Italian DJ and producer Akoriz's relationship with music began long before DJing.
"I studied piano from the age of 6 to 14, which gave me a foundation of rhythm, ear training, and discipline," he says. "The turning point came the first time I stepped into a club. I saw a DJ controlling the crowd and immediately realized that the energy, that connection between people, was something I wanted to experience from the other side of the console. It was not just a party. There was a sense of freedom, unity, something I had never felt anywhere else."
"It became serious after my debut at Printworks in London. There, I realized that my music really worked on a large dancefloor, and more and more DJs began to support it. From that moment, the first recognitions arrived, the first important collaborations, and my first VA on ARTCORE Records, accompanied by the constant support of Indira Paganotto. From there, I never stopped."
Akoriz says that his sound is difficult to categorize because it exists in a very personal balance.
"It is raw, aggressive, fast, yet at the same time emotional," he says. "I do not like overly dark productions. I prefer to work with very direct kicks and basses, accompanied by mid-to-high synths that give an almost 'happy' feeling despite the aggressive rhythm. Dark, broken, manipulated vocals play a fundamental role, introducing an emotional tension that kicks or basslines alone cannot convey. My tracks almost always include a breathing moment, voices, pads, atmospheres, that touch deeper emotions before exploding again with hard, straightforward, instinctive drops. It is a constant contrast between impact and feeling."
His latest release is the ARTCORE DUO VIII EP, with R.Korner.
"My latest release perfectly represents this journey," he says. "It is an EP that combines a very direct component, uncompromising, pure club energy, with more intense emotional moments, born from the connection with the dancefloor and the experiences of the last months. Many of the ideas came from observing the crowd during my sets, the tension in the breaks, the reactions to build-ups, the way a vocal can transform the atmosphere. The EP is a synthesis of all this, a fast, raw sonic universe, yet deeply human. It is a chapter that closes my 2025 musically, giving it the value and centrality it deserved."
As for gear: "I never follow a strict scheme when producing. I prefer to leave space for creative flow. Main instruments I use:
Pioneer SP-16
This is the heart of my drums. Intuitive, creative, perfect for shaping grooves and playing with vocals and samples.
Pioneer AS-1
I mostly use it for pads. It has a lively, organic timbre that gives depth to the emotional moments of the tracks.
Main VSTs:
Serum, Vital, Sylenth. These are essential for my more aggressive synths and for the melodic parts of the breaks.
Studio setup:
Focusrite 8i8 audio interface Focal Alpha 65 monitors Beyerdynamic DT990 headphones
It is a simple setup but extremely functional, perfect for working quickly and spontaneously."
Looking ahead, Akoriz has plenty planned for 2026.
"For the end of 2025, I chose to focus on this release without adding any further releases. It has been an extremely intense year, tours in China, dates abroad like Ibiza, Amsterdam, London, Barcelona, and I spent a lot of time in the studio working on new projects. During the year, I released music on ARTCORE, HEKATE, Rave Alert, and other platforms, and I felt the need to close 2025 with an EP that would be a sort of signature, a symbol, 'The end 2025,' a fixed point before opening a new chapter. For the upcoming months, I am preparing new concepts, new music, and new dates, but I wanted this release to receive all the attention and respect it deserves."
