｡𖦹°‧ untitled 909 podcast 228: soreab ｡𖦹°‧

“this mix is about friction and flow—the way things can grate and soothe at the same time. i wanted to explore tension without necessarily offering a resolution. there’s a subtle narrative running through it, more like a shifting dream you move through rather than a straightforward story. it also reflects a place i’m in right now: caught in between, questioning a lot.”

as you read through soreab’s interview below, one of the biggest takeaways is that his work plays a lot with contrast. perhaps not just in his work either, it’s a reflection of his life and the world that he exists in. growing up in italy, soreab was surrounded by the emotional intensity that lives and breathes within the country. this connection with humanity and the constant push and pull in life is channeled throughout soreab’s work. now based in london, soreab saw the move to the big city as a clean slate, a chance to take more risks and experiment more within his music. with his production process being used as a mode of therapy, soreab’s releases usually explore his relationship with the world such as the early 2025 release of ‘fragments of utopia’ which is described as a 'sonic journey through struggle and authenticity’, inviting listeners to reconnect with their raw essence whilst the mix he has contributed to 909 explores the notion of friction and flow, how things can grate and soothe at the same time. it’s a slow, melting journey that ebbs and flows through pummelling alien-like soundscapes to the more gritty and raw dembow-esque rhythms.

over the years, soreab has released on acclaimed labels such as accidental meetings, le chatroom, avian and pseudonym alongside the label he co-runs baroquesunburst. with an album on the way later this year, soreab gets in the weeds of his journey so far, the deeply personal approach to music, his relationship with music via his family and more.

hey dario! how are you doing? what have you been up to lately?

hi chanel, i’m good, thanks :) i’ve been travelling a bit - recently went back to my hometown in italy to sort a few things out. i also played a couple of gigs and have been wrapping up my forthcoming album.

let's start from the very beginning, what was your first introduction to music in general and then more specifically electronic music?

my dad and sister played a big part in shaping my early connection to music - it’s all tied to memory, really. i remember long car rides with my dad, listening to cassette tapes - anything from pink floyd and deep purple to 80s dance classics. he used to travel a lot for work, especially to brazil and south korea, and every time he came back, he’d bring music from wherever he’d been. those sounds felt like little windows to other worlds.

with my sister, the connection was more subtle, but just as powerful. we didn’t have a super close bond at the time - she’s four years older than me, and when she was around 14 or 15, she mostly kept things to herself, studying or listening to music with headphones on. i used to sneak into her room when she wasn’t home and explore her cd collection. she had this habit of writing little notes inside the jewel cases - at times diary-like, at times almost reviews of the albums. it was a way for me to feel closer to her, to understand what she was going through, and of course, to discover new music. i still remember what she wrote about slipknot’s self-titled album... let’s just say it was very intense ha!

as for electronic music, that came a bit later - around 15 or 16, when i started going out to clubs with friends. i’d come home buzzing with adrenaline, trying to track down the music we’d heard that night, sharing tracks and ideas with friends who were doing the exact same thing. that whole process - listening, digging, sharing opened up a whole new world for me.

who was the first artist or band that you were a fan of?

the prodigy. no doubt.

was there a formative moment growing up, whether that’s seeing your favourite band live or an incredible dj set, that led you to this path?

since i started clubbing at 15, i’ve been fascinated by the momentum a dj can create - the way they build an experience and control the energy in the room. at the same time, i was really drawn to the technical side of things - fiddling with buttons, cables, knobs, lights, and sound equipment. that curiosity about tech actually became my full-time job today.

there wasn’t one specific moment or event that pushed me to start djing. growing up, i was part of a close-knit group of friends who were throwing parties in our local area in italy, and i was just constantly digging for tunes and soaking up the vibe. if i had to name one dj set that really made me think, “i want to do this,” it would be a seven-hour, all-vinyl set by sven väth at a daytime event when i was 17. that set was incredible - the energy, the dedication, the skill - and it stuck with me ever since.

where do you look for sources of inspiration outside of music?

i find a lot of inspiration in funny stories with friends, and in memories tied to specific places or moments. sometimes these memories are captured through field recordings or samples - there’s something powerful about hearing those sounds again, like they help me reconnect with how i felt in that moment. for me, making music is a kind of therapy. since i started creating and releasing tracks, it has become a deeply emotional journey. you can tell from my releases that i’m doing it for myself, not necessarily to please others, because my work often reflects my moods and feelings.

how did growing up in italy influence or inform your sense of self and artistic output?

there's a certain emotional intensity in the way italians live that i think feeds into everything i do. i was surrounded by a mix of tradition and chaos, beauty and bureaucracy, and i think those contrasts really shaped my perspective. my sound often plays with dualities, and i can trace that back to my roots - warmth and melancholy, structure and spontaneity.

what motivated the move to london and how has this influenced your evolution as an artist?

i needed space to grow and reinvent myself, but also new challenges.. london felt like a blank canvas with endless pages. the diversity of the city - sonically and socially - gave me access to scenes and subcultures i wouldn't have encountered back home. it pushed me to take more risks, both sonically and personally. i started listening differently, collaborating more, and letting go of rigid ideas about genre.

what is the most meaningful part of being an artist to you?

being able to create something that communicates without the need to explain. when someone tells me a track resonated with them, in a club or headphones or wherever - that connection, even if it's fleeting, is the core of it all. there's something really human about trying to process your internal world and then putting it out there hoping that someone else relates to it.

what has been your most recent musical discovery that you’re obsessed with?

i’ve been diving into older minimalism lately - early works by eliane radigue and phill niblock - and the way they stretch time is fascinating to me.

you’ve also contributed a mix for the 909 series, what’s the concept behind this one?

this mix is about friction and flow—the way things can grate and soothe at the same time. i wanted to explore tension without necessarily offering a resolution. there’s a subtle narrative running through it, more like a shifting dream you move through rather than a straightforward story. it also reflects a place i’m in right now: caught in between, questioning a lot. at the same time, i wanted to express my personality, which can be quite unbalanced and sensitive sometimes - i can swing from very happy to sad quite quickly. giving space to those emotions was important for this mix.

how does your approach to dj sets differ from studio mixes and radio shows? is there a narrative in mind that you’re always trying to tell through your sets?

each format has its own personality. a club set is a dialogue, you’re reacting to the energy in the room real-time. studio mixes are more introspective, like writing a short story. radio shows, for me, are almost like open journals where i can show weirder influences or unfinished ideas. narrative is important in all of them, but it’s more abstract.. more about emotional arcs than clear-cut stories.

when was the last time you were on the dance floor?

at fold for the goodness daytime event - such an unbelievable lineup and atmosphere. the energy was spot-on from start to finish.

what are you most excited about right now?

i’m really looking forward to releasing my next album at the end of the year - it’ll be my second, following my debut muğla's chronicles from three years ago. this new project takes a more radical, minimalistic, and darker approach compared to my usual output. it plays a lot with syncopation and repetition, and feels like a step deeper into my sound. i’m excited to share that evolution.

what’s on your vision board at the moment?

a lot of things that aren’t directly musical - rural landscapes, brutalist architecture, nature, and old personal photographs. lately, i’ve been thinking a lot about memory and distortion - how we reconstruct the past, especially through sound. field recordings often trigger those reflections and help me translate them into music. i’m aiming to create a space that feels both intimate and unplaceable - something emotionally grounded, but hard to locate in time or space.