Herva

Residing in the countryside surrounding Florence, Herva (Hervè Atsè Corti) is an Italian producer whose music is intriguingly out of step with the norms of techno and house. An experienced engineer, Herva often modifies his equipment, giving his music a unique personal touch. His tracks sometimes resemble shimmering, filtered disco-house that's been pulled apart a bit; other times, they sound scuffed and gritty, resisting conventional beat patterns and featuring broken samples and offbeat vocals. Dreamy and atmospheric, sometimes playful, but occasionally dark and menacing, Herva's music is never predictable. Debuting with 2012's Meanwhile in Madland, he moved from downtempo and house to more complex works like 2015's Kila, and the abrasive yet warm IDM album Seez in 2022.

Barely in his twenties, he began releasing music on the Italian label <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Bosconi%22">Bosconi</a> in 2011, beginning with the Skin EP, as well as releases by <a href="spotify:artist:5EjwJwdW7mzwncDIQKyk9N">Life's Track</a>, his all-hardware house duo with fellow Italian producer <a href="spotify:artist:7foiHDFvNIouC0QFaaKXeq">Dukwa</a>. Herva's debut solo full-length, Meanwhile in Madland, was released in 2012. The following year, he released an EP called What I Feel on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Delsin%22">Delsin</a>, and began an experimental side project called Tru West, releasing two 12"s on Marmo Music. He also released a collaborative 12" with <a href="spotify:artist:2D3yUNkqyW4JPhCQbmO4J5">Mass Prod</a> (also a member of Tru West) on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Kontra-Musik%22">Kontra-Musik</a>, as well as a 12" by Knobold, a collaboration with <a href="spotify:artist:2D3yUNkqyW4JPhCQbmO4J5">Mass Prod</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:7foiHDFvNIouC0QFaaKXeq">Dukwa</a>, on Roman label <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Mus+Records%22">Mus Records</a>. Herva's second solo full-length, Instant Broadcast, arrived on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Delsin%22">Delsin</a> in 2014.

The following spring saw the release of HTMYO (How to Mind Your Own), a mini-album of bit-crunched hip-hop-influenced tracks on Irish label <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22All+City+Records%22">All City Records</a>, as well as Dreamers of Unknown Tales, an EP of ambient and acid house on the <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Don%27t+Be+Afraid%22">Don't Be Afraid</a> label. Also in 2015, Mike Paradinas signed Herva to <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Planet+Mu%22">Planet Mu</a> and released the full-length album Kila that November. His second release for <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Planet+Mu%22">Planet Mu</a>, 2017's Hyper Flux, saw him expand his sound to incorporate field recordings and instruments such as guitars and drums. The shorter Smania was released by <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22All+City%22">All City</a>.

Herva then stepped away from music production in order to focus on creating studio hardware; he challenged himself to make a point-to-point mixer from scratch, which took nearly an entire year. He then co-founded Audio Gear Obsession, a company producing mixers and compressors. Moving away from his previous, sample-based production methods, he began using generative programs combined with fine-tuned hardware mixing. Seez, his first album in five years, arrived on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Planet+Mu%22">Planet Mu</a> in 2022. ~ Paul Simpson, Rovi