You grew up in Rome with a classical and contemporary music background. In what ways does that early training still echo in your electronic productions today?

Going through a classical music conservatory in Italy was a defining experience for me, not because it taught me more about theory or harmony, but because of what it taught me about life. Honestly, it wasn’t easy. There was so much meaningless competition and a lot of dishonesty. But that environment forced me to learn resilience, to see things through, to stay humble, and to never give up. In many ways, those lessons have been far more valuable to me in electronic music than any sheet of music ever could be.

You’ve mentioned that an Apparat concert changed your creative path. What was it about that moment that shifted your entire musical direction?

Back when I was living in Rome and studying music, my world was all classical and jazz, and I absolutely adored jazz. I would wander alone from jazz clubs to small bars hosting free jam sessions, soaking up every concert I could. I barely knew anything about live performance with synthesizers.

Then one day, a friend took me to see Apparat live. I only knew him by reputation, had heard a few tracks, but never experienced him in concert. And there he was, moving between machines, lights everywhere, sounds erupting from all directions, complete compositional freedom. Watching him, I realized I didn’t just want to be a performer, I wanted to be a creator. I wanted to make my own sounds and shape them into something uniquely mine. That moment changed everything

Berlin has been your home for over six years now. How has the city shaped your sound and identity as The Dark Wasp?

When I moved to Berlin six years ago, I arrived with just a small suitcase carrying the earliest traces of my dark-electro sound. I had no idea I was about to be hit by a wave of dark and industrial techno. It was everywhere, alive in the people I met, in the clubs I wandered into, in the nights that swallowed me whole. So I embraced it.

Five years ago, I had another project, DonTToxique, through which I started producing dark and industrial techno tracks. Now I’m blending the raw industrial energy Berlin taught me with my deep love for dark electro. The underground here has captivated me since day one, and it still does.

I never would have imagined that Berlin would be the place where I’d rediscover my own roots. I had heard about the Roman techno scene and the ’90s rave movement, but I never would have believed that all of it had actually shaped the global techno scene. Recently, I had the pleasure of meeting a DJ, music producer and artist who is, and has been, one of the key pillars of that movement.

So here in Berlin, I’m beginning a real journey back to the origins, because I know it can inspire me far more than anything that has inspired me so far.

You entered the modular world three years ago. What draws you to modular synthesis, and how does it influence your live sets compared to traditional production tools?

Back in Rome, I often used to visit the people who are now my closest friends in their music studio, where they taught me so much about production, arrangement, and mixing. One of them had a Doepfer modular case, and one day, curious as ever, I asked him to explain what was happening behind all those twisted, colorful spaghetti. From that moment on, I was hooked.

What fascinated me most about modular synths was the freedom: you could break everything apart, rebuild it, repatch it, strip it down again, swap out a filter just to try a new one, replace an effect, test a different oscillator, constantly building and unbuilding. Modular was the closest thing to the idea I mentioned earlier, the desire to become “creator.” And that’s exactly what I try to bring into my performances: that sense of dynamism, flexibility, and constant evolution that modular synthesis embodies.

Your inspirations span French electro, techno, dark electro, EBM, and even synthwave. How do you blend these influences into a coherent signature sound?

Let’s say I’m trying to do the opposite: to be incoherent, but in a coherent way. An intentional incoherence. You might hear an EBM snare layered with another snare coming from a module that uses granular synthesis, paired with a straight four-on-the-floor kick, topped with those metallic dark-electro basslines. Then there are melodies moving subtly underneath the groove, pads and atmospheres you wouldn’t expect, and those cyberpunk-style sounds that pop up here and there.

Starting next year, I want to add a new element to my live set—a digital transverse flute that just came out on the market. And I can’t wait to challenge everything all over again, always trying to stay beautifully, deliberately incoherent!

The cyberpunk universe seems to play a big role in your artistic world. How does this aesthetic influence the narratives or atmospheres you build in your music?

I often find myself looking at that teenage version of me, head over heels for The Matrix, Ghost in the Shell, Cowboy Bebop, and Star Trek. And I smile, because it all really started with the Borg, green and black cubes, huge cables sprouting from their bodies. The cyberpunk and sci-fi universe has shaped my life, not just my music. I’ve always wanted to live in Cyberpunk 2077, even amidst the trash and stench you often see in the game, surrounded by robotic and metallic parts.

My curiosity and love for the sci-fi universe mostly come through in the tracks I produce, because that’s where I can carefully work out how I want to express and release it. Lately, I’ve been working on a series of tracks with futuristic glitch-style beats and dark ambient sounds that encompass my devotion to this world. In the future, I hope to bring them even more vividly into my live performances.

Your live set in Berlin had a powerful presence. What’s your process for shaping a performance that balances structure, improvisation, and energy?

First of all, if my set had such a powerful presence, as you described it, it’s mainly thanks to all of you. The energy I brought to that performance came from spending the entire day with you, surrounded by enthusiasm, motivation, and real synergy.

As for the live set itself, I tend to bring my way of producing with Ableton and hardware into my performances, so I structure the set in “tracks.” Each track has its own drums, pads, atmospheres, and basslines that never get repeated in the next one, except for some sounds coming from the modular. This also helps me organize breaks, drops, and the transitions from one track to the next. Sometimes it gives me trouble during soundcheck because I need to calibrate everything track by track, but I’m working on it.

And within all this structure, there’s always room for improvisation. I especially let myself go during the breaks—those moments of tension between one sound and the next. I haven’t experimented with patching on the fly yet, though, and I have no idea when I’ll ever feel ready for it (if I ever will!).

As a new member of the PVC community, what excites you the most about the collaboration, exchange, and creative possibilities ahead?

Ever since I joined the community, I’ve been amazed by how many resources there are for exchanging ideas and, above all, for learning from one another, not only on the musical side. What really struck me is the constant, daily exchange between everyone in the community, and the regular updates about collaborations and new proposals.

What excites me the most is the chance to learn new things from all the artists I’ve met so far, and from those I haven’t met yet. I’m looking forward to collaborating with them on track production as well, meeting them as often as possible, and, above all, building a stronger network with the women in the collective, which I’m already starting to do!

Looking forward, what are your artistic dreams or projects you hope to explore in the coming year, whether in production, performance, or community-building?

I have a small dream for the years to come: I’d love to break into the world of cyberpunk-style video games and contribute by producing music for them. I want to start collaborating with small indie game studios or young programmer teams who have as much passion, drive, and imagination as I do.

That’s why I’m currently working on a five-track album in a dark ambient / glitch / futuristic style. Alongside that, I’ll start producing short musical excerpts specifically designed for key moments in a video game, such as menu themes, tension-building sequences, combat scenes, or atmospheric exploration parts. These excerpts will help me build a portfolio to send out to developers.

I love producing music more than anything else; honestly, I’d be perfectly happy staying in the shadows, just creating tracks, even as a ghost producer, if I ever had the chance.

From next year, I’d also love to travel more and perform in other countries (as soon as I manage to optimize my equipment for traveling). I already have one destination in mind, and it will be the moment we all from PVC meet again. I truly can’t wait.