Formula Indie Sessions _ Interview with The Emigrants
Behind the Scenes:
An Exclusive Look Inside ‘The Emigrants’ Studio
What happens when decades of band experience meet the limitless possibilities of a digital studio? We contacted Adriano and Riccardo to talk about the journey of ’The Emigrants.’ Learn more about their idols, their most intimate musical moments, and why it’s never too late to completely redefine your own sound.
What is your earliest memory connected to music?
Adriano: These aren’t my earliest memories, but they’re the ones that have shaped me the most. My older brother was a DJ and had cabinets full of records. As a child, I spent countless evenings and weekends with him in the attic, completely absorbed in the music.
Riccardo: My earliest memory is of my father playing the accordion – that sound immediately captivated me as a child. Even then, I could feel how directly music can transport emotions.
How did your passion for creating music begin?
Adriano: While I learned to play the electric organ for a few years in school, I felt a strong urge to pick up the guitar as a teenager. That’s when I wanted to start a band. We began as a trio, then grew into a 7-piece group, and spent many years playing pop-rock covers at events all over Central Switzerland, Zurich, and Berne.
Riccardo: My passion developed quite organically – first through listening, then by experimenting with simple instruments. At some point, curiosity turned into a strong urge to translate my own feelings and ideas into songs.
What’s the story behind your current music project?
The desire to create original music has always been there. After our band dissolved due to life moving in different directions, there was a break. A few years later, the core passion brought us back together. We transformed our traditional rehearsal space into a digital music studio, which was a huge learning curve. Having conquered that technical mountain, we are now finally doing what we always wanted: focusing all our energy on writing and composing our own original songs.
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?
Our sound is hard to pin down because we don’t believe in sticking to just one genre – for us, it’s all about the joy of music itself. We love to experiment and blend different styles, mainly moving between classic pop, funky grooves, electropop, and pop-rock. A defining feature of our music is that all our songs are sung in Italian, which adds a specific melodic feel to our tracks. Our philosophy is simple: ‘No music, no life!’ Our songs in one phrase: ‘Italian soul, genre-fluid sound’.
What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?
The most transformative lesson was learning that technical production is just as creative as playing an instrument. Moving to our own digital studio gave us total independence. It shifted our focus from just performing a song to ‘building’ a sound. This allows us to blend different genres and bring our original compositions to life exactly how we imagined them, without any external compromise.
What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?
Our creative process is a blend of analog roots and digital possibilities. Our studio software is the heart of everything. It’s where we experiment with our ‘genre-fluid’ sound, from funky basslines to electronic layers – in combination with real instruments. Since we produce everything ourselves, high-quality plugins for vocal processing and sound shaping are crucial to get that polished, professional sound.
Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?
Adriano: It changes all the time, but right now I’m listening to:
- Midnight Generation – MEX (Don’t wait up / Energy)
- Germanò – ITA (Matteo non c’è / Enchantè)
- Lemandorle – ITA (Gelato colorato)
- Holy F* – CAN (Evie)
- Roosevelt – GER (Montreal / Strangers)
Riccardo: Samaistha – CH (Upgrade your DNA / Where the senses meet)
How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?
Adriano: Our music is a direct reflection of my journey. Spending my youth in the attic with my brother’s vinyl records gave me a deep appreciation for the history of sound. Years in a pop-rock band taught me the energy of live music, while the transition to a digital duo gave me the tools to be independent. My experiences – the long nights in the studio and even the career breaks – have taught me that authenticity is key. Today, my vision is about creating a sound driven by passion rather than commercial expectations.
Riccardo: My personal experiences are the foundation of everything I compose – many songs arise from real moments, encounters, or inner conflicts. My family background was also particularly influential, such as my father’s music, which showed me early on how honest and direct sound can be. As a result, my artistic vision is strongly focused on conveying authentic emotions and creating a connection that goes beyond words.
What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?
We hope our listeners feel the same pure joy and passion that we feel. Since we sing in Italian, we want the emotion and melody of the language to connect with people, even if they don’t understand every word. We hope our music brings a sense of freedom and positive energy – whether it’s joy or heartache. Ultimately, we want our music to be an authentic companion through the highs and lows of life.
What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?
Ultimately, music has taught us that authenticity and passion are everything – and that it’s never too late to reinvent yourself. Whether it’s mastering new software or switching from a large band to a duo, the key is to stay curious. It taught us that the creative process itself is the greatest reward, far beyond commercial formulas or genre boundaries.
What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?
To be honest, we don’t really see ourselves on stage anymore. Performing live is basically no longer a priority. Our fulfillment comes entirely from the creative process within our studio. However, if we were to imagine a dream scenario – a stage that celebrates pure musical freedom – it would be somewhere like the Montreux Jazz Festival in Montreux, the MI AMI Festival in Milan, or Lollapalooza in Paris or Berlin. It would have to be a space where our digital production meets a crowd that simply wants to lose itself in the rhythm, regardless of where we are on our journey.
If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?
Adriano: That’s a tough question because there are hundreds of artists who inspire me. But if I had to pick my top five for a collaboration, it would definitely be Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois, Peter Gabriel, Kraftwerk, and Nile Rodgers. These names are legends because they fundamentally redefined the way music is produced.
I am just as fascinated by the atmospheric soundscapes of Eno and Lanois as I am by the electronic pioneering and rhythmic precision of Kraftwerk. Add to that Peter Gabriel’s instinct for art-pop and the unmistakable groove of Nile Rodgers – they all view the studio as a creative playground. Collaborating with them would be the ultimate experience for me, as they perfectly embody the balance between technical innovation and pure, infectious soul.
Riccardo: I would love to work with Mick Guzauski, as he has an incredible feel for sound, balance, and detail in mixing. He has shaped entire genres and yet always manages to create a sound that is both modern and timeless. I’d want to learn from him how to perfectly blend emotion with technical precision.
A collaboration with Giorgio Moroder would be equally exciting. He has had a lasting impact on electronic music and modern pop. I find his innovative power particularly inspiring: he created musical trends instead of just following them. I would love to understand how he develops his iconic sounds.
Nile Rodgers is also a huge inspiration. His productions radiate an infectious energy; he makes music that is sophisticated yet accessible. From him, I would want to learn how to create such a strong character and groove with just a few elements. Last but not least, Jacob Collier embodies absolute creative independence for me. His musical and instrumental skill, along with his unique sound, fascinate me immensely.
Where can our listeners follow and support your music?
- Webpage: THE EMIGRANTS – Mx3.ch
- Youtube: THE EMIGRANTS – YouTube
- Instagram: Instagram
- Spotify: THE EMIGRANTS | Spotify
- Apple Music: The Emigrants – Apple Music
Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?
The goal is to blend our styles so seamlessly that the sound is instantly recognizable as ‘The Emigrants’. We aim to share our songs with a global digital audience, allowing the music to speak for itself. Staying true to ‘No music, no life!’, we want to maintain the freedom to reinvent ourselves and create songs that serve as authentic companions through life.
What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?
Looking ahead, we hope our listeners discover that our music is a journey of constant reinvention and unfiltered passion. We want them to see that we aren’t just making tracks but building an evolving sonic world where the emotion of the Italian language meets modern production. Above all, we hope they recognize that ‘The Emigrants’ is a project driven by the pure joy of creation.
If you want, here you can add a representative You Tube video to insert below the interview 🙂
Video link: Era digitale
Video link: Mi rivedo in loro
Video link: Solo immagini così
Video link: Un nuovo inizio
