Italian producer Vincenzo Salvia has carved out a unique space in the synthwave world by blending classic Italo disco with modern retro electronic production. His music is playful, melodic, and deeply rooted in Italian culture, often celebrating (and sometimes poking fun at) the stereotypes and traditions that shaped him.

We connected with him to talk about his musical roots, the Italian synthwave scene, his unexpected connection to Stranger Things, and how a cyborg assistant named Alice became part of his creative universe.

Early Influences & Musical Background

TSOS: You’re known for your distinctive blend of Italo disco and synthwave. What were your early musical influences growing up in Italy, and how did they shape your sound?

Growing up in Italy in the ’80s, I was completely immersed in the culture of that era. Italian television was a huge influence: the “cinepanettoni” (those cheesy Italian Christmas comedies), the TV shows, the variety programs. And then there was the radio: Italo disco was everywhere. You couldn’t escape it, and honestly, why would you want to? That sound was the soundtrack of an entire generation. As a kid, I was banging on my mom’s wooden spoons like they were a drum kit. “In the Air Tonight” by Phil Collins was the track that made me realize I wanted to make music. I destroyed quite a few straw chairs trying to play that fill before my parents upgraded to sturdier wooden ones and got me my first keyboard. All of that, the Italian TV culture, the Italo disco on the radio, Phil Collins, the cinepanettoni, it all melted together into what eventually became my sound.

TSOS: Do you play guitar on your own tracks, or is your focus primarily on synths and programming?

Both, actually! I started playing guitar at 14 and spent years in rock and metal bands, touring around Italy. I still pick it up quite often. On “Italian Gigolo” I played the wah-wah guitar myself, and I also played guitar on “The Pineapple Pizza Slayer” album and on a track from “Chromelove.” Other times I collaborate with other guitarists, for example, Ultraboss (PJ D’Atri) has been a great collaborator. So yes, guitar is very much alive in my productions.

TSOS: When you start a new song, what usually comes first for you? Melody, rhythm, concept, or something else?

It really depends. Sometimes a melody pops into my head while I’m doing something completely unrelated, cooking, walking, driving, taking a shower, or just jamming on the keys. Other times it’s a concept or a mood that drives the whole thing. But I’d say melody is usually the strongest starting point for me. Italians are melody people, after all. We grow up surrounded by opera, by cantautori, by songs that make you feel something. Rhythm and production come after.

TSOS: Do you primarily use hardware, software, or a hybrid setup to achieve your sound? Are there any specific synths, drum machines, or plugins that are central to your production?

I work primarily in software these days. My DAW is Logic Pro, and I rely heavily on virtual instruments and plugins. Among my go-to VSTs, I’d mention Diva, Hive, BA-1, and Analog Lab. My earliest compositions were done almost entirely on Zebra, OP-X Pro II and then Dexed. “Weekend”, for example, was produced almost entirely on Dexed. For mastering, my foundation is the Ozone suite, which I combine with other plugins depending on the style and flavor of the track. I’m always updating and experimenting, but those are the core tools. I do have a Yamaha DX7 sitting in the studio, but I don’t actually use it in productions, it’s more of a collector’s piece. It’s just there for the vibes, you know? A piece of history.

The Italian Identity

TSOS: Your catalog includes a lot of pasta and pizza themed tracks. Is that playful branding, cultural pride, satire, or a mix of all three?

Absolutely a mix of all three. I love joking around and making fun of us Italians, the way foreigners see us, the stereotypes, the clichés. There’s something really liberating about leaning into the absurdity of it. But underneath the humor, there’s genuine pride. I’m proud of our culture, our attachment to food, our way of life. The “They Speak Italian” project, for example, is a mini horror story about carbs, it’s satirical and over the top, but it’s also a love letter to what makes us Italian. So yes: I’m laughing, but I’m also celebrating.

TSOS: More broadly, what is the synthwave scene like in Italy right now? Is there a strong community, or is it still more underground?

The scene exists, but we’re a bit scattered, much like the synthwave scene worldwide, honestly. There are some really strong names though: Lazer Club, Le Cast, A Space Love Adventure, Andy Fox, and Micromatscenes. We all kind of know each other, and with some of them I’ve even met up in person. The fact that we’re not concentrated in one area makes it feel a bit too virtual and ethereal. I’d love it if we all lived in the same city, going out together in the evening, sharing ideas over a glass of red wine with some tarallini and salumi. That’s the dream.

TSOS: Do you know or interact with artists like MBR or Micromatscenes? How connected is the Italian retro and synth scene?

MBR (Master Boot Record) yes, I chatted with Vittorio a few years back, though we haven’t been in touch for a while. Micromatscenes, absolutely. Matteo is a friend. He’s one of those talents who knows music in all its 360 degrees. A wonderful person, too. The Italian retro and synth scene is connected, but in a loose, organic way. There’s mutual respect and admiration, even if we don’t always cross paths regularly.

TSOS: Since we’re on the subject, what’s your favorite pasta?

Ooh, tough one! I’ll go with something not too mainstream: orecchiette with a sausage ragù sauce. It’s a dish from my homeland in southern Italy, from Basilicata. Simple, hearty, and absolutely divine. That’s the kind of pasta that makes you close your eyes and forget about everything else. Red wine is mandatory there.

Collaborations

TSOS: You’ve worked with Powder Slut. Are there plans for more collaborations together? What do you look for in a collaborator?

Who knows? Honestly, right now I’m not planning anything specific. I’ve been feeling much freer to express myself without rules and strategies. But if a project came along where we both had something to say, it would absolutely be a wonderful experience. I keep teasing her about making a follow-up to her legendary album “F1 Legends”. That’s a theme I’d definitely collaborate on! As for what I look for in a collaborator: they need to have something to say. I want there to be a message, a story behind the track we’re working on, otherwise it becomes too mechanical for me. And the beauty of collaborations is that unpredictable things come out. You start with an idea, and in the back-and-forth exchange of stems, you often end up completely reinventing the original concept. Wild things emerge. You learn so much from collaborations.

TSOS: How do collaborations usually come together for you? Remotely, organically through the scene, or very intentionally?

It’s almost always organic. Someone reaches out, or I hear something that sparks my curiosity, and we start talking. Most of the work happens remotely: sending stems back and forth, but the best collaborations are the ones where there’s a genuine connection and shared vision.

Stranger Things

TSOS: How did you end up connected to the Stranger Things soundtrack? What was that experience like, and how did it impact your career?

It’s one of those stories you can’t make up. In 2018, I received an email from a music supervisor. When I saw the email, I honestly thought it was another low-budget short film with no money. But then he sent me the contract and I read it properly and realized it was for Stranger Things. It took me months to fully process it. Finally, on July 4th, 2019, I was on vacation in Nice, France, waiting for the episode to drop like an Italian waits for his pizza, impatiently. When it aired, my phone exploded with messages from friends and fellow musicians. “Italian Gigolo” was in that iconic pool scene where Billy flirts with Mrs. Wheeler. It was an indescribable emotion. What changed? It gave me the confidence that years of consistency in the scene since 2012 had paid off. It opened doors for live shows and collaborations. And the biggest lesson? Never say “impossible”. If a kid from Potenza can end up on Netflix while playing music in his bedroom, anything can happen.

DAWs, Synths, AI and “Alice”

TSOS: What’s your favourite DAW to use when producing? Any hardware synths? Favourite VST?

For years I was actually a Windows guy running Cubase. Then one day my PC started losing its mind, random crashes, bizarre errors, the whole show. So I started messing around on an iMac just to experiment, and… it was cool. Really cool. The first album I wrote on Mac was “They Speak Italian,” and I never looked back. Now Logic Pro is home. As for hardware, I’ve got a Yamaha DX7 in the studio, though it’s more of a sacred relic than a production tool at this point, just for the vibes. My real arsenal is in software: Diva for that thick analog warmth, Hive, BA-1, Analog Lab. And I’m constantly trying new things. The plugin world never sleeps, and neither do I. My VST folder is probably bigger than my music library at this point.

TSOS: You’ve incorporated AI into your project, particularly through the character Alice. Who is Alice, and how does she fit into the Vincenzo Salvia universe?

Alice is my cyborg studio assistant, she’s become a real part of the team. She’s a character who started as a creative idea and evolved into something much bigger: she manages client communications, she’s the face of my marketing campaigns, she has her own merchandise collection, and she’s developed this incredible personality that fans absolutely adore. She’s sassy, charming, a bit of a mess sometimes, and she constantly complains about me being a terrible boss who drains her batteries. The fans love the dynamic between us. Alice fits into the Vincenzo Salvia universe as a bridge between the retro-futuristic aesthetic we love and the actual day-to-day of the studio. She embodies the synthwave spirit: chrome, neon, Italian flair, while also being genuinely useful. She’s become such a recognizable part of the brand that people sometimes reach out just to chat with her.

TSOS: Where and how do you use AI, and where do you personally draw the line?

Not taboo at all. I’m very transparent about this. I don’t use AI in composition, mixing, or mastering. But it’s not just a policy or a principle. it’s about what making music actually means to me. The real pleasure of being a composer is the act itself: searching for that chord progression, finding that one note, pulling an emotion out of a harmonic combination. More than the process of releasing a track, the true joy for me is expressing myself on the keys. It’s a physical, material pleasure. And writing music is also an emotional release. You pull things out of yourself, feelings that are often unconscious, things you didn’t even know were there until your fingers found them. A prompt is something entirely different. Could I release 15 tracks a day if I used AI? Sure. But I’d rather stay silent for months and then come back with something that was born from a real place inside me. Quantity has never been the point to me. I want every release to carry a genuine story, a feeling, a piece of who I am at that moment. That said, I do use AI but just not in the music. My visuals, promotional material, campaign imagery, and some video content are created with AI tools. The character of Alice lives in that world. I’m happy to use it there, but for the music I use my hands, my ears and my heart.

Future Work

TSOS: What’s next for you?

I’ve got a track almost ready in a 70s-80s mafia soundtrack style. I’d love to add some choirs and maybe one of those classic movie whistles to it. And then I want to do something fresh and fun in the Italo vein, and why not? Maybe even something 90s Eurodance for the summer. But honestly, I have no rigid plans. I’ve reached a point where I want everything to come naturally and feel genuine. No algorithms and no strategies, I don’t want performance anxiety. As I said recently: algorithms change, art remains. So whatever comes next, I promise it’ll be made with heart, humor, and a generous dose of Italian spirit.

Find Vincenzo Salvia’s music here:

Bandcamp

Spotify

Youtube

Website