Following Solchi (2017) and The Island (2020), Lorenzo Nada took another three years to create new music. The Italian DJ and producer recently returned with a new album published under his most popular pseudonym, Godblesscomputers. This moniker represents a project that originated in Berlin in 2011 when Lorenzo moved there. It draws inspiration from the intersections of rhythms and stylistic qualities of black music and electronic music, as well as his passion for sampling and record collecting.

In early September, he released his fourth full-length album, Faded Views (published in collaboration with 823 and Jakarta Records). In many ways, this album resonates with the musical features and compositions that listeners have come to expect from him. From the first track to the last, the listener embarks on an effortless journey through laidback rhythms and smooth jazzy harmonies. The album showcases Godblesscomputers’ musical diversity and reflects his interest in international and eclectic tastes. Both casual and attentive listeners would agree that these nine tracks represent a lively and successful endeavour in contemporary popular music craftsmanship.

Is there any specific message you wanted to deliver through this record? What does it mean to you?

There is no clear and defined message. As always, I like to leave free interpretation to the listeners by trying to provide guidelines through the sounds and images on the record. “Faded Views” is a record about the constant transformation of the things we perceive. It is called “Faded Views” precisely because the images lose their clear boundaries and as they constantly transform, they become blurred.

Intellectually speaking, do you feel it follows in the footsteps of your previous records? Are there any recurrent themes that you are still exploring? And if yes, how are you approaching them now?

I would say that in some ways, this record is a continuation of a journey that began many years ago with the first releases. Obviously, a lot of time has passed, and my point of view on many things has changed, but the desire to tell stories with my sounds has remained a constant.

What is your creative/artistic process when you start working on a new album? Where did you start from with this new record? In a way, what are the inspirations for this album?

Very often in the past, I would lock myself in the studio for long periods to work on my records. This particular record came about in a different way, in the sense that most of the pieces were drafts and jams that I had recorded over the past years/months. I let these drafts sit for a while and while listening to them again, I narrowed them down. I picked up the ideas that sounded best to me and developed them in the company of some musicians. The inspirations are many, but certainly in recent years, I have been influenced a lot by jazz and its evolutions. With my Koralle project, I have done a lot of sample research over the last few years, and I decided to bring the same thing to the Godblesscomputers pieces, in a more dance/uptempo key.

In previous interviews (2017), you said that Italy still struggles to appreciate instrumental electronic music, and that the lack of lyrics still pushes people away – is that still the case? Do you feel something has changed?

I could not tell you if that is still the case. Obviously, tastes and trends change all the time, but I still understand that music with lyrics always does bigger numbers. I do not really look at the numbers and what is going on in the Italian music industry. In recent years, I have freed myself from many dynamics and only follow what really interests me, doing my research and continuously discovering interesting music. I say this because being part of a context such as independent, electronic Italian music, it is sometimes normal to look around and understand in which direction things are going. At the moment, I feel free and untethered from many dynamics of the past, and I am happy to go in my own direction, making music that reflects who I am today.

I feel that after the lockdown, with the global boom in ambient music, things have started to change in Italy too, perhaps opening up to new opportunities – how do you feel about it?

When you talk about the boom of ambient music globally, I do not really know what you are referring to. I do not really follow what is going on in ambient music, because maybe I never really followed it. But if you are referring to lo-fi music, beats, and ‘background’ music, I can say yes, there has definitely been a boom in the last few years. A lot of stuff I like, but most of it sounds to me like mass-produced music to fit into big Spotify editorial playlists. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but it is an approach that I do not find stimulating, neither as a listener nor as a producer. Over the past few years with the Koralle project, I have been making music that could be placed in the lo-fi music category. Sure, it is chill music, but there is a lot of research into the sound and history of black culture. I have collaborated with several MCs and foreign singers and pressed all my releases on vinyl. I like the idea of having my own sound, and at the same time, I do not dislike the fact that my music can be placed within a musical strand. I like the idea that it can be listened to distractedly while doing something else and at the same time be appreciated by an attentive listener. I like this dual level of listening. Perhaps compared to the music of Godblesscomputers, it is easier to place in a genre, and this can sometimes help.

Coming from hip-hop, what’s your relationship today with lyrics-based music? Are you inspired by it, or do you see your music as a response to the heavy influence of lyrics in Italy?

I have a very good relationship with all music, both with and without lyrics. I believe that inspiration can come from anything, be it instrumental music or music with lyrics. I myself in recent years have produced both instrumental music and music with singer/MC collaborations. Of course, I have my own preferences in terms of taste, and in more than 90% of cases, what I listen to comes from jazz, soul, funk, hip-hop, and all the contaminations of them with electronic music.

Where do you see your music going in the future? Is there something (technique, style, genre, etc.) that interests you and that you would like to explore further or implement in your work?

This record has a more defined dance soul than my previous works. I like this sound, and I think I will do more things in this direction in the future. I like the idea that Godblesscomputers is a more uptempo/dancefloor-oriented and articulate version of Koralle. The sound of Godblesscomputers is more sparse, dirty, and essential than it used to be. And I would like to continue in this direction.

How would you describe your music to someone who’s never listened to it?

I would describe it as groovy and warm electronic music, drawing from jazz, funk, soul. Music to both listen and dance to.

- Faded Views, Godblesscomputers fourth LP, is now available through 823 and Jakarta Records.
You can purchase your copy by following THIS LINK -