We caught up with MicroMatscenes to talk about early influences, Italian identity, nostalgia, collaboration, breakfast rituals, and what’s next.

Early Influences

TSOS: What were some of your early influences growing up? That could be movies, TV, games, or other artists. What do you think shaped your sound the most?

My musical journey began in Ronciglione, a small town not far from Rome, Italy. It was the ’90s, and the world felt very different back then. A small town was destined to stay a small town… and yes, I was definitely a “small-town boy.”

I was lucky, though. A local music school had just opened, and at the age of nine I started playing the tenor horn in the town band — and I still do today! All that marching repertoire — upbeat, optimistic, with strong, recognizable structures — probably shaped my instinct for instrumental composition.

But a town band doesn’t just march — it also plays concerts. That’s how I encountered classical music very early on: Verdi, Rossini, Bellini, Mozart. I don’t have the technical background to compose classical music myself, but I’m pretty sure I’ve stolen a fair number of chord progressions from those masterpieces.

Even though Ronciglione was a small provincial town, we had a surprisingly well-stocked videogame shop. And of course, every bar (or café, if you prefer) had arcade cabinets and pinball machines. Like every Millennial kid, videogames were part of my daily life. I was eight when the Nintendo Entertainment System entered my home — a memory crystallized in my track “Dad Bought You a Nintendo” from the album Allegria.

That was the final piece of the puzzle: videogames had music. Instrumental, layered, often progressive — and always amazing.

On top of that, my parents were serious music lovers. There was always good pop and rock spinning on the turntable: Phil Collins, Pink Floyd, Carly Simon, Madonna, Queen, Michael Jackson… there was really no escape.

And that’s the noisy, colorful background of MicroMatscenes.

Italian Identity & Language

TSOS: How does being an Italian artist influence your music? You sometimes sing in Italian. How does language and culture affect how you write and express emotion?

Italian is a beautiful, complex, ancient language. But because most of my musical influences come from international pop and rock, my brain automatically associates groove with English.

Yes, I sang “Tra le Fiamme e le Stelle” in Italian, and that felt right for what Allegria was meant to be: a celebration of 1980s Italian mass-media culture — TV shows, radio programs, commercials, and iconic music events like Festivalbar and the Sanremo Music Festival.

I love my language. But sometimes I feel like it was made for The Betrothed, The Divine Comedy, and opera. Pop and rock? They just hit differently in English.

Writing Process

TSOS: When you sit down to start a new track, what usually comes first for you — a sound, a mood, or a visual scene?

Sometimes a track starts because I’m obsessively listening to something and I want to capture a certain vibe. Other times, ideas rise straight from the subconscious.

“Saturday Morning” is basically the sound of my childhood. That chord riff was the very first thing I wrote. Major, then suddenly minor — I think that’s the golden rule of nostalgia.

The harmony never really resolves. It just loops — relief and melancholy, over and over again. That’s the magic of nostalgia.

Usually, the first thing I do is lay down chords on a synth pad or an electric piano. Something vintage. Something that feels like it comes from another time and place. Something that sends my heart and mind back to faces, smells, colors, tastes.

Gear & Production

TSOS: What DAW do you primarily use (Julian needs to know), and which plugins or instruments do you find yourself returning to again and again?

Logic Pro on Mac is my weapon of choice. It has everything I need: beautiful stock synths, great effects, iconic presets like the classic DX-style electric piano or Linn drum machine sounds. Honestly, it covers any genre.

Plugins are fun and shiny — I own popular ones like Valhalla VintageVerb and RC-20 Retro Color — but once you really know the sound you’re chasing, good stock tools and a few knobs to tweak are more than enough. That’s when the game is won.

I also own two vintage hardware synths: a Yamaha DX7 and a Roland D-50. I used the D-50 extensively on the album Back 2 School to capture that authentic late-’80s digital sheen — modern, lush, unapologetically nostalgic.

Collaboration

TSOS: You’ve collaborated with some great artists such as Maya Camara, AWITW, Sonic Gap, and Sleepless Nights. What do you enjoy most about collaborating, and is there anyone you’d love to work with in the future?

Collaboration is essential — first to grow as a person, then as a producer. Working with someone else forces you to practice empathy and put your ego aside to elevate your partner’s ideas.

If the Retrowave/Synthwave flame is still burning, I’d love to collaborate with J.J. Mist — one of the first Retrowave voices I discovered back in the day.

Nostalgia & Aesthetics

TSOS: A lot of synth music leans heavily into retro aesthetics. How do you personally balance nostalgia with originality?

From the very beginning of my journey as MicroMatscenes, I’ve felt some pressure about aesthetics.

I love the iconic “Synthwave sun” and neon grids — who doesn’t? But that’s also part of the problem. When someone says “Synthwave,” your brain instantly projects that glowing sunset and grid horizon. That visual has become almost mandatory to reach the genre’s audience.

So how do I stand out?

Let’s be honest: I’m not famous for killer album covers. And in a genre so visually driven, that can be an issue. Back 2 School probably has my most “classic” Synthwave artwork, but most of my albums don’t scream Retrowave at first glance.

I’ve simply put all my energy into making the music sound as nostalgic as possible. The cover art? Forgive me.

As for my public image, I prefer being myself — Matteo, aka MicroMatscenes. No costumes, no neon jackets, no sunglasses at night. Maybe that looks like a “radical chic” excuse for laziness. Or maybe it’s just authenticity. Who knows?

The Breakfast Routine

TSOS: When you wake up in the morning, what’s your breakfast routine?

There are many possible answers here.

The most “1980s” breakfast would be milk (soy milk, of course — the radical chic strikes again) with cereals. But this is Italy. So coffee or cappuccino with biscuits, or a croissant filled with marmalade or Nutella, is probably the real answer.

Breakfast is sacred. Early morning sets the emotional tone for the entire day. I need silence.

I have two daughters, so silence is mostly achievable on workdays — I’m the first one up. Those mornings sound like Mozart. Weekends? They sound like Stravinsky.

The “Saturday Morning” from my song is a distant memory.

Sometimes I have breakfast at work. I keep a moka pot there — still the best coffee ritual if you have time and need peace — plus some emergency biscuits in my locker. That version of breakfast comes with small talk, social dynamics, and occasionally what I call “the daily meat grinder”: the background noise of colleagues complaining about work.

A meat grinder. Quite an image for a mostly vegetarian. Frightening? Yes. Accurate? Also yes.

The Current Scene

TSOS: How do you feel about the current state of the synthwave and synth-adjacent scene?

There’s still a solid hardcore of producers deeply committed to the ’80s/’90s aesthetic — and I’m definitely one of them.

Recently, though, I’ve heard more jungle and drum & bass influences, even from veteran synth artists. It feels like nostalgia is shifting toward the early 2000s. That’s interesting. But if I’m honest, that sound doesn’t trigger much inside me.

To me, it often sounds like a character selection screen from some forgotten racing videogame… although maybe that’s exactly the nostalgia it aims to evoke.

Personally, I believe there’s still so much left to explore in the ’80s/’90s sonic world. I hope more producers will keep doing “the right thing” — to borrow a phrase from Simply Red.

And then there’s AI. It has huge potential. But retro-inspired music feels more powerful to me when it’s handcrafted. It’s not just about the sound — it’s about the method.

Future Directions

TSOS: Is there a direction, sound, or idea you haven’t explored yet that you’re eager to try?

Mayah Camara keeps telling me, “You should sing more.” And maybe she’s right.

But I have this deep instrumental itch, and I love scratching it.

I’m not great at planning the future. But one thing is almost certain: I’m not leaving the ’80s/’90s territory anytime soon.

What’s Next?

TSOS: What’s next on the horizon for you? Any new releases, live shows, collaborations, or anything else you can tease?

Speaking of Mayah Camara — we have an entire album of unfinished duets in progress. We’re not even halfway through, but we already have a title: Retro Love. It kind of speaks for itself.

So far, we’ve released only one track, “Hearts in Love,” a pure ’80s R&B jam. But there’s much more cooking, and I genuinely hope everyone will get to hear it soon — because it’s beautiful music. Isn’t it, Mayah?

I’ll admit it: it’s partly my fault. I keep making babies, and time keeps shrinking. But you’re also busy creating amazing songs with amazing producers!

Still, I’m convinced MicroMatscenes and Mayah Camara are destined to write more gems together.

Stay tuned.

Find MicroMatscenes music here:

Bandcamp

Spotify

Youtube