for this week’s 909 podcast we welcome naarm/melbourne based dj & producer, al dente who serves up a delicious mix curated for home listening sessions. showcasing a slower, softer side to his collection, al dente was inspired to curate this mix by the setting that he enjoys listening to them the most in – cooking. still nodding to his signature spacey, chuggy and bubbly soundscapes, the mix comes with a minimal, techy edge.
the 2024 release of al dente’s ‘the second cousin’ on animalia has become a firm favourite of mine – at least one track from the ep is always playlisted for sets. it’s a shining explain of what has drawn me to al dente’s sound over the past year, a contemporary take on a club-roller that’s super deep and futuristic whilst drawing from influences of early 2000s minimal. a dreamy combo! alongside that animalia release, al dente has released on the likes of pure space, beam, dmo, the space between us, and neurocrank – the latter being a platform & collective that al dente is a part of.
🔒 lock in 🔒
hey harrison! how are you doing? what have you been up to lately?
hey! i’m great thanks. i’ve just been working mostly, and making as much music in between as possible. i got back to melbourne in december after living in paris for a year, so i’ve been doing lots of nice things with friends and family.
let’s start from the very beginning, what was your first introduction to music in general and then more specifically electronic music?
hmm, my first introduction was probably listening to my dad’s record collection, lots of jazz, trip hop and some ambient stuff. in regards to electronic music, i really became obsessed with it when i was around 18, going out in melbourne to my first live electronic and dj gigs with friends.
was there a formative moment growing up, whether that’s seeing your favourite band live or an incredible dj set, that led you to this path?
there was definitely a few, i think the first few times i saw reptant play live were really formative. even though i hadn’t started producing yet, i always remember thinking that i would love to make sounds like this one day. from a dj perspective, the first few times i saw moopie play completely blew me away, and since then have been obsessed.
what is the most meaningful part of being an artist to you?
i think making sounds completely from scratch, and then being able to share them with both friends and people you have never met. hearing a song i’ve made get played by someone in a club, and seeing people have fun listening is really an incredible feeling, and really inspires me to make more.
where do you look for sources of inspiration outside of music?
my mum is a painter & printmaker, so definitely her art, and lots of visual art in general
how has naarm/melbourne influenced or informed your sense of self and artistic output?
going out to local events really helped shape my sound. we are really lucky in melbourne to have so many incredible djs and producers, so going out and listening to these artists is always inspiring, and always makes you want to produce the next day.
what is your approach to your production process?
i think my best output is always from just experimenting and having fun, not feeling pressured to make a ‘song’, and just making fun sounds to see what comes of it. once i am happy with all the sounds i’ve created, i then start to format the track and think about song structure.
what has been your most recent musical discovery that you’re obsessed with?
this isn’t really a discovery as i’ve known and listened to him for a few years, but i am really obsessed with rhadoo’s mixes at the moment, going through all his old and new mixes which are definitely inspiring me to both mix and produce in different ways at the moment.
you’ve also contributed a mix for the 909 series, what’s the concept behind this one?
i wanted the mix to just be a reflection of the music i’ve been listening to and finding recently. my favourite time to listen to mixes is while i’m cooking, so i felt inspired to make a slightly slower and more relaxed mix than my previous recordings, more suited to home listening.
how does your approach to dj sets differ from studio mixes and radio shows? is there a narrative in mind that you’re always trying to tell through your sets?
yeah when i record mixes/radio shows, i definitely plan more of a ‘story’, and feel like i can change tempos and vibes a lot more throughout the mix, compared to my dj sets which are more in response to the setting, soundsystem and crowd.
when was the last time you were on the dance floor?
i’ve had a busy few weeks, so it was around a month or so ago, at miscelania for the recent butter sessions party, watching sleep d play live!
what are you most excited about right now?
i’m about to go overseas to play some gigs, and holiday, so i’m very excited about that!
what’s on your vision board at the moment?
i have a few releases hopefully coming out later in the year 🙂