Redefining Boundaries: An Exclusive Interview with Dutch Electronic Maestro, Francesco Pico

Breaking boundaries and pushing limits, Dutch artist Francesco Pico has consistently proven to be an innovator in electronic music. Emerging from the avant-garde dance scene in the Netherlands, Pico has carved out a distinct space for himself, fostering a personal universe of sounds through imprints such as Dave Seaman’s Audiotherapy, Eelke Kleijn’s Outside The Box, Global Underground, Deepwibe Underground, Manual Music, and his Magnitude Recordings. Undeterred even by a health-induced hiatus, his passion for music has seen him rise like a phoenix, ushering in a career renaissance since his return in 2018.

Pico’s latest opus, ‘Perpetual E-Motion,’ is a testament to his unyielding spirit and creativity. Venturing beyond the norms of the industry, Pico took the audacious decision to record and release singles from the project in real time and in the order they would appear on the album’s final tracklist. 

This twenty-three-track epic is a stunning journey through placid pads, clustered pianos, broken beats, buzzing electronic structures, and heart-stirring melodies that beautifully encapsulate Pico’s mastery in electronic music. As we dive into an interview with the artist himself, we invite you to join us in exploring the conception and creation of ‘Perpetual E-Motion,’ understanding the inspirations behind his unique approach, and discussing his future plans in the vast and vibrant world of underground dance music.

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What inspired your return from hiatus in 2018 and how did that impact your subsequent work?

It didn’t take much :), it was a bit of a forced hiatus due to health issues, and I was eager to continue; music is in my blood, and it wasn’t a question if I’d be back but when.

The biggest influence is that I don’t worry so much anymore, it’s finished when it’s finished and I set as few deadlines as possible to not get stuck in ‘asking too much of myself’ again. How I approach, everything has become much more out of enjoyment than striving.

In addition, I am very happy that I can now continue Magnitude Recordings with Manual Music. Manual has set up everything very professionally, which saves me a lot of work, I used to arrange everything separately for each music service myself 1 by 1.

You’ve chosen a unique path for the release of ‘Perpetual E-Motion.’ Can you elaborate more on releasing the tracks in real-time and in order?

I always want to tell a story with music, but I often find it difficult to inspire myself when making a separate song. That’s why it’s a nice method for me to create the story in the right order. By feeling “what’s next, what should come next?” I get inspiration, and I am automatically sent in a direction. 

Then the producer and DJ come together in me. The tricky thing about this album project was that we would release them immediately, forcing me to make choices. If I had more time or made the album in its entirety first, I probably would have switched back in the story now and then to make some adjustments. But I think that was the fun and challenging part, developing it as a kind of series like a Netflix -or book series. In addition, it had been quiet for over a year with releases, and now I could continue releasing while the album took shape. 

I also liked that I didn’t know where it would end or how long it would be; everything was still open when I made it.

Given your real-time approach, how challenging was it to stick with the album’s storyline and maintain consistency across the tracks?

That was indeed a challenge, but also the right stimulus for me. I love to think broadly and follow my feelings and let the story develop. But it was sometimes tricky because you often thought halfway, “Is this going in the right direction?”, at that point, you just had to keep going.

Can you share the inspiration behind the nostalgic feel of ‘Depends On Me’?

As for the 2nd song, I wanted a somewhat emotional track after the 4/4 beats had just started. I thought it was important that there should be a melodic bassline and piano in it. I also had the feeling that some melancholy could be added because we are going to experience the trip from everyday life. The world and daily life currently have situations that occasionally make you a little sad, and from there, I wanted to switch back to positivity by experiencing a nice dance set! 

I do think it’s somewhat loaded in that way. This song of course, also originated during the COVID situation, the song that followed also has a slight nod to the beautiful summer promised in the Netherlands that everything could go back to normal again, which didn’t happen. Hence the title “Summer of Love, Duhh!”

How do you think your music fits into the contemporary landscape of underground dance music?

Ooh, that’s a tough question. I regularly listen to newer music, but I’ve also been doing it for so long that there is probably a lot of inspiration from earlier years. I don’t think too much about it, I hope what I bring is timeless. I think the arrangements take a lot from the past, but the sound can keep up with what is happening nowadays. I don’t know if you ask me what sound I make. I find it difficult to place my music somewhere because I can’t listen to it objectively anymore, but I guess it belongs somewhere in the Deep/Tech/ Progressive House 😉

Finally, after completing this project, where do you see your music going next? What’s the future of Francesco Pico?

Another tricky question…

I really need to get everything straight in my head regarding inspiration and where it should go, but I think I have my own sound now and I suspect that I will stay true to it. But after 4 artist albums, it remains to be seen what will come next ;). 

Anyway, I will focus more on remixes shortly, not making originals for a while. Having another track as an approach is a good way to further develop my sound without having to come up with everything from scratch every time. But I am also open to producing projects in completely different styles. I sometimes think about doing another electro-pop album with an artist like I did before with singer and producer ‘Patchy.’ I think this is very cool to do and puts me on a track that inspires me for dance music.

Further, I want to give DJing a bit more structure. It was a habit to do an extended Magnitude Mix every quarter, the album has lost this a bit, and I want to pick that up again.I also started a fun initiative together with Around Us and Ras Paulus aka MC P-Pholl in the Kadinsky Cafe in Amsterdam; “The Kadinsky Sessions”. This is a monthly casual evening with and by progressive enthusiasts. We want to develop this into something beautiful, and I can already tell that this is going to be a nice spot with ADE