Tito Carlo Piero Mazzetta is an aspiring Atlanta-based DJ whose personal style is truly unique. Coming from an artistic family with an international background, he has a laid back and confident air about him that shows through and makes him truly magnetic. Today we talk to him about what influences his style, the ways that music brings people together and the direction of Dance and Electro from his perspective. Make sure to scroll down for Tito’s special Vinyl Mag edition playlist, and be sure to check out the link to his Soundcloud for some originals by the man himself.
How would you describe your personal style? What or who influences and inspires you and the way you approach dress?
I would say my personal style is eclectic and somewhat eccentric. I know how to be formal but when I am dressing casually I like to a unique style that subtly sticks out. I love graphic tees with crazy graphics on it. For example, I have this one with a picture of the statue of Perseus holding up Medusa’s head. I try to mix urban and sophisticated styles when one talks about the whole range of my wardrobe.
Can you tell us a little bit about your music making background and process?
I had some piano lessons when I was younger and would always fiddle around on the various electric keyboards that my dad would give. I have been making electronic music since 2006. I was so obsessed with learning how to make music that I would just fidget on my computer for hours figuring the ins and outs of the rudimentary Garageband. I took an electronic music course in high school to further my knowledge and give me a good understanding of other more sophisticated software such as Logic. I currently use Ableton 9 live to create my music. The music creation process starts with playing around and making a melody or a bass line or a drumbeat from scratch and then I just build and add layers on top of that. It’s a very progressive and experimental process. I try to not use samples. If I do it would be for a vocal bit. I feel like music creation in its essence is very therapeutic.
Do you feel like your time living and traveling abroad has impacted or informed your taste in general and in music?
I would absolutely say that my time traveling and visiting friends/family abroad has impacted my music taste. It is the whole reason why I have such an obsession with all the different types of electronic music. I remember when I was around 14 and I was in Italy and I started actually getting interested in music and partying. I would hear this kind of music that I would never hear in the States. I would think to myself “What kind of music is that?” “Who is that artist?” . I love the way this makes me feel and how it makes large groups of other people feel. The vibes that encompassed the people around me when listening to this music was magical to me. At that point in time it started me on my never ending journey of music discovery. I started becoming hyper-obsessed with underground electronic music. I went on a journey through jungle, happy hardcore, liquid and 2-step drum & bass, techno, indie-dance, nu-disco, funky house, jackin house, acid house, hard house, breaks etc. I just kept hearing new stuff which would make me want to know and fathom everything about that genre and its corresponding sub genres. I started DJing as a way to show my deep obsession and appreciation with this kind of music. I got my first turntables in around 2007, and to this day I follow 200+ labels and dissect 50-200 tracks a day digging for new music for my next set whichever direction I decide to go in. Whatever vibe the crowd or setting I’m in is giving off- I have something to go with it. But I always stick to the underground. When I create my DJ set it is like telling a story from scratch. Every set I make I have 95% new or unused tracks I want my listeners experience to be special and unique with me. I want them to have to have a powerful experience and an amazing time dancing and grooving to tracks that they will only hear from me and nobody else that they go and see. Whether its soulful and melodic, or hard and techy, I always have a different story I can tell. To sum things up, It all started from the experiences I had spending my summers in Italy, and traveling around different parts of Europe.
How do you feel about the current state of Electro and Dance music as a genre in the United States- Do you think this genre is meant to stay an underground or niche movement, or do you believe it can be appreciated by a larger American audience?
I think that EDM as they call it these days is growing exponentially throughout the United States. New York, Miami, LA, Chicago, Detroit have always been associated with great places to hear amazing DJs in the electronic music world. Techno was actually created in Detroit and is the grandfather of a lot of the genres that you hear today. I think that what you hear in the commercial clubs of today is no longer underground and is already appreciated by larger audiences. Take a look at the main stage at Tommorowworld. It was packed to the max with all EDM DJs. Playing the same tracks over and over. EDM is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to electronic music. I don’t want to sound pretentious but the people that come to see real underground music usually have a more sophisticated taste in electronic music. They have a deeper understanding of the vibes. They have been on that journey and are now deep into underground. I have never met someone that goes backwards once they get the feel of an underground dance party. Whether it’s a hard techno warehouse party or a sophisticated invite only pool party atop a 5 star hotel. There is an underground vibe for everyone. It’s all a matter of whether people want to go on that journey of self-discovery or not to uncover partying at its quintessence. It is a place where DJ’s take the chance in the tracks they play, and do so as an art of self-expression rather than a soulless form of playing top 40 charts.
Well said, but lastly and most importantly- if you went the Daft Punk route and decided to perform with a mask or costume- we want to know, what would your altar ego/mask be?
Hmm I don’t know about this one. I think if I had to wear a piece of apparel it would be some 1940’s WW2 Airplane pilot Goggles.
*Check out the playlist that Tito made for us below!
Aubrey Mascali is wanna-be fairy trapped in a human body who is intrigued by tiny things and collections of nature stuffs. She enjoys rainy days with a nice cup of tea and cuddling with her dog Nemo. Currently living and attending school at UGA in Athens GA, you can usually find her doing cliche townie things like thrifting for vintage dresses, walking through the local farmers market, and drinking mimosas at brunch. Aubrey’s keen on meeting new people and hearing their stories. If she were a color, she hopes it would be pink, and if she were music she’d want it to sound like Architecture in Helsinki on a good day and Grimes on a weird day. In her capacity as an art student, she enjoys taking photos, painting, weaving behind a loom or spending countless hours doing five year old art projects like gluing rocks to paper. She is currently working on her thesis exhibition which will be on view at the Lamar Dodd School of art in May 2015.