IN CONVERSATION WITH LORENZO RAGANZINI

Interview by Samo Šajn

Lorenzo Raganzini is an Italian DJ and producer known for his intense, emotionally driven sound and his work behind the HEX movement. After more than a decade shaping the harder edge of the scene, he now returns to his core with Techno Rebels, a deeply personal debut album that reflects his journey, his connection to the dancefloor, and his belief in music as a space for freedom and self-expression. The project is accompanied by a cinematic music video that extends its themes beyond the dancefloor.

“Techno Rebels” is deeply personal and rooted in your experiences. How does this album reflect where you are now as an artist?

This album is a sonic painting of my last years and of my need to go back to my techno roots. It starts fast and intense, then becomes deeper and more emotional. That’s exactly where I am now.

I’m slowing down to find a pace that can hold a dancefloor for hours. I really don’t care about big drops to be recorded on video, I care about people connecting, losing themselves and being present. Less focus on me, more on the music and what happens on the dancefloor.

The album represents my life, my struggles, my emotions. I opened up completely. I think many people feel a bit lost today and want to reconnect with themselves. This album comes from that place in my heart. It wasn’t made to fit anywhere, just to exist as it is.

You’ve described the album as a story written before the music itself. How did that storytelling shape the sound and energy of the tracks?

Completely. The story defined everything. I want people to listen to the album from start to end, in order, because it’s one message.

Each song is a scene, but they all belong to the same world. Different feelings experienced in different moments, but united by a single point of view. That’s how I imagined it. Not separate songs, but one journey.

Alongside the album, you’re releasing a music video that explores the idea of rebellion through community and community through rebellion. What was the vision behind it, and why was it important for you to express this part of the project visually as well as through the music?

I love connecting a visual emotion to a sonic one. It strengthens the message and makes clearer what I wanted to express when I created the song.

The music video is about a raw, urban story set in Berlin, where three friends move through the pressure of everyday life after a night of freedom. As tension builds through work, routine, and abuse of power, each of them reaches a breaking point and chooses to rebel in their own way.

This is a visual and sonic journey about inner freedom, silent resistance, and the moment you stop accepting what doesn’t feel right and decide to go your own way.

This project feels like a natural return to your core in techno. What drew you back to that and why now?

A real need to feel more and connect more with the dancefloor.

When I started 13 years ago, I was a raver. I still am. Nights were long, we almost had no phones, artists were not recorded by an endless number of cameras, there was just music and connection between ravers.

Today something has shifted. There’s more focus on capturing the moment than living it. I felt I was losing that original feeling too. So I stepped back, reconnected with why I started, and realigned my sound with that.

How do you balance creating music for yourself with the intention of connecting people on the dancefloor?

There is no separation. I’m one of them, just on the other side of the booth.

I play what I would want to hear, how I would want to experience a night. For me, that’s a way to respect the dancefloor. I express something personal, but I always try to feel how it translates on the dancefloor.

You’ve mentioned that fulfilling your own creative vision is more important than following trends. How has that philosophy guided this album?

Completely.

When you follow trends, you lose yourself. I’ve been there too. Trends often come from others, not from you, so when you follow them, you end up trying to be someone else at the cost of not honouring your unique traits.

For me now, success means being happy with what I do, going on stage with a smile, feeling present and connected. I don’t chase fame or hype. If more gigs or support arrive, I’m honoured to receive it, but it’s not the goal of what I do. This album follows that idea from start to end.

With the album being performed live for the first time, how do you plan to translate the energy and emotion of the studio recordings to the stage?

By risking it.

The live setup is the opposite of playing safe, anything can happen. It’s complex, and that puts me in a vulnerable position. I like that. It opened me up more and made me more present.

I think it’s important to stay exposed sometimes, especially when you’re in the spotlight. It keeps you grounded and connected.

Each track represents a chapter of your life. Was there one that particularly challenged you emotionally or creatively?

Honestly, it was a very natural and enjoyable process. I didn’t try to fit into any category or follow any direction. I had no expectations, nor a label above me. I released it on my own label for that reason, to be free from the expectation of any specific result.

I just made music.

Your music draws from industrial, metal, and rave influences. How do you make sure the emotion behind each track comes through?

By reducing. Even if the sound is strong or aggressive, I always leave space. Space allows emotion to come through. If everything is full, you feel less.

“Techno Rebels” seems less like a new direction and more like going deeper into what already defines you. How do you see it fitting into your long-term artistic journey?

It’s not a change, it’s a realignment.

It brings me back to my foundation, but with more awareness. It allows me to return to a sound I truly love, without pressure, just doing what makes me happy and hopefully makes people feel good too.

I believe that when you are honest with yourself, in the long term it always gives back.

Looking ahead, how does this album set the stage for the next phase of your music, performance, or creative exploration?

Freedom is at the centre of everything I do. That’s my way of being a Techno Rebel.

I don’t want pressure or external direction about what could work on the market. I got into music to feel free, to enjoy it, to share moments with people, to dance and forget about everything else.

At some point, I got a bit lost in external expectations, especially during intense touring or sudden, blinding spotlights. This album came at the perfect time to realign.

Now I feel more energy than ever, ready to share the dancefloor again and again, with all the Techno Rebels out there.