Marco Dalla Villa had a very early introduction to music, starting piano lessons at the age of four before moving onto composition at the age of just eight. At fourteen Marco joined a school for music composition and technology in Milan where he discovered his love for producing dance music, sparking a passion that has moulded him into the producer he is today. Using theoretical knowledge in an experimental way, his tracks are a flow of raw emotion which in turn forms an unexplainable connection to his listeners. After his first success in 2018 with ‘La Francesita’, which reached more than 1M streams, 2021 is shaping up to be Marco’s most fruitful year to date, with his first releases amassing over 300k streams so far and over 60k monthly listeners on Spotify alone, additionally attracting attention from some of the world’s most authoritative media.
Marco Dalla Villa shows no signs of slowing down, with ‘Baltasound’ proving to be another incredible addition to his ever-flourishing discography, just in time for the summer months ahead. Fans can also look forward to a breath-taking Livestream in conjunction with the release, which will showcase some of the incredible islands in all their glory.
THE INTERVIEW
CR: Hello Marco, Glad to have you on Canadianravers how are you doing?
MDV: I am good thanks! Glad to have a chat with you.
CR: Tell us a little about yourself and your latest release 'Baltasound'? What was the inspiration behind it?
MDV: I found Baltasound (a remote village in the Isle of Unts, Shetland) while exploring the world using the Google Maps Pin during the lockdown. When I saw the street view pictures of that place and given the impossibility to explore it at the time, I tried to describe it the way I saw it in my imagination. That’s how Baltasound the track was born.
CR: With knowing music theory, did that help hone your skills as a producer?
MDV: Knowing music theory gives you freedom when creating a song. If you can’t control every aspect of your production, you’ll have limited possibilities. Instead, by knowing music theory, producers have the freedom of exploring and digging into every sound they want to achieve, with no limits! It’s like writing a book... would using only 5 letters of the alphabet be the same as knowing the 26 letters?
CR: This is a 3-part question, Your first gig, your last gig, and your favourite gig?
MDV: My first gig was with the DJ academy I attended when I was 14. There were probably 10 people in the audience and I performed for 30 minutes. It felt sooo good!
My last gig before the lockdown was in East London, in a Club I was playing at every Monday. I didn’t know it would be my last gig so it didn’t feel as special as it actually was.
My favourite gig was at EICMALAND, a festival in Milan in which I played for one hour in front of 3000 people. I loved the fact that I could feel the people had the same music tastes as I had from the very first song I played. So, for one hour we just enjoyed dancing and singing together, without distinction between me playing and them listening. It was more like everybody celebrating together. Only when watching back the recordings did I fully realize it was actually me performing at a festival!
CR: When did you first realise you could make a career in music?
MDV: I started dreaming about it when I was 14 and from that moment, I had no doubts. I think when you want something so badly, you lose objectivity, so it is not a rational decision to consider whether you can make it or not. I just decided it from the beginning and started acting as if I could make it from day one.
CR: Outside dance music, what other styles do you like listening to?
MDV: I love listening to acoustic sessions of famous artists. I love singer/songwriters like Ed Sheeran and I love old-school Italian music (90/00’s).
CR: Now that shows are coming when you are playing live, is there a ritual that you go through before every show?
MDV: Honestly, I don’t have rituals. I try to act as normal as I can before shows… As I am lucky enough to have a job that is so much fun, I try to stay away from any stress or tension in order to be relaxed and able to enjoy what I am doing while doing it.
CR: DJs/ Producers travel with multiples of that one item, what is that item for you?
MDV: USB devices. I have around 10 USB drives that I bring with me. All with the same songs in them. Just in case 9 of them don’t work :)
CR: What is the single event that has changed you and the way you view life?
MDV: I don’t have an event that comes to my mind. I have changed a lot since I left my hometown at the age of 19. But it is a constantly changing process that is still happening. I think it’s called “growing up” (which in my case came together with “losing hair”)
CR: What are some of your goals for 2021, anything our followers should know about?
MDV: I am aiming to tour Poland as some of my songs had really nice success over there. That is my aim, to be able to tour again. I know there’s not very much I can do about it but honestly touring and performing live is the reason why we do this job so there’s nothing more important than this.
LIGHTING ROUND
Texting or talking? Talking
Coffee or tea? Coca Cola
Hard liquor or Wine? Hard liquor
Cake or pie? Pie
Hot dogs or hamburgers Hamburger, no onions, please.
Xbox or PlayStation? PlayStation
Movie theatre or arcade? Arcade
Guitar or piano? Piano
Marvel or DC Comics? The Powerpuff girls are my only superhero
Dog or cat? Dog
Hot weather or cold weather? Hot weather
MARCO DALLA VILLA SOCIALS: