Francesca Lombardo (IT)

After years exploring different strains of music and picking up her own formal training, Francesca Lombardo realized she was most at home on the dancefloor. The London based DJ, Vocal Techniques graduate and accomplished pianist first surfaced under the Jackie Misfit guise. With this alias, she DJed at various underground parties plus clubs like Brixton Academy and The Drom in the English capital, but also released on labels like Lokomotiv Recordings and started her own imprint, Echolette Records. It was a quick success story, with remixes from the likes of Hector picking up keen support from tastemakers including Marco Carola, Radio Slave and Loco Dice. Now, though, having also made waves as vocalist and keyboard player with Def by Disco (who toured and had residencies around the UK) this unique electronic sculptress is working under her given name, Francesca Lombardo. So far she has spun alongside titans like Sven Vath, Agoria and Tobi Neumann at places like Klubbers Festival, Madrid, and Danzoo for Space of Sound, always joining the dots between house and techno. Production wise for this genuinely musical talent it’s all about feeling, and it has been since growing up around her father’s vast collection of instruments as a child. “My style is colourful,” she says. “I like to write a track depending on how I feel. My tracks usually follow a concept.” Said music is inspired by a lifetime of listening to Depeche Mode, Aphex Twin, Plastikman and more recent sounds like those offered by Ghostly International and Traum. But also by playing piano at Conservatorium of Music for Classical piano and singing opera from a young age. “Despite this, I was always attracted to electronic music and machines” she remembers. “I could never really cope with classical.” Already a couple of releases in on genre defining label, Crosstown Rebels she is making major waves in club land and on the Beatport charts. Playing alongside the Rebels all over the globe, including Jamie Jones, Maceo Plex, Art Department, and Damian Lazarus has led to Francesca becoming a regular fixture at the worlds pristine dance temples including: DC10 (Ibiza), Fabric (London), and Panorama Bar (Berlin) With all these skills and musical experiences available to draw on, the future looks bright for Francesca Lombardo.