musacolmuso: Then I had this workstation, super fun! I learnt how to use it and I realized when I wanna know something I don't stop till I know it!

Marco Antonio Spaventi

30 years old

Rome, Italy - Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Electronic music Composer, Producer, Engineer, Lecturer.

When did you start with music?

From my dad. He was always playing guitar and piano.

My grandmother is a pianist and my aunt teaches at the Conservatory.

In my house they played jazz and classical music.

I started with piano, but later I quit.

How old were you?

12,13 years old.

After I quit with the instrument I was still attracted by music and I started playing the piano when I was alone at home, so nobody could see that I was playing again.

How did you discover music?

It's a funny story. A very friend of mine, my oldest friend, he was my sister boyfriend at the time.

He was really into 60/70's stuff: The Doors, Pink Floyd...

He brought home an album from The Doors and I started listening to it. Later I asked him to borrow me a box with Led Zeppelin music.

And he agreed.

I started with Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath.

But the music passion came thanks to the keyboard player from the band The Doors, … I started playing again.

But I wasn't into electronic, into production, I started enjoying playing, I taught myself through records.

I was playing the compact disc and play with them. I bought scores and practiced a lot.

Then I was in high school and friends suggested me to compose.

Since that moment I never really thought about it.

And then I had this workstation and it was super fun. I learnt about keyboards and how to record them.

and I realized when I wanna know something I don't stop till I find it.

Then the turning point. This band was looking for a keyboard player.

A band from Rome called Cerchi nel grano .

These guys were absolute genius in composing.

There were these two brothers, one of them is really a genius, but as a genius is also not able to organize himself.

They are two lazy asses.

Typical italian.

We also made a video passed on youtube!

Who did produce your music?

The producer was Mao. We met him and we had a deal.

We are talking about old times when the labels didn't have such an internet distribution.

We went to Milan to this man who was investing money on the project, he said:

"I don't mind investing 60 millions in music, I trust Mao. I pay for the distribution".

We made the release very quickly. 3 days in the studio and we had it.

And then?

Then it's when I got hooked up with the studio recording thing.

We had an hard disk record we used in the studio and then import stuff in the computer!

I did everything by myself.

When we went to the studio, I wanted to know everything!

In that way I discovered something about myself: when I want something I can do it better than others.

What did bring you to The Netherlands?

To cut the long story short… I was finishing University, Electronic Engineering, in Rome and I wanted to study something with audio.

At a certain point with the band I had to take a decision, or I study or I do it with music..

But I said let's pick up the pieces.

I checked Sonology in Den Haag… very experimental Master in the University… Conservatorium.

This guy friend of mine did it, in Berlin.

But then I made a cd with music, very crappy…

I got told I couldn't go.

I put a lot of expectations,but this guy said no.

Later I heard about SAE.

After University I needed to go out from Italy.

Options were England, or Amsterdam.

I choosed the second.

I wanted to do the class I teach now, Emp.

But then i talked to Leslie, a supervisor at Sae and I went for the Audio Engineering full time Master.

As a student I was always in school, I was helping… I was digging into the subject.

And perseverant.

Then I asked if I could work there.

I spoke to Dennis, the Manager, and he agreed. I started working on my birthday, on the 20th of March.

I started as a supervisor and later they asked me to teach the EMP.

And do you like it as a teacher?

It came out spontaneously to help out students.

They were happy about me and they asked me to become a Lecturer.

I also completely wrote my works, my teaching classes.

A good investments of time, so now I know them by heart and I have more time to keep myself

updated!

The other impact Holland had to me… a few months before coming here a friend of mine played loads of underground techno stuff,

especially dutch producer… an mp3 compilation…

Unite Moedius….

it's a really underground act from Den Haag. early 90's when the techno scene came to Europe.

Before that I was listening acoustic stuff, more played.

Those stuff showed me music made out from a machine.

And then I met all these people here. One is my neighbour.

So these people introduced me to instruments as well.

In Amsterdam I didn't have instruments.

I met this Icelandic guy who produces hip hop.

Now he lives in Sweden. He is a synth lovers… he had these vintage stuff.

When I got money from work I started buying.

I had a contact from Sae I met a dj called Turn up the bass.

I started collaborating with him. We played in festivals, at the Heineken Hall, so much music and people… 5000 people.

I had money and I bought loads of stuff. I was producing.

Since then I have five releases: 3 in Italy with italo disco and one from Holland.

Jazz project is a very new thing. I worked several times with the jazz guitar player, so I helped him in mixing and then we found each other common interest for jazz and soul… and we started in July… this is the freshes thing Electric Odissey…

Do you party?

I like it a lot, I started doing it really hard here in Amsterdam.

Which club?

I care about the music programm in the evening, Melkweg, Trouw, Air…

For the Amsterdam Dance Event now I work with school, and we organize classes.

Ableton help desk.

Are you happy with what you have now?

Teaching, freelance work in the studio mixing , recording, I help musician with the production.

I have:

what I produce myself,

what I produce with the guy from Amsterdam,

what I play in the jazz trio.