Francesca Lombardo has cultivated a sound of her own, representative of her multi-disciplinary musical background and able to transcend the dance floor via an emotional narrative, full of wistful dreamy soundscapes, stirring melodies, deep, hypnotic rhythms and her unforgettable voice.
The London based DJ, Vocal Techniques graduate and accomplished pianist first surfaced under the Jackie Misfit guise, where she DJed at London clubs like Brixton Academy and The Drom, released on labels like Lokomotiv Recordings and started her own imprint, Echolette Records.
Now, working under her given name, Francesca Lombardo she has spun alongside titans like Sven Vath, Agoria and Tobi Neumann at premiere events and clubs all over the world. Also, having released material via Crosstown Rebels and Culprit whilst maintaining her heavy touring schedule, Francesca pushes on with another venture, launching Echoe, a sub-label of the Echolette.
Echoe debuts with a two track EP, with its eponymous title track ‘Freefall,‘ today’s exclusive premiere, leading the way with undulating melodies, pulsing bass tones and snaking rhythms, resulting in a freefalling and hypnotic composition. With the launch of the label and the new EP, we also caught up with Francesca to discuss her musical background, tastes, Echoe, and more.
Not only are you releasing a new EP, but also it is coming on (essentially) a new label by you, why did you decide to launch this label with this EP? Why did you feel the need to launch a new label in the first place?
Hello, I guess I had collected and produced enough unreleased music to do so, and wanted to share it with the people. I thought that having myself on the first release made the most sense.
Described as a sub-label of Echolette, how does Echoe compare? What will differentiate the two imprints?
Echolette is a label that will release many different sub-genres of electronic music, while Echoe remains more underground and in the style of my dj sets I guess. They both have my personal taste in music which I have developed over years and is wider than you might expect. Hopefully people won’t get too confused with future releases…
The EP, ‘Freefall’, is a two tracker. What was the first element of this EP that came about? Was it a certain melody, bassline, mood…?
I did the tracks in two different periods of my life but I thought they would go together well as a single. Both have their own element of melody, which tends to be the first element I write for nearly every track. I seem to be much better at writing melodies than grooves. Still a lot to learn..
Describe the artwork behind ‘Freefall’? Who is the artist? Why did it best reflect the sound of the EP?
I always like to do the artwork myself. It’s my own way of detaching from music sometimes but keeps my foot in it still. It also relaxes me. I am a big baby so I love cartoons and colours in graphics. I wanted to do something that would give the impression of a person falling, not sure if I got the idea across…
You have a strong relationship with the Robot Heart people, best known for their Burning Man camp, as well as spirited one-offs. Most of the time I had seen you play has been at Robot heart events in NYC, in fact. How has Robot Heart influenced you as an artist?
I have known them since I went to play for them in Hong Kong and we became very attached, since we shared a passion and love.
I guess playing for them in the desert has influenced me in a way that makes my sets feel more dreamy at times… that’s the influence of the bus in the desert!
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