IL COLTELLO
After a 25-year hiatus, Swedish electronic producer IL COLTELLO returns with “Let It Pass,” blending breakbeats, soulful vocals, vintage influences, and underground club energy into a fresh musical chapter.
1. After releasing music as Red Mode in 2001, you stepped away from production for 25 years before returning as IL COLTELLO. What inspired you to return to music, and how has your relationship with creating electronic music changed over the years?
When the music stopped shortly after 2001, mainly because of work, family life and quite a few DJ gigs around Gothenburg, it left a real void in my life. Listening to other people’s music couldn’t quite fill it. I simply wasn’t finished!
So I started listening to an incredible amount of music, which eventually led me to tutorials on synthesizer techniques, music theory, harmony and EQ. From there, I became increasingly interested in exploring VST instruments, plugins and the technical side of music production.
After more than a decade away from making music, I eventually found myself walking past my old music computer again — and decided to fire it up.
Alongside music theory and production techniques, sound design and understanding how sound actually works have become much bigger parts of my creative interests.
2. Your home kitchen was transformed into a recording studio during the pandemic, with a walk-in refrigerator serving as an unusual vocal booth. How did this unexpected setup influence your creative process, and what are some of the most memorable moments from those early sessions?
With the staff laid off and no catering jobs coming in, there was suddenly plenty of space — and a lot of time alone to experiment.
During a Kygo music production course, which involved quite a bit of recording vocal chops, vocal synth sounds and other elements, the walk-in fridge became my vocal booth. Not exactly ideal, but pretty cool!
The kitchen worktops turned into synthesizer stations. It was a bit like Rocky Balboa training in the meat factory.
Using that very same walk-in fridge setup, I actually won a remix competition and made it to the finals of an even bigger one, remixing Tiësto’s The Motto.
3. Your new single, “Let It Pass,” blends UK garage, breakbeat, soulful vocals, and electronic house. How did you develop the track’s sound, and what made these particular styles the right fit for its musical and emotional direction?
In 2025, I started working with Tracklib, a platform that makes sampling easier, especially when digging into older recordings.
Inspired by artists like The Prodigy, Fatboy Slim and Massive Attack, where sampling culture has always played such an important role, it felt like a natural starting point. But somehow, I wasn’t getting the results I wanted.
In 2026, I eventually found the right musical direction without Tracklib, mainly through the Kontakt instrument libraries.
But then I ran into another problem: the vocals.
I tried working with Vocalfy, SoundBetter and Splice, but nothing quite worked out. The next step was AI, specifically Suno, which finally delivered the results I was looking for after what felt like an endless number of generations.
Looking ahead, I want to dig even deeper into both modern synthesizer technology and the sounds of earlier decades, particularly the music of the 1960s and Northern Soul.
The original concept I came up with in spring 2026 was quite simple:
Imagine Fatboy Slim creating the soundtrack for a sequel to the film American Gangster.
That idea remains a big part of the project’s identity, although there’s always room for a few surprises along the way.
4. The track explores the idea that not everything needs an answer and that sometimes we simply need to let things pass. What personal experiences or reflections inspired this message, and how did you translate it into the music?
It’s about accepting that you don’t need an answer to absolutely everything.
Sometimes it’s better to let certain things go and simply move forward.
Hence the title, Let It Pass.
5. You cite artists such as The Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim, Daft Punk, and Massive Attack as influences. What have you learned from these artists, and how do you balance nostalgia for classic electronic music with your desire to create something fresh and contemporary?
I think I’ve learned just about everything from these artists, especially how much you can achieve with a single sample. The way Daft Punk use sampling makes the possibilities feel endless.
The entire 90s were shaped by bands creating completely new harmonies and sonic landscapes simply by combining, chopping and processing samples. It was a whole new way of making music.
6. With “Let It Pass” marking another chapter in your musical journey, what are your ambitions for IL COLTELLO? Can we expect more releases exploring this blend of underground club energy, vintage textures, and soulful melancholy in the near future?
Let It Pass is the first chapter in IL COLTELLO’s new book.
The entire first release, the EP, is a taste of what’s to come — breakbeats, Northern Soul, vocal effects and heavy bass.
When I’m sitting behind the controls, surrounded by knobs, synthesizers and effects, I get the feeling that IL COLTELLO will move freely between club music, house, underground sounds, radio and pop.
And honestly, the possibilities feel endless. This could turn into something really special.