Subsurface.
A melody that stays with you.
Subsurface on “See The Moon”, unreleased live edits and finding the confidence to finish a song.
Subsurface
A warm evening in June, looking up at the sky and getting a little distance from everyday life: that’s how Subsurface describes the first idea for “See The Moon”. He has continued the project on his own since 2024. In our conversation, he distinguishes between songs for radio and edits for his own shows, talks about his connection between South Tyrol and Austria, and explains why a good melody now takes him further than chasing a perfect production.
Subsurface is an Italian DJ and production project rooted in South Tyrol, with close ties to Austria. Its music combines drum & bass, dubstep and EDM with melodies and vocals. We received the answers to our five questions on 29 October 2026.
A summer evening in a song
What was the first idea behind “See The Moon” that you absolutely wanted to keep in the finished track?
The first idea for the song came towards the beginning of summer. It was mid-June, when the evenings were getting warmer outside and the days were getting longer. I’m not a big fan of the colder seasons, so that time is very special to me and gives me a certain feeling of freedom. That’s the feeling I tried to convey with the song. Just standing outside in the evening and looking up at the sky. It’s a good way to switch off from everyday life and all the stress, and think about all sorts of things.
Going solo, thinking internationally
You’ve been continuing Subsurface on your own since 2024. Which decisions in the studio make you notice that change the most?
Not all that much has changed for me in the studio. The main things that have changed are the gigs and live shows. Overall, though, I’ve decided to focus my project more on the international market, and I make a lot of decisions with that in mind, including in the studio, of course.
A good message matters more to me than a perfect production.
Edits for this moment
Can you remember one of your own tracks that you changed significantly after testing it in front of an audience for the first time?
I make a very clear distinction between songs that work for live shows and songs that are mainly suited to streaming, radio and so on. With the latter, I don’t let the live audience influence me very much. But I also make lots of my own edits, especially remixes, specifically for my shows. I’m constantly adjusting those, and the audience’s reaction matters to me. Most of these tracks are never released, though. I keep them for my own sets and, at most, send them to a few friends. So if you want to hear them, you’ll have to come to my shows :)
Between South Tyrol and Austria
Your path connects northern Italy and Austria. Which encounter between those two scenes was particularly important for your music?
Exactly—in South Tyrol, we have a colourful mix of traditional Tyrolean culture and lots of Italian influences. Musically, though, there are some big differences. I’d say that, overall, Italians tend to be much calmer and more melodic, while Austrians bring a lot of energy. The drum & bass scene in Austria is especially strong in relative terms. There are also big scenes for hardstyle, uptempo, psy and many other very energetic genres. In Italy, genres such as techno, house and reggaeton tend to dominate. That’s why I’ve usually been drawn more towards Austria.
A message that matters
When you start a new idea today, what does it need to have to sound like Subsurface to you?
I want my songs to touch people through their meaning and their emotion. For example, I’m absolutely not a fan of artists who make a big show of themselves when there’s nothing behind it. Music should be authentic. I’m also a big fan of melodies that stay in your head. A good melody usually matters more to me than productions that are excessively perfect down to the smallest detail. I used to focus far too often on tiny details that the average listener would never hear. That often took a lot of time and ended up meaning I never finished the song. Thankfully, that has changed—a good message matters more to me than a perfect production.
These days, I generally make songs relatively quickly. If I’m not convinced by an idea after a short time, I don’t force myself to finish it. I’ll often just leave it and perhaps return to it later, often with completely new ideas that fit it better. Most of the songs I release today, though, come together in a few days.
Subsurface
Interview by email · Editorial and image art direction: SCENE:ID. Subsurface · courtesy of the artist · Jakob Gutschi · Lukas Corradini · NookTrt