You will read a conversation with SANO regarding his latest EP release under the Bomba Dischi record label. The artist discusses his creative process and his deep connection to Naples, offering a fresh perspective on the city by moving away from common stereotypes to portray a raw and personal urban reality. The music transforms his daily routine and local relationships into a universal language, while this project also establishes a defined visual identity through a collaboration with graphic designer Valerio Bulla.
The title "Quando voi forse, allora noi già" suggests a clear anticipation of the times. How does this narrative urgency translate within the tracklist?
The title speaks mostly about the creative process rather than alluding to a narrative urgency within the tracklist, and I perceive this urgency as a constant in my work. Maddalena explains this well in the video I shared on Instagram, showing how the concept is a continuous evolution tied to the way music and art are born. Narrative urgency is a constant, so when I experience something or get an idea, I feel the strict need to transform the experience into a song or text. These tracks were born in a natural way, since a significant reflection always exists behind finding the right way to tell a story.
In the record, your city becomes a real expressive code. How do you transport your routine and relationships into the music while keeping them raw and real?
This connects to the previous answer, as I enjoy transforming strange thoughts or experiences into a song, especially regarding my daily life. The goal is using metaphors to talk about real people and situations surrounding and determining me, while trying to make these themes accessible to everyone. I want listeners to recognize themselves rather than hear the specific story of a stranger.
Singing about your origins often exposes you to the risk of clichés. What is your approach to filtering reality and telling a story while evading all rhetoric?
When talking about my origins in Naples, I always try to romanticize the story, as I might want to discuss one thing while telling another story entirely through parallels and amusing images. I know the meaning behind the hidden reference even if no one else catches the reference, making the hidden meaning an inside joke between me and the people who worked on the song. This method allows me to filter reality and avoid rhetoric.
An evident focus on the aesthetic imagery of this release exists. How do photography and art direction manage to expand the vision of your project?
The aesthetic aspect was fundamental in this project, representing the first step toward a defined visual identity. Valerio Bulla helped me immensely, being a genius and professional who managed to perfectly translate the suggestions in my head. This record was born quickly, as I had finished the previous release and worked on this new one for a few months instead of years. I realized the importance of having the courage to expose myself through communication, videos, and imagery, which I had never done before. This EP is the beginning of a path, and I am curious to see where the path leads me.
You start from intimate neighborhood dynamics to reach everyone. What is the key to making a story tied to specific streets and moments universal?
I answered this partially before, noting the method involves taking a personal event, removing elements making the event exclusively mine, and enriching the story with something speaking to everyone. We all experience similar emotions like problems, enthusiasm, happiness, and doubts, so the important thing is telling a clearly personal story allowing others to become curious and identify themselves.
You have made familiar faces and ordinary situations the protagonists of the songs. Is there a recent street anecdote pushing you to enter the recording studio immediately?
Yes, though I never enter the studio immediately, as I always need to ruminate and reorganize my experiences. I rarely experience an event and write a song the next day, since some time must pass, usually a month. The same rule applies when I get an idea, because I must fully understand the idea first due to these ideas often being strange and slightly dangerous.
Does enclosing this experience in the EP represent the closing of a chapter or the solid base from which to evolve your future writing?
I am thinking about this exact topic right now, and having worked extensively over the last few months, I find myself in a creative phase oscillating between bewilderment and the desire to push the project toward a clear and fun evolution. This EP closes a chapter or defines a precise direction for the SANO project, while laying the foundation for future work. I do not know exactly what the future holds, but I have an intuition and the intuition must remain unexpressed for a while because I need to understand the feeling first, and only then will I tell others about the concept.
Lorenzo de' Nobili
Music Editor
Lorenzo de’ Nobili is a sound designer and composer driven by a deep passion for urban culture and its evolving aesthetics. His work explores the intersection of music, fashion and sport, blending contemporary sounds with strong visual identities. Alongside his research in urban culture, he collaborates with contemporary dance artists, creating immersive sonic experiences that connect movement, space and emotion.
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