Sacha Robotti: Quit Architecture in a War Zone, No Plan B & Why the Music Always Comes First
From Kabul to Dirtybird — an honest conversation about going all in, making music for yourself, and what twenty years without a real job actually looks like.
This week I'm joined by Sacha Robotti. A Brussels-born, Berlin-raised, LA-based DJ, producer, and label owner who has spent twenty years in music without taking a job outside of it. Releases on Dirtybird, Desert Hearts, Third Culture with Sian on Diynamic, and his own label Sloth Acid.
We start with the moment that changed everything... making beats on a Dell laptop in Kabul while Apache helicopters flew overhead and Kalashnikov fire was the soundtrack. That's when he decided to quit architecture and go all in on music with no savings and no plan B.
We get into how he actually makes tracks... why working quickly is his number one rule, why being bored in the studio goes straight into the DNA of the track, and what Karl Bartos from Kraftwerk taught him about simplicity that he still uses today. We talk about his debut album I, Robotti on Dirtybird, how ADHD shapes the way he works, and why he thinks the algorithm is slowly killing the soul of music.
And there's a really honest conversation about what twenty years in this industry actually looks like... the eviction notices, the identity shifts, and why the music has always been the thing.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Work quickly and don't get attached: Get a loop, build something fast, let it rest. If you're bored by your own idea, it shows up in the track. Spontaneity isn't a shortcut - it's the point.
- Simplify everything: Karl Bartos told him reduce, reduce, reduce. Less is more in sound design, and you can hear it in every record Sacha's made since. More elements doesn't mean better music.
- Make music for yourself first: As soon as you're making it for your market or a label, it turns. Rick Rubin says it, Sacha lives it - your voice is in the music or someone else's is.
- Health is the foundation: He wishes he'd treated his body better earlier. Sleep, routine, exercise - these aren't separate from your career. They are your career.
- Run your label around what you'd actually play: Sloth Acid isn't chasing hits or follower counts. If he'd play it, he'll release it. That's the whole strategy - and it's produced 70 releases of music he's proud of.
- The music has to come first: Content, social, virality - all secondary. If the music isn't there, none of it matters.
BEST MOMENTS
- I was on my Dell laptop making beats in Kabul, and outside you could hear Apache helicopters and Kalashnikov fire. That's when I decided ... I'm going all in on music
- I decided from that point: I will not take any more money from anything unrelated to music. Not having savings, I'm not sure that was the wisest decision. But I had to make it happen.
- The rave was my family. The bass was my family.
- I don't care about your followers. Is it cool? Is it something I like? That's the metric.
- I wish I had paid more attention to my health earlier. That's the thing that carries you through everything, more than the career.
EPISODES TO CHECK OUT NEXT
ABOUT THE HOST
Lex Luca is a London-based DJ, producer, and label owner known for his infectious energy both behind the decks and in the studio. With releases on Snatch!, Nervous, and his own label In Tune, Lex has garnered support from Pete Tong, Annie Mac, and Claude VonStroke. A former BBC Radio 1 producer, he delivers a unique blend of house, disco, and techno that has taken him from London to Ibiza and beyond. Lex founded OpenDAW Songwriting Camps, bringing together independent musicians to collaborate. As the host of OpenDAW Talks, he shares his journey and insights with the next generation of music creators.
VALUABLE RESOURCES
The KLF - The Manual: How to Have a Number One the Easy Way
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