Technokunst Asks: Claudio Prc

Hi Claudio, thank you for being available for this interview and for our questions! Instead of immediately jumping into the middle of it, we usually start our interviews by touching on how the artist has gotten to where they are now. Can you tell us a little bit about your upbringing in Sardinia, and how you came in contact with electronic music and specifically Techno?

Hi guys, thanks for having me with you! Well, I am coming from a small town in Sardinia, during my college years I started going to several clubs around my area, as well as to record shops, where I really came into contact with the first Detroit, Berlin and Roman techno records. At the time there were many events of different genres that regularly hosted international guests, I mainly attended the techno ones, where I proposed myself as a DJ at the age of 18 more or less, from there I began my adventure as a DJ, then further as producer. The electronic music scene on the island has always been quite active and a source of great inspiration.

How do you remember your time at the Music Conservatory in Cagliari? Have you had other interests in areas of art, particularly painting or graffiti?

It has been a time that made me grow and connect with great people, teachers and colleagues. I learned many things especially on a conceptual level which helped me to have a broad vision of music. I’ve been into graffiti during the teenage age, it was my first passion let’s say. I like art so much, any kind, it inspire me when I play with sounds.

In an earlier interview, you mentioned, that Techno from Detroit, particularly the work of Richie Hawtin and Robert Hood, has left a lasting impact on your music. Do you feel the same way now in Berlin? Are there artists in the scene that influence you the way the Detroit greats have done back in the day?

Of course, these artists you mentioned keep to inspire me till today. The points of reference that carry the scene forward and that are examples to follow are always there, it depends on which path we want to follow, I keep to have mine as I always have. I am influenced by many things and in Berlin there is always a lot of stuff going on where to get inspired.

How about your fellow Italian colleagues, Donato Dozzy, Brando Lupi, Dino Sabatini, Giorgio
Gigli or Gianluca Meloni? What did you think when you heard the deep sound that they released
in the early 2000s?

Exactly them, they have been and always keep to be an artistic and stylistic point of reference for me regarding that type of sound. When I heard their music for the first time I found the right direction and the right compromise between different hypnotic and deep styles that matched well with my taste and vision of techno. It was something very special that then evolved over time up to today.

Where do you think this Deep Techno sound might be headed in the coming years?

It’s really hard to predict to be honest. Music changes so rapidly now, the deep techno sound can still have a wide interpretation and above all an evolution that can adapt to the current times we are living in. The perception that artists and people have regarding a „deep” sound is really subjective because the techno music scene is really wide now. In reference to this sound, as far as I’m concerned, I see that there is always a good interest in what I do as well as I see that there are many artists who match perfectly with the musical line I am following.

Your three albums, ‘Inner State’, ‘Volumi Dinamici’, and ‘012’ represent distinct chapters in your musical evolution. How do these albums reflect your personal and artistic growth, both technically and conceptually?

These albums, together with the latest ambient LP „Unda”, represent the technical and conceptual evolution of my vision of electronic music, chapters that summarize my experiments in the field of techno and ambient/experimental music up to now. They represent the fulcrum of my artistic and spiritual journey.

The quote “Be water, my friend” by Bruce Lee appears in your album “012” Can you tell us how Bruce Lee’s philosophy resonates with your approach to music and life?

It’s a philosophy and a great teaching that, when I follow it, helps me approach life in a way where I feel in balance and harmony. Like everyone, I’m surrounded by so many distractions that sometimes it’s not easy, but I make sure to always remember it, that’s why I wanted to include it in the track.

‘012’ as an album seems to have great impact for a second reason, as it turned out to be the name of your record label. But before we get there, can we touch on The Gods Planet just shortly?
The project came to an abrupt end, but we heard some chatter, that you and Ness are in touch again. Is there any chance of collaborative work again?

The Gods Planet project was a beautiful artistic period, a truly very important project, which honestly reached its peak for me when I decided to leave, as many things were changed and for me it was ok to not be part of it anymore. It has been a journey, perhaps it will still be one in a different form, who knows. We are in contact with Andrea, of course, it was nice to reconnect.

Let’s talk about 012, your own label. We have seen a VA release and an ambient LP from you this year. How do you curate the output, and what are your plans in terms of future releases?

In terms of style and concept I try more to follow the musical line I represent, especially that of the artists who produce the tracks that I mostly play in my DJ sets and who are very close to my type of productions. I try not to plan a lot of releases, I want to leave room for what influences me in a given period, both visually and musically, for collaborations and experimentations with sounds and arts in generally.

Did you do a lot of field recordings for your recent LP, ‘Unda’? How do you usually approach this, what sounds are you looking for?

I work a lot with field recordings, I like to create special moments, adding and modifying them within my music. For „Unda”, a project that is linked to the sea and the waves, I went directly to the beach where I usually go when I return to Sardinia, not far from my home, a place where I grew up and which is a source of great inspiration for me. In general I am attracted by even simple everyday sounds, especially when I’m traveling, and I try to record them and use for my productions.

Any chance to share with us some of your production techniques, and how your studio looks like? Do you prefer working with hardware, software, or a combination of both?

I work mostly at home, I have a small corner with a few machines, including synthesizers and drum machines, here I mainly produce my tracks, then I have a small studio shared with other people where I go to mix them. Let’s say I use half and half, I don’t have much equipment anyway because I like to make full use of what I have at the moment until I feel it’s time to change and move on to something else, but it always takes me while to change, both for hardware and digital plug-ins.

credit: Artefakt

You’ve had impactful DJ experiences in various venues in and around Budapest already. How do different spaces, like the forests around Kolorado Festival, or clubs like A38 or Turbina influence your DJ sets, and do you have a specific approach when adapting your sound to differing audiences and environments?

Every place is special to me, especially all the ones I’ve been to in Hungary, whether they were festivals or club nights I’ve always had wonderful experiences. Each trip is an experience in itself, generally every time I prepare for an event I prepare the music specifically for that specific event, or otherwise, more recently, playing in many different places, I am experimenting with a sort of more or less fixed selection and to not change so much the playlist as I like to see how people react differently from country to country, each place has its own special reaction. When I played at Kolorado the set was quite long, so I was able to create a fairly broad journey in which I was able to range across different styles and shades and create the right progression, the right story telling.
To create a story for me is always very important regardless.

Given that we are at the end of the year, we should ask – how has 2023 been for you?

What a year it has been I must say! It was a really intense 2023 for me, I worked a lot both with gigs and in the studio, I played in many clubs in different parts of the world, released a lot of music and achieved important goals such as the Awakenings Festival for example. It has also been a year of choices and changes, I am truly grateful for everything this year has been, now I am very motivated and focused on moving forward on my path, I have many things on plan for the next year!

What can people expect from you from the Technokunst gig on the 30th of December? Do you
have some current favourites you tend to play a lot?

I really can’t wait to play for you again, the audience is always fantastic and I hope it will be the same this time too, but I’m sure of it! I want to leave you the pleasure of waiting to listen to a lot of unreleased and upcoming stuff!

Jegyek itt érhetőek el

What are some of your long-time favourite albums that you wish more people heard?

I have many, I can tell you which have been my favorite ones this year between LPs and EPs, in any kind of style:

Ryuichi Sakamoto – 12 [Milan – Sony Music]