DJ, producer, and archivist of imperfect sound, half of the spaceship called Tiger & Woods<\/strong>, Delphi grew up in Rome, surrounded by tiny back rooms for fourteen-year-olds, 5,000-lire entry fees, and vinyl devoured through good headphones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this exclusive interview, he lays it all out: how to flip an Ann Pebbles sample without getting lost in nerd traps; what it means to tour the world with Marco Passarani<\/strong> while sleeping little and driving a lot; why the record you dig matters more than the beat; and how it feels to make a living from music without becoming a superstar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He talks about Rome, too\u2014his distracted mother, always there\u2014his setup, and his approach: artisanal, na\u00efve, and absolutely personal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s no storytelling here, just an emotional grammar made of groove, silence, and beautifully wrong reverbs. A sound that doesn\u2019t need to change personality to be true. Sometimes, all it takes is a snare hit placed exactly where you don\u2019t expect it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read on. It\u2019s a trip: into the sound, into Delphi\u2019s head, and into Rome\u2014the real one, with Morricone\u2019s whistle and the cicadas from Bianco, Rosso e Verdone<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Welcome to Delphi\u2019s world<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Welcome to StrettoBlaster, Valerio…the tape is already rolling, so…let’s start easy…Introduce yourself for those who don’t know you. Who is Delphi?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n My name is Valerio Delprete, aka Delphi. I started as a DJ, and that’s where it all started. The desire to make those records was born from the act of making records. That’s how I started producing. I played solo and in a duo with Marco Passarani in the Tiger & Woods project, which literally absorbed me for almost twenty years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When did you start spinning records?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I started when I wasn’t even 14: I was fascinated by the idea of playing records. It was a time when so many people were getting into DJing: among my friends, 80% tried it\u2014some for 25 days, some for two years, some still do it today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Are we talking about the late ’80s, early ’90s?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Later. I was born in ’83: for me, we’re talking about the second half of the late ’90s. FF: And what was Rome like in those years? VD: It’s a strange city: perhaps less happens than it should, given its size. It lives in waves, in phases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My Rome, in the early 2000s\u2014when this became a real activity\u2014was quite vibrant: there were nights, situations, clubs. The city influenced everything and everyone, from hip-hop producers to the techno of Marco (Passarani) and Lory D<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n On a personal level, I played on Saturday afternoons in clubs for people my own age: Coca-Cola at the bar, 5,000 liras entry. I’d end up in the back room because what I played wasn’t right for the big room. And then, if you look closely, it was the coolest stu\ufb00\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n And what did you play in the small ballroom?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I started with house music; it was what I felt closest to. I don’t come from a “musical” family: no inherited collections, no special listening, zero. Up until that point, only mainstream radio. House music, at that time, overlapped with what was playing on the radio, but you could also listen to more underground programs. In Rome, there was Radio Centro Suono, where you could listen to di\ufb00erent records.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What about production, on the other hand? How did it all begin?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n On the production side, the first thing I approached was dance music: I wanted to emulate what I was listening to. My generation is more connected to computers than to machines: they were expensive and inaccessible. So I started with computers, then\u2014as I grew passionate about it\u2014the hip-hop component entered the picture. How would you describe your approach to machines?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I’d call it innocent. I don’t have the overarching structure of a beat nerd: I approach the material with openness and musicality. I end up flipping samples that a “veteran” wouldn’t touch, and I give them a fresh take. And whether it’s a dance track or a hip-hop beat, almost only the BPM changes these days: it’s the same approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do you have a particular workflow when producing?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n My “beat” workflow has always been artisanal and free: I turn on the sampler, lay down a drum loop<\/a>, listen to records until a sample speaks to me, and then I chop it. Often the beat was left unfinished and ended up on the hard drive: the dance part\u2014the part that got me working and touring\u2014absorbed the rest. Hip hop remained my safe zone: a pure and “naive” place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In several interviews, you’ve often cited J Dilla and Flying Lotus as major influences…<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Dilla is drums and groove: the placement of the elements in the piece, that unrepeatable fluidity that makes you listen to it over and over again. All it takes is three elements placed in the right place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n FlyLo came a little later. The Rush Hour compilation, Beat Dimension Vol. 1<\/a><\/em>, captured a whole post-Dilla moment for me. There, you discover artists who add texture and electronics; I’m also thinking of FlyLo’s album on Plug Research. And then the SP community (404\/303\/202): entry-level instruments pushed to the limits, with tricks and shortcuts that made them iconic.<\/p>\n\n\n\nAn exclusive interview about beats, touring the world and a lazy mother.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe beginning of the journey: a young deejay in a small club<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nDiscovering music production: beats, influences, gear <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The first “mental” instrument I approached was the sampler. I’ve always looked for the all-in-one solution: a sampler or a groovebox. The idea was: “I’ll buy the MPC, put it on my lap or on my desk, and do everything right there.<\/em>” A synth is beautiful, but it’s complementary. A groovebox\/sampler gives you the magic of crafting a piece from start to finish without leaving the machine.
At the same time, I started buying records, delving back into the roots of what I liked. Then came the sampler, along came sampling\u2014and that thing lodged itself in my brain and stayed there. Even today, I search for records and sounds I’ve never heard before that turn the beat on its head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n