Born and raised in Rome, with German DNA and a diverse musical palette Ae:ther is an artist who has quickly established his pedigree as a formidable producer and selector through scintillating DJ sets and a batch of stunning releases. Now based in Berlin, Ae:ther has returned to the motherland where he is steadily cultivating a reputation for haunting melodies and narcotic rhythms. With strong connections to Damian Lazarus at Crosstown Rebels and the Afterlife crew. Ae:ther has considerable industry support with his focus on delivering high-quality dance floor ready cuts that channel his love for ambient electronica and transmitting deep emotion, while keeping the energy levels high. We sat down with Ae:ther the enigmatic producer ahead of his latest release, “We’ll Be Together” on Crosstown Rebels.

You have a very multi-cultural heritage having been born and raised in Rome, you moved to London and now living permanently in Berlin. How do these cities electronic scenes differ and have these been influential in creating the ‘Ae:ther sound’?

Each city is different, in each of those I have reached a different workflow with different people and different experiences. Even the time periods are to be considered because there has been an evolution of myself. At the moment I consider Berlin home. It was everything I needed, tranquillity, relaxation. However, it was mixed with the right dose of art and inspiration. That helps me a lot with my musical and non-music workflow.

In the other cities, I have lived I have found very interesting moments. Unfortunately though there has been more stress and a loss of time more than anything else. For now, I feel good, I am happy. The sound you are listening to at the moment is something that comes from my background. It is a combination of what I have focused on and what I like. These are the things that inspire me. So the combination of several different elements brought me here in this shape, but this is only one of the first steps.

What do you think has been the most detrimental thing to happen to electronic music since you have been active in the scene and why?

Without a doubt what we have been experiencing in recent months. The worst thing is we can only listen and see the performance through a laptop. This lockdown complicates things a lot and opens up new ways of business.

What has been the proudest thing to happen in your career to date?

Probably having played in front of 20,000 people at the Day Zero Masada in Tel Aviv, an unforgettable experience indeed. I was very afraid before going up because that afternoon immediately before the party the computer refused to work because of the 45 ° temperatures. Fortunately, in the evening the computer started to work and I think the performance went very well.

What advice would you give to an aspiring artist trying to develop their niche?

To find some unique ideas is very difficult these days. You must remain true to yourself, develop an identity and stick with it. Being original and humble must always be at your core so that you can be objective. You must avoid your ego being inflated by fake people at all costs. Find your own crew. Get close to someone and then you can get honest feedback.

Who has been the most inspiring artist you have worked alongside and why?

I have worked with many people and even now I have open projects. The people who inspired me the most are probably the people I worked with was a long time ago in Rome. My mentors Pietro & Paolo Micioni, two pioneers of the Italo disco and of Roman electronic music. The possibilities were endless, it didn’t matter about churning out hits. Instead their motivation was only beautiful strange underground music. Of course, some of it was distorted and occasionally not perfect but healthy and good real music!

With Covid-19 we have seen venues shut and a rise in live streaming. Do you think in the future we could move further and further away from clubbing as we know it with people subconsciously employing social distancing measures?

Well, it will depend on the respective governments. I remain hopeful, even if I’m aware that the road is still long. I think with the help of the people we can contain this and then hopefully some clubs will open. Obviously the live streaming will increase and there will be more and more junk by amateur people and pro DJs. Unfortunately with no stage, they have taken over their bedrooms and balconies. Personally I find it a little shabby. I’d much rather hear some good live music in a historical berlin club. I think the setting and location are the fundamental points to bring your music to the maximum artistic extension.

Finally, if you produce a track with anyone past or present who would it be and why?

It would be with an artist of the past that could be a Jeff Mills or Marcel Dettman maybe even different artists such as Jim Morrison or George Harrison, also Eric Clapton or Freddie Mercury why not. Let’s say that maybe here I could understand many more things and learn quickly from the people who have changed the course of the music of our days and then try to imagine the future as it could be.