Sometimes you find yourself at a quiet crossroads, and instinctively you know — you have to choose. Stay on the familiar path, or turn and risk a step into the unknown. And in a way, it feels like Dukwa stood right there in 2023, when he decided to leave his 9-to-5 behind and fully commit to music. A decision that, looking at where he is now, feels like a deeply right one. “I don’t want to dwell on the past… but I believe it’s important to leave space in your heart for the things that have emotionally shaped you.”
Born and raised in Florence, the Italian artist has been creating his sound somewhere between analog warmth and digital precision. There’s something fluid in the way he approaches music — moving between house, techno, and more introspective textures without needing to define it too clearly. After 15 years as a producer, he has become more aware of his way of working, yet his approach is still deeply guided by instinct. His new EP Remember Us (At Least I’ve Tried To) reflects exactly that. A body of work that holds different emotional states at once — love, distance, uncertainty, but also a sense of excitement for what lies ahead.
We sat down with Dukwa to talk about early influences, the balance between analog and digital, and the emotional layers behind Remember Us — and what it means to create something that feels entirely your own.
photography by press courtesy
Marco, while listening to your new EP, I read a bit about your beginnings and wanted to dive in right away to learn a little bit more about your path. You discovered electronic music through Daft Punk on MTV – what fascinated you most about them, and was there a specific track that became one of your favorites?
Yes, you’re right Daft Punk was my first real encounter with electronic music. I think at the beginning I was fascinated by Digital Love, which was used as the theme for a specific MTV show (I don’t remember which one). But more than anything, One More Time really struck me because the video was incredible. From that moment on, I started searching for all their music. I think what also drew me to them maybe even subconsciously was the way they used samples. At the time, I thought those were original sounds, not samples from ’70s and ’80s disco.
I also found it really interesting to read that you were very drawn to analogue, experimenting with cassette tapes and reel-to-reel machines in search of a rawer, more emotional sonic language. Where did you find those cassette tapes? And what pulled you more toward that analogue approach?
Everything started with the Life’s Track project (with Herva). We used to jam using only hardware, but when we recorded into Ableton, it didn’t sound the way we wanted. So we started recording onto cassette tapes, but we were still looking for something more professional. Then Herva bought our first reel-to-reel tape recorder, and that gave our music a more cohesive and warm sound that really defined us during those years.
And do you still work a lot with analogue material today, or has that shifted a bit over time?
After all the technological progress we’ve seen, I think we’ve reached a very high level where you can experiment ‘in the box’ and achieve an analog sound that is very close to the real thing. So I don’t record on tape anymore, but I still like recording external instruments and combining them with Ableton VSTs to create something that isn’t purely digital, but also not as raw as what I used to do in the past. It’s about finding the right balance between analog and digital.
Let’s talk about your new EP which is called Remember Us (At Least I’ve Tried To). What’s behind that title?
The EP title is connected to 2023, a year full of emotional and professional changes. During that time, I decided to leave my 9-to-5 job and dedicate myself fully to music, a choice that has brought me great satisfaction so far. Remember Us is an anthem to what once was, but not in a nostalgic way. It’s a mix of emotions love, loneliness, fear, but also excitement for the future and for something that truly belongs to me.
“I get bored easily, so even in the studio I don’t stick to a specific genre.”
There are four tracks on the EP. Is there one that feels a bit more personal or special to you – maybe because it came together more easily, or for some other reason?
All the tracks are important to me, they’re like my children. But I think Remember Us has a special place in my heart because it contradicts what I actually feel. I don’t want to dwell on the past or feel nostalgic about something that’s gone. But at the same time, I believe it’s important to leave space in your heart for the things that have emotionally shaped you.
For your album Zeitgeist last year, it marked a real turning point, moving away from a collection of club tracks into a more complete emotional body of work. Why was it important for you at that time to move away from that club-focused approach?
I’m not moving away from making dancefloor-oriented tracks. In fact, I have releases coming out on Code QR by Laurent Garnier, a track for Seth Troxler, and many other house and techno projects coming this year. I get bored easily, so even in the studio I don’t stick to a specific genre. I just go in and create sometimes it’s house, sometimes techno, sometimes something more emotional like Remember Us. After a few months, I group tracks by style and send them to labels. For the market, dancefloor music is usually easier for labels to release, so I naturally end up with more of that material. It’s not entirely my choice.
And with this new EP building on that, leaning more into something introspective while still rooted in the dancefloor – what felt different for you compared to working on Zeitgeist?
My approach to music has always stayed the same, I’m impulsive. So there’s no real difference in approach between the two projects, just a different use of sounds. It’s simply me having fun while composing… nothing magical. (smiles)
“What matters most in life is leaving a positive mark with who I am.”
And last but not least a few personal questions:
You were born and raised in Florence. How has your home influenced you as an artist?
Yes, I was born and raised in Florence, and the city and its scene have definitely influenced me both as an artist and as a person. The clubs, the open-air parties, the artists living there all of that made me think, ‘maybe this is my path’, and I was right.
What does a perfect weekend look like for you? (when you are not working..) (smiles)
I’m a simple person. A perfect weekend is spending time with close friends or being surrounded by people who care about you, ideally sitting at a table with a glass of red wine, sharing laughs and listening to music (not played by me (laughs).
From your perspective, which things matter most in life?
Now that I’m approaching 35, I feel like what matters most in life is leaving a positive mark with who I am, and hopefully passing that on to the people around me. So the things that truly matter to me are love for others, friendship, and human relationships. I hope that one day I can look at the people around me and say, “How beautiful you all are.” I’m already on a good path. I love my friends (a few, but real ones) and my family.
Check out the EP here: lnk.to/ruativtt
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www.facebook.com/DukwaTheBeast
www.instagram.com/dukwa_
