we dedicated much of our strength and attention back to our baby Supernature, and it truly paid off by the end of the year, with outstanding releases by Solomun and Jay Haze to name a few. We learned so much from it, and we are gonna bring this knowledge full onto 2012.

Will you do anything differently in 2012?

We are constantly evolving. As people, and as musicians too. We get bored very easily and we are always trying to find ways to keep us on our toes. In terms of production, there have already been many changes and I think our album was the precursor of it. We are experimenting with different tempos and arrangements, and really trying to think outside the box. This year we are also gonna start working on a live set and so far we are at the stage of deciding how to approach it and what each of us should do within it. It's not easy to come up with something original but the preparation process should allow us to feel out a few different set ups and see which one suits us best for what we are trying to say with it.

Who or what is currently exciting you musically?

Den Ishu is someone who's currently on our list of people to watch. His new Ep for Supernature is really outstanding and I've heard some new stuff from him which is currently unreleased, and I can safely say that 2012 will be his year. In terms of "what" is exciting for us at moment, is to see where this year will turn musically. There is definitely a backlash of same-y sounding tracks where inevitably you'll find many producers trying to copy the sound of various "in vogue" artists. It's great to get influences from various sources and artists but where is the personal touch? It's important to give music an identity for it not to get lost in a sea of identical tracks.

How do you feel about the album now you look back – did you enjoy the process?

The making of the album in itself was amazing. Very liberating and definitely something we will repeat once we are in the position to take some time off again.There are no constraints when it comes to it and no one dictates the rules. We are very proud of the results and when we get some moments to listen back to it we get a slight feeling of nostalgia. Of course, looking back at the entire process (from conception to release) we could have done some things differently, but the best thing about it is that it was a continuous learning curve and that knowledge can be applied to the next album.

Have you evolved much since the sounds you laid down then?

Of course. We are strong believers that getting stuck in the same sound for too long is creative suicide. But at the same time we try to be consistent with the line of music we are known for and work along those lines. But we find ourselves constantly inspired by different things and that affects the music we make at the time. The creative process is never the same and discovering new musical boundaries is one of our priorities.

Will the wait be as long for the second as it was for the first?

No idea right now. It can be planned and talked about so much but in the end it's an organic process and cannot be forced. When the time is right we will fully immerse ourselves into it and we'll see what comes out of it.

What should people expect from you at Filth?

Don't expect anything and just come to dance. You might have a good time!

What else have you got coming up/are you working on?

We just signed a new EP to Get Physical with guest vocals from Robert Owens. Very excited to be working with such a legend and you can hear the results of it very soon. We also have a collaboration with Robbie and Muan on the upcoming No19 sampler and a new track with vocals by Big Bully which we haven't decided what to do with yet. We are also in the process on putting the final touches to our collaboration with Anthony Collins which has been a long time in the making.

Who are you outside of music? What do you like to do?

Luca: I really enjoying picking flowers lately and watching paint dry. But on a serious note I am also becoming more and more aware of social and political issues happening around the world and really trying to raise awareness on subjects I strongly believe in. I have been watching a lot of interesting documentaries recently that have really opened my eyes to things I was previously not aware of. I am not Gandhi or anything but I am slowly becoming more in touch with my environment and the little things I can do in my everyday life to preserve it. Once it becomes a routine it's easier and easier to apply to one's lifestyle.

Catch Audiofly at The Warehouse on February 11th for Filth's 5th Birthday with Davide Squilace, James Teej and Inland Knights. Tickets are available below. 

Tickets are no longer available for this event