Alessio Armeni, AKA Freddy K, is a techno master—plain and simple. He's widely revered for his deep, vinyl-only sets that can sometimes stretch ten, 12 or even 14 hours. But before he was playing the world's biggest clubs and festivals, he paid his dues in his native Rome in the '90s, DJing for hours every day on radio and carrying record bags for touring headliners. Those old-school principles sharpened the nuance and attention to detail that draws dancers into his orbit each and every weekend.

After years spent navigating the tides of the wider music industry—he previously managed younger artists and once ran a label and distribution enterprise—DJing is now Armeni's main focus. Operating from his home in Berlin, his career as a top-tier techno DJ is an extension of his lifelong enthusiasm for underground culture. The simplicity of his setup—typically just two turntables and an Allen & Heath mixer—belies his expertise. Rather than transitions between singular tracks, his sets are characterised by mounting waves of intensity and emotion.

In this Art of DJing interview, recorded live at last year's Dekmantel Conference, Armeni reveals how his passion for techno culture and intimate understanding of the dance floor make his sets so powerful. In a climate that privileges fast rises to fame and algorithm-friendly marketing, his ethos is a reminder of the communal values at the bedrock of electronic music culture. "I wouldn't be a DJ if I was just a solo person mixing records," he reflects. "But together, we're something."

Freddy K is one of techno's most respected DJs, with a sharpness forged by old-school principles.

There's a phrase in your biography that says you have a "traditionalist view of techno." Can you explain what that means?

When I say a "traditionalist view of techno" I don't mean music that comes from another time. I mean creating an atmosphere and not putting in a big drop already after two records. I like to play sets that need a little bit of time, then hypnotise you, then go up and up and up but maintain some groove and some raw sound. I'm not going to prepare drops for you.

I find that a lot of artists nowadays are opening their sets very hard. But I know your skill is the art of building something up gradually.

Opening sets nowadays are underrated by the new generation. It's the most important part of the night because you're setting the vibe. Being a DJ is all about having the challenge to create something on your own. There's no better challenge than starting from zero and getting people to dance one by one. I don't know why, but yes, DJs today are opening at 145 BPM. It's a question of experience. There's a lot about how DJs look, what BPM they play, but not so much communication about the art of it, which is about building a set and a journey.

You didn't start off playing techno. You were the founder of the radio show Virus in Rome, playing four hours a day for several years. I imagine that required a lot of strategising and helped with your eventual route to long sets.

It was a little bit different to mix in the '90s. I would only really mix for one hour, and the rest was always a little bit crazy. I would introduce the record and the artist and test pressings. It was different from mixes you hear today.

After years spent navigating the tides of the wider music industry—managing younger artists and running a label and distribution enterprise—DJing is now Armeni's main focus.

At what point did you move away from doing radio into more club-oriented sets?

I mean, at that time—we're talking about 1993—I was playing my radio show on Saturday nights and became known for that. If it wasn't for the show, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to play so many gigs. Radio taught me about the importance of sharing not just music, but information. It was not only a medium of entertainment back then. The regulations around FM radio changed and I eventually had to stop the show, after which I decided to go full-on with DJing. So they were related; one gave more power to the other. You create a movement, then you maintain that movement which you create.

I read that your first experience playing in front of a crowd came as the result of a bathroom break?

Yeah. I used to be the guy who would follow the DJs around with their record bags, the guy outside the radio station, helping people set up. I loved to see everything. And it's true. The first time I played in a real club was when I was carrying the bag of [Luca] Cucchetti, a DJ that was famous in Italy at that time, and I think it was a Sunday afternoon. It was full of people. He was playing techno. And then he turned to me and said, "I'm going to the toilet, can you continue for five or ten minutes?"

I was just completely paralysed, in shock. I knew how to mix, but that was the first time I really did it. It felt really good, actually. And it was very important. Sometimes you don't do things because you lack courage, but this was perfect because I had to face people dancing. Everything depended on me at that moment. Either you do it or you don't do it, you know? The experience had a big impact because it made me realise this is what I want to do.

The best way to learn anything is to just start doing it. It's easy to overanalyse or procrastinate.

Yeah. I also hate to say this, but it has to do with the time when this happened—we're talking 30 years ago. There was a lot of respect for older DJs, so if you wanted to learn something, you had to learn from someone who had a lot of experience. The situation now is a bit different because there's the internet, and you can find information online. You don't actually have to go directly to the club.

Since day one as a radio and club DJ in '90s Rome, he's played strictly vinyl sets, fuelling the nuance and depth he's known for today.

You've stayed dedicated to vinyl throughout your career. Why? What opportunities and challenges have come with only using this format, especially as vinyl has become more of a luxury item?

Well first of all, I grew up with vinyl, and I feel comfortable playing vinyl. DJs express themselves best on what they feel comfortable with. I like to play manually because I can touch something, smell something. I love the adrenaline of knowing that a track is going to finish—there's no loop, there's nothing that can help you. I'm playing with something that actually exists.

The situation today is different. Vinyl is expensive, and not everyone can spend ten or 12 euros on a record. But it gives me this feeling that I'm supporting something and that I'm part of something. You have to choose the right speed, select things that sound good together—there are a lot of challenges that make me feel alive! I wouldn't change for anything.

Look, this is supposed to be a secret but I have to say it: I was playing in New York years ago, and I couldn't bring vinyl. I had a USB. And every time I played a track I kept turning around for my record bag, even though I didn't have one. I put on this one track and people were screaming, then three tracks later I heard people scream at the same point. I had been playing the same track three times in a row. The promoter came up to me at one point and asked if everything was fine [laughs]. This is why it's better that I play vinyl. I had no idea what to do!

How does constructing a vinyl set differ from constructing a digital-only set?

It's a different kind of set: you have to try to find similar records so that it's a smooth experience for the audience, even if you run out of records that have the same sound. This is easier with CDJs. But it makes me feel alive, and it makes DJs that play vinyl special. But everyone has to play what they feel comfortable with. I would never say vinyl is better than digital.

You're known for all-night sets. On social media, you frequently write about the joy and love you feel for this extended format. What is it about going long that's so special to you?

People ask me, "how can [you] play 12 or 14 hours?" When you have a connection with people, you can build an atmosphere from zero. Me and 500 people, we become one. We can go everywhere together. We can have a moment of dark ecstasy. I see people in front of me for 12 hours. Sometimes I'll see them crying when I play my last track. I truly believe that the art of DJing is to create a journey. When I don't have a time limit, no one can break my journey. But you also have to be able to maintain that kind of focus; you need to know where you're going, or understand that sometimes you don't know where you're going but we're all together.

People also come to see you, so they're there all night, from opening to peak time. And after you play all night with people in that room, you have a special connection. I can't express myself in two hours, or have what I've built in two hours be erased by someone who comes on after me and plays something in a completely different style. All night is best.

"I like to play sets that need a bit of time, then hypnotise you, then go up and up and up — but maintain some groove and raw sound. I'm not going to prepare drops for you."

You play hypnotic music. How do you keep it from getting too monochromatic?

I like monochromatic, actually. You know, we live in a moment where video is important, but there are some things you can't capture in a recording of a night. There is beauty in repetitive music. It's a technique in itself to be able to create a vibe and a steady state of mind that makes you feel high without drugs, you know? So you can do that with monochromatic stuff. But you have to build a vision that includes bleepy stuff, hypnotic stuff. To do this well, I think you have to come from the dance floor. You have to know what it's like to be in the audience to understand when it's too much, when it's not enough and when you have to change moments.

On that: In an interview you gave a few years ago, you mentioned that you open with low frequencies to wake up the dance floor.

That's my kind of drop. When music is very repetitive, it's a way to break things up. I bring a tune in but I cut the bass. It's like a wake-up call.

You use an Allen & Heath. Why that mixer?

My rider is the Xone:96 and two turntables—when possible, the Technics SL1210-M5G. They're the classic Technics model with +16 and -16. The M5G gives me a range, so I can play something slow or fast.

I need the filter on the 96, even if the sound is less warm than the 92. The preamp is great. It amplifies the sound of vinyl to the same level of CDJs, which corrects a problem for me, which was that the CDJs would always be super loud. There's also the monitor section, which is very important for me because you can control the low, medium and high frequencies and cut feedback without always calling the technician over.

I really don't need much. My setup is simple, but I'm also simple. There are DJs who play using three turntables, but you have to be very good, and you have to imagine that people on the dance floor now are used to perfect beatmatching [with the prevalence of CDJs]. I think that three turntables can be chaotic, so I prefer to create a journey with two. And maybe I'll add a third turntable, just to prepare a record while the other two are playing, but without mixing it in.

Do you travel with your own needles?

Usually I don't use them, but I always have two different pairs of needles just in case. One that gives bass, and one that gives more bass [laughs]. No, actually one that cuts bass, and the other adds bass. Because sometimes there's no bass in the monitor, or the low frequencies aren't that good, so I'll change my cartridges.

Do you prefer specific types of cartridges?

The Ortofon Concorde is really good for sound. I can see when there is dust, and they read the music very, very well—sometimes too much for the sound system! I also use the new DJ, the one with three orange dots. And I have one that's good for scratching or ripping vinyl. I miss the old models, like the Shure. But there are some new Japanese needles that are good.

Over the years, he's become known for mammoth sets that sometimes stretch ten, 12 or even 14 hours.

Do you feel like you have to adapt your technique when you play back-to-back sets, especially with artists who use CDJs, like D.Dan?

I love doing back-to-backs. With Ted [D.Dan], there's chemistry. It was love the first time we saw each other. This attitude is what makes you feel comfortable with others and makes for the best back-to-backs. We don't need to talk or anything. We respect each other. We play two tracks each, not one. Otherwise you can pull things too much in different directions. It's smoother and you each have at least ten minutes, and you can understand where the other person wants to go and what's making people dance.

To use Ted as an example, we've met beforehand to listen to records and say, "Okay, that's it." That's when we decide how to start and close the set. But in between, it's mostly about chemistry.

It strikes me that you have an intuitive, quasi-spiritual view of DJing and connecting with the crowd. How do you establish trust with your audience?

I try to be myself with my emotions. For me it's not just entertainment. It's music. I wouldn't be a DJ if I was just a solo person mixing records—but together, we're something. That's why connection is the most important thing, and respecting the people who come to see you. If I give respect, I get the trust. People are giving you their free time and their money that they save all week at their jobs. They're paying to listen to you. You know, that's really important. I don't play for me—in that moment, I play for all of us.

How do you prepare for long sets? I've seen photos of you in clubs with multiple record bags, so I'm interested in how you organise them.

Oh my God, don't come to my place before the gig. There are records everywhere, five bags spilling out, all over the house! It's an illness. But that's how I prepare [laughs]. Preparing for a closing and for an all night long is different. They can represent different moments—the end of a night can bring a deep moment of happiness, or maybe it's darker. So I try to anticipate a set that could end with different emotions.

When I prepare my record bags, I divide them by genre, more or less. I often have stickers on my vinyl that only I understand, but it's so I can differentiate the functional stuff from the hypnotic, trippy stuff, the Chicago stuff from the old-school stuff. And from there I just go with the flow. Sometimes I don't play the records that I initially had in mind, especially at the end.

Do you usually set goal posts for your sets? So maybe you plan to play one record a third of the way through, and then another two hours later, and so on?

It's more spontaneous. We're talking about an emotional journey, so it depends on the vibe and many other factors, like the audience's state of mind. The art of DJing is to understand the collective state of mind. You can't necessarily plan two hours of this, two hours of that. No. You have to build and see the situation at the moment. When I play a long set—say 14 hours—I have to maintain a certain energy. I'll go up and down again.

For the opening, I try to stretch everything out. You have to be calm. Like I said, people are here for you. You have time. Don't use all the bombs you have right away. You always have to maintain energy.

As someone who's a staunch supporter of the underground, what are your hopes for our industry's ecosystem in the face of the underground commercialising?

It's complicated. There are so many good, talented artists that you can find if you go to the right place, but they unfortunately don't have visibility because of social media. I'm not complaining, but there is no memory of anything now. What you see today is already forgotten tomorrow. This also affects the scene's respect for people who were there before them.

In terms of the music that's commercial—that's not techno. I've been in the scene for 30 years so I know what I'm talking about. The word "techno" is given to everything today. But our style is our style. Hardcore is a genre that exists, but it's not techno. It's painful to see that there are 30 years of the roots of a genre of music being erased for propaganda. It's bad.

In terms of the commercialisation of the underground: I'm actually happy about it. Do you know why? Because the underground will return to the underground. People will go looking for something that's not in their face. It recreates something again. I'm hopeful. And I'm just happy to be here playing.

"The word 'techno' is given to everything today. But our style is our style."