There are fewer more prominent names when you consider frontrunners within the European House & Techno space over the last couple of decades than Davide Squillace.
The This And That Label boss is renowned for his distinguished analogue-heavy production palate, supported continuously by the industry’s biggest names across the most celebrated club spaces and festival stages globally.
Davide recently supplied leading music production sample marketplace Samplesound with a one-of-a-kind signature sample pack of his own. Dubbed the ‘Modular Collection‘, the sample library explores the physical side of his undeniably underground and artistic musical persona.
To celebrate the release of this unique collection of sounds, we caught up with Davide to talk production, the Metaverse, art and much more:
Hey Davide, thanks for joining us. It’s already been an action-packed year, with life starting to look and feel more normal again. What has been the most significant change for you so far this year?
The last 2 years made me think omnidirectional. I mean, I see life, work, and family in a different way. Understanding time, rules, and freedom is in the hand of very few people. And they can do whatever they want with it.
You recently put together a sample pack for Samplesound’s ‘Artist Series’. Is there a specific theme or focal point that you built the sample pack around?
Well, it is focused on the “carpe diem”, the momentum, when you use the modular, that I’ve been using since 15 years, you can get to a certain result of rhythm and texture only once, you can’t really reproduce the same musical outcome. So I guess it makes kind of special in a way, I really hope with these people can come up with good music that I can play out in a show.
Sound engineering is an art form in its own right. As a keen collector of other people’s artwork yourself, how do you see the relationship between the audio and visual sides of expression?
Two forms that are driven by the same obsession, come up with something that seduces you, that can survive time and can last in the books of creation.
It takes a toll on you, but the sensation that you live when one work is done, and you are able to share with people has no match.
As art begins to take on more ‘futuristic’ forms, how do you feel about the evolution into the metaverse and blockchain space as far as music and visual art are concerned?
I would say that it feels like that decentralised finance can saved us from the power structure, can give the power back to the people. We have been working on a Meatverse now for the last few years, it’s called BlenderWorlds, and it all started as an art project to create sculpture out of an event, where also the crowd was part of the creation. A collective work.
Your label, This And That, has recently refreshed its cover art and branding. Tell us about the new direction and messaging behind the revitalised aesthetic.
Well, it’s not really easy to properly explain what goes on in each of the new artworks. We wanted to give a completely new look to the label; something that was representing our way of being eclectic and open to diversity while also intriguing and creating curiosity on the meaning to each of them, there’s always a significance in each of them.
Touching on your sample pack again, would you say that creating your sounds opens any mental doors that using traditional sampling methods doesn’t inspire?
It was more about doing session for myself to make music and then sharing with people, so it wasn’t intended to have a certain structure or commercial result, it was like let’s be in the studio together and enjoy the outcome. And now use it to develop the next step!
What has been the most revolutionary technological breakthrough for you as an artist in terms of giving you the ability to do things that were never previously possible and take your work to new levels?
I think back then, it was Reaktor with all the ensembles; it gave you the ability to come up with new rhythm and texture, and incredible creative tool, mad and serious at the same time. A machine to have a lot of respect of.
Davide’s ‘Modular Collection‘ sample library is available now via Samplesound.
