From underground raves in Bologna to main stages across Europe, Mowgli has always danced on the line between intuition and precision. Now, with his latest release “It’s So Good”, he steps away from algorithms to embrace an all-analogue, all-human approach. But don’t call it anti-tech — it’s more of a sonic reset. In this conversation, we explore his views on AI, groove, club acoustics, live recording, and why the future may still need us — just with better tools.
“It’s So Good” is billed as an antidote to AI. What sparked that manifesto, and how did you translate it into a three-minute, 29-second house statement?
I’m not against AI per se. It’s more about what you do with it. It can enhance creativity or substitute it — the latter is what worries me. With It’s So Good I didn’t want to make a statement against anything, I simply wanted to work the old-school way: recording real instruments to reach that depth and quality plug-ins just can’t.
Your career arcs from illegal raves in Bologna to Tomorrowland’s main stage. How has that wide dynamic range refined your definition of “good club sound”?
A good-sounding club is when you can hear all the details in a track and frequencies don’t collide. It’s not about loudness — it’s about clarity.
You pressed pause on relentless touring to launch a 50-person creative agency. Which design-thinking principles from that workspace now feed back into your music production?
Not much in terms of production itself — that hasn’t changed. But in terms of music promotion, I’ve learned a lot. We’ve promoted many brands successfully, and that knowledge now helps me better position my records and identity as an artist.
Disco Volante releases both your own tracks and outside artists. What curatorial through-line makes something feel “DV” at first listen?
So far I’ve only released my own work, but yes — we’re planning to sign new artists. The through-line is simple: groove. That’s what I always look for in a club tune. It could be House, Tech-House, Deep House — but it has to groove.
In the studio you emphasise live takes. How do you capture spontaneity yet maintain the surgical precision house music often requires?
That’s a good question. I love the performance of a real musician because every take is different. But if you want a big club sound, certain elements must cut through. I achieve that by editing the takes carefully — ensuring transients don’t overlap, and placing every sound precisely in the mix. It’s all about proper mixing.
Name a single plug-in or piece of hardware that changed your workflow in 2024 — and why it earned permanent space on your channel strip.
Man, that’s hard. I’ve got more than one. But if I had to pick the one plug-in I use in every single track, it’s the FabFilter suite — especially Pro-Q and Pro-L.
With AI already remixing stems in real time, where do you see the human producer fitting into club culture five years from now?
I wish I could see the future. But I think we’ll see three types of producers: those who don’t use AI at all and keep producing the same way; those who use AI as a creative tool — like a new instrument; and finally, the “cheaters” — people who let AI do the work entirely.
Beyond “It’s So Good,” what’s the next sonic problem you’re itching to solve — be it tempo, texture or technology?
I don’t need to solve sonic problems. I’m an artist, not an engineer. I walk into the studio hoping to make a great song. The nerd producer in me steps in when I need technical solutions. Sometimes, I make a track in an afternoon — just a good melody and a great synth. Other times, it takes me months with singers, musicians, layers. It depends on what the song asks for.