Interviews

For nearly two decades, Dirty Channels have been quietly — and sometimes not so quietly — shaping the pulse of modern house music. Rooted in Italy’s deep, often underrated dance heritage, they’ve carved out a sound that feels both timeless and tactile: groove-driven, soulful, and always alive with the energy of real musicianship. From Milan to São Paulo, Paris to New York, their sets move with instinct rather than formula, blending proto-house gems, Detroit depth, Riviera warmth, and unexpected textures that keep dancers guessing.

Their new Jungle Echoes EP captures exactly where they are right now: confident, curious, and creatively unafraid. Built from long studio sessions, live instrumentation, and a shared philosophy of risk-taking, the record feels like a snapshot of two artists still evolving while staying fiercely connected to their roots. Dirty Channels aren’t just DJs or producers — they’re custodians of groove, community builders, and storytellers who believe house music should move both body and soul.

Before you met in 2007, what were the sounds or scenes that shaped each of you individually?

We both grew up following the classic house scene, from the Italian masters to the American pioneers who were playing in Italy in the late '90s and early 2000s. Before we met, we were both resident DJs in different clubs that were focal points for the local scene, already playing old-school house and deep Detroit techno, with a little foray into the electronic music that shaped those years.

Italy has a rich but underrated dance music history. How does your cultural background seep into your productions?

Italy definitely has a great, underrated history, especially in the house scene — the Riviera sound, for example. We are very connected to that music and we respect all the DJs who influenced us. We try to keep some of this background in all our productions: house and electronic music in the Italian way!

What made you realise you wanted to be DJs? Was there a moment — a party, a record, a DJ — that made you think this was the life you wanted?

Not a specific moment — maybe just a visceral love for music and the desire to share our personal taste with as many people as possible. When we first saw a DJ booth, we immediately thought: this is the way!

You've always merged unexpected influences. What's your philosophy on taking creative risks?

We always play back-to-back without preparing any set, just following the flow! Taking risks is part of the job, and our philosophy is to make people happy but also surprise them a little, without any limit on music genres.

When you produce or DJ, what emotional states are you trying to evoke?

Groove is the first thing that comes naturally to us, but we always aim to offer music with a deep soul — music that leaves a positive memory for those who dance or listen to it.

Nearly two decades in, how do you keep evolving without losing your identity?

Over the years our sound has evolved. Nevertheless, we always try to maintain a recognizable sound without going too far from our background. -Know where you come from” is the natural key to keeping your identity, even when the hype shifts to other genres.

Beyond the technical influences, what personal story does Jungle Echoes tell about where you are right now?

Jungle Echoes includes three different tracks that represent most of the music we are playing nowadays, but also music we wanted to play more — and it wasn't easy to find. The story behind the tracks is simple: it was a long studio session with musicians, during which we created the tracks almost in the spur of the moment.

The EP feels tactile and organic. Did you incorporate any real-world sounds or textures? The grooves feel narrative and cinematic. How do you think about rhythm as a storytelling tool?

All the tracks feature real musicians and instruments, but we also added a few beat samples. The groove always plays a fundamental role in our tracks, and through it, we try to tell a story that is as personal as possible.

“Guilty” has a rising, glowing energy. How did you design that emotional lift? The piano is a standout moment. What were you aiming for with that melodic shift?

The building of “Guilty” started around the kwaito-influenced voice and the piano riff. We spent a lot of time shaping an emotional climax; then the rhythm and synths followed naturally, keeping that old-school vibe. An important role was played by our keyboardist Alessandro, who also added a crazy jazzy piano solo.

“Semliki” moves like a creature. How did you build that sense of motion? What guided your choices for the marimbas and percussive layers?

“Semliki” comes more from early Afro-house and Caribbean influences, and we've always loved adding marimba to some tracks — as we did for our first release back in 2009. The idea comes from the fusion of the marimba slowly turning into a deep electronic synth that, as you said, moves like a snake.

What does proto-house represent to you personally, beyond the sound?

Proto-house represents the perfect link between electronic disco and early house music. We discovered some of these tracks by digging deep during our career and immediately loved them! It’s very important in our sets, as we always need tracks that help us move between genres.

The title track is stripped back but powerful. How do you approach minimalism without losing impact?

We’ve always created tracks to play in our sets, and we discovered that a more minimalist approach allows you to focus more on the groove and the vibes. The goal is to keep this approach while still delivering emotion — for example, by adding musicians.

You play everywhere from São Paulo to Paris to NYC. How do you adapt your sets to different cultural energies? What’s your mindset when preparing for a massive festival crowd versus an intimate club?

When we dig for different countries or venues, we always think about the context and how to adapt our sound to make people dance without losing identity. But most of the time, we simply look at the people on the floor and decide what to play from our playlists!

What’s the wildest or most surprising thing that’s happened during a set?

We could write a book! :) Maybe we can say: when we found women’s panties on the DJ booth… as well as when we saw Kanye West and Valentino Rossi dancing next to us at the beginning of our career!

Beyond the dancefloor, how do you cultivate community around your sound and events?

Our label and productions allow us to keep the community alive, as do collaborations with other DJs and talents we respect. Last but not least, curated and targeted communication helps.

What values or ideas do you want House of Dirty to stand for?

House of Dirty was born to give more identity to our DJ residency in Milan — building a lineup of international talents who represent our vision of music and clubbing, while also showcasing Italian artists who deserve attention.

What makes a track “Channels of Love material”?

Channels of Love is both a label for originals and edits, founded alongside our friends Eternal Love. For originals, we’re always looking for “fresh” music that moves our souls — electronic, soulful house, or disco made by a band. For edits, it’s simply a matter of deeper digging and giving new light to hidden old gems.

What’s a dream project you haven’t done yet — a collaboration, a live show, a concept record?

Hard to say — there are so many things to do and so many artists we respect that we can’t reply now!

What keeps you grounded when you’re not touring or producing?

Spending a lot of time with our families and old friends, of course.

When people talk about Dirty Channels decades from now, what do you hope they say?

“They still make my body and soul move!” :)

Check out the latest release from Dirty Channels.