Tonino: "The crowd moves as one, and I, too, feel like part of the crowd"
- 9 hours ago
- 6 min read
Based in Germany, Tonino has carved out a clear identity as a producer and performer, releasing music on Tragedie, KNKT, Area Verde and Beatfreak. His productions have found their way into the sets of artists such as Solomun, Kevin De Vries, Korolova, Magdalena, David Guetta and Paul van Dyk, with regular appearances in the Beatport charts and on Spotify's editorial playlists like Techno Bunker and Electronic Rising.
His sound sits between melodic depth and forward-driving progressive techno, shaped less by genre boundaries and more by tension, atmosphere and momentum. Across clubs and festivals like Ministry of Sound in London, Tanzhaus West in Frankfurt, Ritter Butzke in Berlin, Mazzo in Warsaw, Fridas Pier in Stuttgart and multiple German festivals, he translates that studio identity into high-energy, emotionally charged sets.
On stage, Tonino plays with continuity rather than interruption — building narratives that feel physical as much as musical. Over time, this approach has drawn a loyal community around his work and led to collaborations and shared lineups with artists including Teenage Mutants, Sam Paganini, Rafael Cerato, Extrawelt, Cosmic Boys and many more.
In your sets, there’s often that moment when the crowd stops feeling like separate people and starts moving as one. Can you sense when that moment is about to happen, or does it still surprise you?
I don’t prepare my sets in advance. When I start playing, I usually experiment with different vibes using the first few tracks. I explore different directions and feel how the crowd reacts. This helps me quickly get a sense of the crowd’s mood and figure out how to structure the rest of my set. Once I catch the vibe, it usually just clicks. The crowd moves as one, and I, too, feel like part of the crowd.
Your collaboration with Jil Tanner is out since a few weeks. Where did the idea for the track begin, and what do you feel she brought into your sonic world? How has the track performed so far?
Jil and I met two years ago at a gig we both played in Stuttgart. We got along very well right from the start and have been friends ever since. One day, we came up with the idea for the vocal of Roll With Me.
That’s how the track started, and we built everything else around it. Jil is truly a strong artist with a lot of experience in the studio and behind the decks. Thanks to her, the track has definitely become much more energetic, which I really like.
The response to the track has been overwhelming. We’ve received great support from Spotify, as the track has been featured in two editorial playlists: Techno Bunker and Electronic Rising.
The track always performs really well live, and we love feeling the audience's enthusiastic response every time.
We’ve already produced two more tracks together and I’m looking forward to releasing the next ones with her.
When you work with another artist, do you look for common ground, or do you prefer to let the differences between you remain visible in the track?
First of all, I generally love collaborating with other artists. We can learn so much from each other and often the different ideas take a track to the next level.
I always try to take risks and step out of my comfort zone when it comes to producing. No formulas, just always trying to create something fresh. That works especially well when the other artist doesn’t have exactly the same style, but brings in a completely different vibe.
However, it’s important to me that we get along on a personal level. I believe that’s the only way we can get the best results from working together.
In your collaboration with Teenage Mutants, what stood out to you about their approach in the studio, and how do you feel this track marks a new step in your artistic journey?
The Teenage Mutants are two incredibly talented producers. It was a blast producing our first track together. Since the guys play so many live shows, we always got immediate feedback from the audience. So every week we’d create a new version, test it out live, and then refine it further. We kept doing that until we were completely satisfied. That's exactly why the track works so exceptionally well live.
I spent a lot of time working on my sound last winter and have really grown as a result. The collaboration with the Teenage Mutants is definitely a milestone in that evolution. These days, I’m trying to produce more sounds for rooms, sounds that work especially well in live sets.
For me, the club is where it all began. It’s the reason I got into music in the first place. With my sound, I want to go back to those roots while also incorporating something completely new. Fresh techno, that’s what you can expect.
Your productions move between melodic and progressive techno, yet they often seem to push beyond fixed definitions. How important is it for you today to belong to a specific genre?
I think it’s less important than it ever was. I see a lot of very successful musicians who are constantly opening up and becoming more experimental. On the other hand, some are stuck in the past and cling to old formulas. I never think in terms of genres, only in terms of vibes. You should always stay true to yourself, but never stop pushing your limits. I love the grind of pushing myself beyond my limits and rediscovering myself in the process.
You’ve built a loyal community around the energy you bring on stage. What do you feel you owe that community every time you play?
My community is everything. It's the reason I am where I am today. At events, I often hear that people are there just for me, or even travel from far away just to hear me play. That makes me incredibly proud and I give it my absolute best at every show.
I love connecting with my community and chatting at events. We’re all such different people, but we’re all united by our passion for music.
Your summer tour will take you through different settings, from clubs to festivals. How does the way you tell a musical story change depending on the crowd in front of you?
As I mentioned earlier, I always play intuitively and try to capture the vibe of the event and the crowd. Besides the vibe and the crowd, there are of course other factors that influence my sound on the day.
Who’s playing before me, who’s playing after me? Is it during the day or at night? Outdoors or indoors? And so on. Over time, you learn to deal with these various factors, and in my opinion, that’s what makes a good DJ.
It’s not about imposing a fixed, formulaic sound on the audience, but rather having a certain range of sounds within which you can move intuitively.
Defining your own sound is an ongoing search. Was there a moment when you felt, "this direction truly belongs to me"?
I usually experience these moments when I'm playing live. Even after all these years, music still gives me an overwhelming energy. When I'm fully immersed and the music is all that exists in that moment, that's when I feel the freest and happiest.
When I play one of my own songs live for the first time and it goes over well, that’s definitely one of the best moments of this journey. Then I know that what I'm doing in my studio is working and resonating with people, and that I'm on the right track with my music.
Looking at your upcoming releases, do you feel more drawn to strengthening the identity you’ve already built, or to opening a more risky and experimental chapter?
I’ll definitely keep taking risks. Being creative and pushing boundaries is a lot of fun for me and really energizes me.
But I’ll definitely be focusing the new tracks on live performance and, as I mentioned earlier, producing music specifically for rooms.
Solara is also your own creative space. What role will the label play in your future plans and in shaping the movement you imagine around your music?
My label is currently undergoing some changes. I took a step back for a while to refocus and most of my recent releases have been on other labels.
We’ve been working behind the scenes for some time now on rebranding the label and we’ll be back soon. Bigger and better than ever. I will definitely use my label as a platform.I currently have so many unreleased tracks sitting on my hard drive.
I’d love to take my listeners along on my journey and show them how my sound is evolving. For that, my own label is the best platform. There are no restrictions and I can be whoever I want to be with my music.
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