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Francesca Lombardo discusses her new EP 'In Your Bass', production and the power of self reliance
Francesca Lombardo returns to her own Echoe imprint with ‘In Your Bass’, a two-track EP exploring twitchy acid lines, intricate percussion and cinematic textures. With a catalogue spanning Crosstown Rebels, Ovum, Mobilee and Poker Flat, the Italian artist’s classically trained background informs a sound that balances detailed melodic work with sturdy, club-focused grooves. We caught up with Francesca to discuss the release, her approach to production and the role Echoe plays in her wider musical world.
Your new In Your Bass EP lands on Echoe this September. Can you take us back to the beginnings of the two tracks and what was happening creatively when they first started to take shape?
Both tracks were made in my new studio. In all honesty, creatively, they were the first two tracks I made there, so I was very excited and really just going with the flow. I wasn’t thinking too much. I was basically just jamming with my machines. I had only just set the studio up and created a new MIDI workflow, so I was really testing everything and seeing what came out of it. I recorded anything I felt was worth keeping back into the DAW, and that’s really how the tracks came together. After that, I just tweaked things here and there. “In Your Bass,” especially, came together in just a few hours. “Acidina” took a little longer because I knew exactly what kind of sound I wanted to achieve.
The title track has this really hypnotic interplay between acid-laced bass, glitchy melodies and percussion, with different elements constantly appearing and disappearing. How do you approach that sense of movement and evolution when you’re building a track over seven or eight minutes?
Since this track was played live with machines and then recorded back into the DAW, I was really muting and unmuting sounds. Then, when I did the structure of the track afterwards, and once I confirmed the structure, I added some answering parts here and there, trying to make the track flow.
I also wanted to use the voice to fill the track in the right places. The bass was really easy to do because I was literally just filtering the bass out from the machine, and the whole track evolved around the bass moving.
Acidina feels a little darker and more cinematic in places, but at its core it remains very much a dancefloor record. How important is that balance between atmosphere, storytelling and functionality in your music these days?
I believe atmosphere is storytelling. It can always help a track become a little bit more interesting. With Acidina, I felt like I needed that atmosphere for the track to become more interesting, because the groove itself and the elements in the track were not enough. So I wanted to add this atmospheric element so that it became a track that could tell you a story. With “In Your Bass,” I think you can feel that more just through the bass alone. But with Acidina, the elements were not enough for it to be interesting on their own. So I think it’s important, as a producer, to understand what your music needs and what it needs in order to become a little bit more interesting, at any level really.
Your classical training has always given you a slightly different foundation to many artists working in electronic music. As your career has developed, do you feel those early musical foundations have become more or less apparent in the way you write?
I think as an artist, a producer, a musician, you are constantly evolving. Obviously, most of the time you evolve for the better. You learn things and then you apply them to your techniques. I still feel that you can see and hear these elements in my music, but sometimes I slightly move away from them, you know, so as not to make them too obvious. But that’s my own decision. And then sometimes I feel the need to go back to my roots. I also want to explore new things, things that I haven’t been able to do before, maybe because I didn’t have the knowledge or because I didn’t have the equipment. So I think it’s a choice. It’s a creative choice more than simply the fact that time has passed
Looking back, you’ve released music with labels including Crosstown Rebels, Ovum, Mobilee and Poker Flat, while playing everywhere from Circo Loco and Burning Man to Tomorrowland and the Royal Albert Hall. Which moments or achievements stand out as the most significant to you personally, and why?
I think all the things you mentioned are already good achievements, but the one that stands out the most for me is probably my live set days. I loved doing the live sets, and I really want to do more. I mean, the fact of creating something that was not just a live set, but more of an experience, together with the visuals. And, you know, I was working alongside other people, other creatives, mostly string players and band members. It was really beautiful, and I miss that a lot. So I think when I look back, especially at this video called “Life of Leaf @ Giant Steps,” when I watch it back, I’m like, wow, this is definitely something to be proud of.
Alongside releasing on other labels, you’ve built your own world through Echoe and Echolette. What has running your own imprints allowed you to explore that perhaps wouldn’t have been possible if you were solely releasing through other labels?
Well, when you have your own label, you can really do whatever you want, and you can release any track at any moment. The fact that I have two labels, Echolette, which is a bit more indie, and then Echoe, which is a bit more dance floor, but still underground, let’s say, allows me to release whatever I want at any time, but also to promote it the way I want. Because sometimes, when you’re releasing on other labels, you always have to rely on their way of promoting, and you have to go with their calendar. You know, you’re more limited when it comes to getting your music out there. So I think, yeah, that’s probably the best part of it. And I also really enjoy releasing other people’s music. I really do. I like helping them get their music out, but also following the whole process of releasing it. So yeah, it’s really fun.
You’ve been part of electronic music for long enough to see the landscape change considerably, both creatively and culturally. What excites you most about where electronic music is heading right now, and is there anything you’d like to see the scene rediscover from earlier eras?
Speaking from an artist’s point of view, what excites me the most is that it has become bigger and bigger, and because of that, I think there is also more space for independence. Before, you had to rely much more on releasing on labels or playing big shows. Now, especially with social media, you can create your own artistic personality, you can promote yourself very easily, you can release your music very easily, and still get noticed. So you don’t necessarily have to rely on anyone. I think that’s the part I like the most. On the other side, though, I think it’s a little sad because the community feels very spread out, in my opinion. There are still groups of people who make music, throw parties, and have their own little communities, but I think before that sense of community was more prominent. Now everything is moving in so many different directions. It’s a bit like a jungle, so I would love to see that.. more community, less socials.
With In Your Bass marking the latest chapter, what comes next for Francesca Lombardo? Are there particular musical ideas, collaborations, live projects or ambitions that you’re hoping to explore over the next year or two?
Actually, yes, I have a lot coming up. I’m going to explore every single part of my creativity. I won’t say too much, but I’m just going to let it go, totally let it go. I’m not going to care too much about what people think if I go in the direction I want to explore, you know. I’ve always been really scared of what people would say if I released this or if I released that. Now I’m just going to go for it and let it out. So I’m very excited. Super exciting times are coming ahead.
And I just wanted to thank you for having me. It was really fun answering all your questions. Bye!