Emerging as Mathame while living at the base of Mount Etna in Sicily, the duo have been acclaimed for their emotional and cinematic approach to techno. Composed of brothers Amadeo and Matteo Giovanelli, they grew up surrounded by music and eventually decided to unite, creating a distinctive sound they describe as emo-tech. With releases on labels like Afterlife and a debut album, Memo, that transformed isolation into a form of storytelling you can dance through, Mathame have built a world where they push the boundaries of live performance through AI-generated visuals and their immersive Neo live show, where sound, presence and silence before music play a big role. Before their appearance at Brunch Electronik’s Halloween Takeover in Barcelona on Saturday, November 1st, the duo talks to us about their creative process, the balance between spirituality and technology, and their new creative paths.
Hi Mathame, how are you? It’s your first time with us; how would you describe your sound in three words?
We’re good, thank you. Three words? Cinematic, emotional, techno-organic. Or maybe just two: emo-tech.
How did your individual musical journeys begin, and when did you decide to start playing together?
We grew up surrounded by records, cables, and a homemade radio. One of us fell in love with rhythm and architecture; the other with harmony and texture. When our early sketches started sounding stronger together than apart, it became clear: we were meant to build a single voice.
When you’re in the studio, how do you divide roles between the two of you? What’s your creative process like?
We trade places constantly. Usually, one begins with structure and rhythm, while the other shapes harmony, timbre, and emotion; then we switch, destroy, and rebuild. The rule is simple: it must be unmistakably us within seconds, and it must move a real dance floor, not just speakers.
You’re playing at the Halloween Takeover by Brunch Electronik, elrow and Loud-Contact in Barcelona on November 1st, right after the spookiest night of the year. How does the daytime format influence your set preparation compared to a late-night festival?
Daylight changes everything, the sound breathes differently. Maybe less sub, more air, and more colour in the mids and melodies. We adapt the keys, the pace, and the emotional shape of the set. For November 1st we’ve prepared ‘day versions’ and a few unreleased edits designed for open-air intensity.
You’ve played in many cities around the world. What makes Barcelona’s crowd stand out? Do you feel any special connection with the city?
Barcelona is warm, musical, and deeply present. People there listen as much as they dance. That balance between awareness and abandonment is rare — it makes us feel instantly connected.
Barcelona has developed a vibrant electronic scene for decades. What excites you most about playing here, and are you planning anything special for this show that you haven’t done before?
Barcelona’s mix of cultures and sounds keeps artists awake. For this show, we’re opening with a new intro and a live rework connecting two themes we’ve never merged before. It’s an experiment in contrast and release.
Visuals and technology play a big role in your live AV shows, which also feature AI-generated visuals. How do you merge these elements with your music to create a unified experience?
We start with a story. Every visual, every light follows the same emotional script as the music — tempo, harmony, intensity. We work like film directors in the age of AI: our generative tools react to our MIDI and audio, but we define the rules, the tone, and the cut. On stage, it must feel like one continuous organism, a living image of sound.
I see music as a form of meditation. In your Neo live setup, the meditative statue is a very powerful visual element. How do you see the relationship between spirituality and the immersive experience you create on stage?
For us, spirituality means attention, care, presence. The statue invites silence before movement, stillness before rhythm. There’s no religion in it, only a shared focus, a breath that unites thousands of people for one suspended moment. That’s where transcendence begins.
Your debut album, Memo, came out in 2023, and part of it was created during lockdown. What challenges did you face during that period?
The absence of the dance floor. We turned that silence into discipline: writing every day, keeping only what stood on its own. Memo became our black box: fragments of memory, contrast, and landscapes edited like a film you can dance through.
You’ve played at many venues and festivals worldwide, such as Tomorrowland and Sonus Festival. Are there any that stood out as particularly memorable?
Tomorrowland, for its precision, the machinery of emotion. Sonus, for the sea and the sunrises that feel eternal. But we still love the small, dark rooms, where the booth and the crowd dissolve into one heartbeat.
Finally, what’s next for Mathame in the last months of 2025, and what do you hope to achieve in the coming year?
In the final months of 2025, we have a special release planned: Meet Me, out November 7, an emotional technology of sound that fuses cinematic depth with electronic precision. To celebrate, we decided at the very last moment to launch a spontaneous coast-to-coast weekend in the US: two all-night-long shows on the same weekend as the release, inviting fans to ‘meet us’ in a raw, intimate setting, free of phones and distractions. New music, born for the club but shaped for emotion. New chapters of Neo — new scenes, new arrangements, new rituals. In 2026, we want fewer distractions, deeper craft, and shows that feel almost physical, as if sound itself could sculpt the air.
