ANDREA FESTA
DJ · PRODUCER · MUSICIAN
LUGANO · SWITZERLAND
1987 → 2027
40 YEARS BEHIND THE DESK
ABOUT
ANDREA FESTA
Andrea Festa is a DJ, producer and musician from Lugano, Switzerland, whose journey behind the decks began at the end of 1986 and the beginning of 1987.
His musical roots began with hip-hop and scratching, before moving towards House, Acid, Chicago and Detroit, developing over the years into a personal sound shaped by Techno, Electro, Acid, hypnotic, raw and experimental electronic music.
From the Swiss rave and club scene of the 1990s to his work as a producer, remixer and independent label founder, Andrea Festa has always followed the same principle:
research the sound, protect the underground spirit and keep moving forward.
His influences include Marshall Jefferson, Armando, Underground Resistance, Jeff Mills, Robert Hood, Max Durante, Leo Anibaldi, Andrea Benedetti, Robert Armani, D’Arcangelo and Sven Väth, alongside the hip-hop culture of Public Enemy, Run-DMC, De La Soul, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube and Eazy-E.
The sound of the Roland 808 and 909, Technics MK2, Chicago House and Detroit Techno became part of the musical vocabulary that shaped his work.
THE EARLY YEARS
1987 · 1990s
The first years behind the decks were built around vinyl, hip-hop, scratching, House, Acid and Techno.
During the 1990s Andrea Festa became part of the Swiss rave, club and radio environment, with appearances and connections involving:
Energy 92/93 · Up Space Club Zürich · Garden of Eden · Cubik · Turbulence · Ghost Fevi Locarno · Tambo Rave · PhunkLab · Prince Club · Underground · Real Club 318 · Politeama Biasca · Alcatraz · Rete 3 / Moving Tribe
Important moments included:
Ghost Fevi, Locarno — 31 December 1995
Tambo Rave — 20/21 January 1996
Garden of Eden, Roggwil — 3 March 1996
PhunkLab, Politeama Biasca — 24 May 1996
These years established the foundations of Andrea Festa’s musical identity and his connection with the underground electronic scene.
FROM DJ TO PRODUCER
1993 →
The first production experiments date back to 1993, between Lugano and Zurich, with early productions recorded on DAT.
The first vinyl release was:
ALTEREGO MINIMALEGO
Released under Andrea Festa Records, the project exists in three versions:
Andrea Festa — AlterEgo MinimaLego
Andrea Festa & DJ Dune — AlterEgo MinimaLego
Andrea Festa & Tomahawok — AlterEgo MinimaLego
A project born from research into Acid and Chicago sounds, with a strong underground character and a personal sensitivity already recognisable in Andrea Festa’s sound.
The second vinyl followed with Woody McBride, also known as DJ ESP, connecting Andrea Festa’s production with the American rave and Chicago underground tradition.
THE SOUND OF LUGANO
ROMA · DETROIT · CHICAGO
DOUBLE CD
The Sound Of Lugano — Roma · Detroit · Chicago became one of the central projects of Andrea Festa’s early catalogue.
The double CD brought together original productions including:
Bora Bora
Relax
Vicari Street
The Sound Of Lugano
Palace Hotel
Alterego Minimallego
Bio Acid Moon
Audio Control
with reinterpretations and remixes involving:
DJ D.U.N.E. · Mr. K-Alexi · Terrence Dixon · Max Durante · Terrence Parker · Houz Mon Dep · Mike Dunn
Among the key versions:
Minimallego — DJ D.U.N.E. Remix
Bio Acid Moon — Mr. K-Alexi Remix
Vicari Street — Terrence Dixon Remix
Alterego — Max Durante Remix
Audio Control — Max Durante Remix
Palace Hotel — Terrence Parker Remix
Alterego — Houz Mon Dep Remix
The Sound Of Lugano — Mike Dunn Remix
The project brought together Andrea Festa’s productions with artists connected to the Chicago, Detroit and European electronic music traditions.
CHICAGO · DETROIT · ACID
Projects such as Bora Bora, Basic Acid and The Sound Of Lugano expanded the dialogue between Lugano and the international underground scene.
BORA BORA
Originally part of The Sound Of Lugano, Bora Bora was later reinterpreted by:
Tyree Cooper Remix
Los Hermanos Detroit Remix
BASIC ACID
Basic Acid developed the Acid side of Andrea Festa’s production work, including the original version, a DJ ESP / Woody McBride remix and an Andrea Festa remix.
THE SOUND OF LUGANO
The track was also revisited by Mike Dunn, whose old-school Chicago House remix features the vocal phrase:
“This is the sound of Lugano baby.”
The release also included a Hardfloor Remix, produced by Oliver Bondzio and Ramon Zenker.
TERRENCE DIXON
INNER BEAUTY
The connection with Terrence Dixon developed through the work around The Sound Of Lugano.
In 2011, Terrence Dixon gave Andrea Festa the track Inner Beauty, which was released through AF Records.
Andrea Festa later created:
Inner Beauty — Andrea Festa Remix
A direct connection between the Lugano-based project and the Detroit Techno tradition.
AF RECORDS
INDEPENDENT LABEL · CATALOGUE
AF Records became one of the main platforms for Andrea Festa’s productions, collaborations and releases.
Among the catalogue:
ORFANO
Orfano — AF 011
THE SOUND OF LUGANO RMX
The Sound Of Lugano RMX — AF 013
Andrea Festa feat. Mike Dunn
ARCHIVES
Archives
A 26-track project remastered by Danilo Vigorito.
Followed by:
Archives 1.0 – The Remixes — AF 018
Archives 2.0 – The Remixes — AF 019
ACID LAB
Acid Lab — AF 020
Original · Joey Beltram Remix · Biagio Lana Remix
ORFANO REPAINTED
Orfano Repainted — AF 021
The AF Records catalogue represents a substantial part of Andrea Festa’s production history, from Acid and Techno to more experimental and hypnotic electronic music.
HUMAN INTELLIGENCE
WONDERFUL PLEASURE
Human Intelligence is another production identity connected with Andrea Festa.
WONDERFUL PLEASURE
Wonderful Pleasure (Original Mix) — 05:57
Wonderful Pleasure (Extendet Mix) — 05:55
Wonderful Pleasure (Rhythm Dub) — 06:37
Brand new project for a new dancefloor.
REMIX WORK
Andrea Festa has also worked as a remixer for artists and labels outside his own catalogue.
Among these projects is his remix connected with Square Roots / Hologram Hookers, originally released through Hypnotic Room.
The remix work later continued through other labels and projects made together with Danilo Vigorito.
Other remix projects include work connected with artists and productions from the international underground electronic scene.
For Andrea Festa, remixing means taking an existing composition and rebuilding it through rhythm, machines and personal sound research.
SWISS ELECTRONIC MUSIC
A NEW CHAPTER
Swiss Electronic Music represents a new chapter in Andrea Festa’s independent work.
The project brings together electronic music, production, collaborations and cultural activity connected with Switzerland and the international underground scene.
Selected releases include:
CONCRETE RESISTANCE
SEM 005
CONNECT
Featuring:
Danilo Vigorito Remix
Walter Albini Remix
GENESI
Genesi
Family
Solar System
Via Lattea
Matterhorn At Sunrise
UNITED BATS
Andrea Festa & Marco Repetto — SEM 015
UNITED BATS RE-CREATIONS
SEM 016
Featuring:
Bigeneric
Andrea Festa
PULSE ATTACK
Andrea Festa & Mark Williams
Original production plus two Mark Williams remixes.
SWISS ELECTRONIC MUSIC VOLUME 1
Featuring productions including:
Andrea Festa — Planetarium
Bora Bora
Inner Beauty — Andrea Festa Remix
THE SOUND OF LUGANO
FESTIVAL & CULTURAL PROJECT
The name The Sound Of Lugano also became connected with a festival and cultural project dedicated to the history and development of electronic music in Lugano.
The project brings together the legacy of the original productions with a wider contemporary electronic music context.
SWISS ELECTRONIC MUSIC ASSOCIATION
The Swiss Electronic Music Association, based in Lugano, Switzerland, develops projects dedicated to electronic music, culture, education, production and independent artistic activity.
The association continues the work around Swiss Electronic Music, supporting artists, producers, DJs, cultural projects and the independent electronic music scene.
info@associazioneswisselectronicmusic.ch
[SWISS ELECTRONIC MUSIC]
40 YEARS BEHIND THE DESK
1987 → 2027
Four decades of vinyl, clubs, raves, radio, production, labels, collaborations and independent projects.
From the first hip-hop and scratching sessions to House, Acid, Chicago, Detroit and Techno.
From the Swiss rave scene of the 1990s to AF Records, Swiss Electronic Music and new generations of electronic music.
The sound keeps moving.
BOOKING
DJ SETS · LIVE · COLLABORATIONS
For bookings, DJ sets, live performances, events, collaborations and professional enquiries:
info@associazioneswisselectronicmusic.ch
[BOOKING]
CONTACT
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ANDREA FESTA
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ANDREA FESTA
DJ · PRODUCER · MUSICIAN
Lugano · Switzerland
1987 → 2027
40 YEARS BEHIND THE DESK
© 1987-2027 Andrea Festa. All rights reserved.
Lugano · Switzerland