The Echio Quiz with François X

How did you learn music and did you have any mentors?

I started learning music pretty young — I took piano lessons between the ages of 10 and 15. But honestly, I’d say I really learned music by going out. Spending nights in clubs, listening deeply, and being surrounded by people who loved music shaped me far more than formal training.

My parents were both passionate about American Black music, so that was a big early influence. Later, as a bit of a geek, I spent hours on the internet — on forums like Gearslutz, Minimo, and Subsect — trying to understand production. I also watched some of the first music production tutorials on YouTube. It was all about curiosity and the excitement of learning something new.

Tell us about a key piece of feedback you received during your career and from whom.

The feedback I’ve heard the most throughout my career is simple but powerful: be yourself.
I can’t even name one person because so many have told me this over the years — and still do. It’s such an important reminder. Being able to express yourself freely, to do whatever you want whenever you want, is at the core of making authentic music.

What is good music feedback in your opinion?

Good feedback has to be constructive. It should help the artist understand what a track needs — maybe to add something, maybe to leave it alone. The best kind of feedback comes from someone you trust, someone who gives you perspective rather than judgment.

What feedback would you give to your first release?

My first release was Future Roots Vol. 3 on Deeply Rooted.
If I had to give feedback to myself back then, I’d probably just say, “Nice — good job.”
At that time, I was unaware of many aspects of production; I was just exploring, being naïve, and scratching out ideas in Ableton. But when I listen back now, there are moments where I think, “That was interesting for a first try.” There’s something valuable in that rawness and curiosity.

If you could spend a day in the studio with one of your heroes, who would it be?

That’s hard to narrow down, but I’ll name four: Carl Craig, Mike Dean, and Basic Channel — the legendary duo of Mark Ernestus and Moritz von Oswald. Just watching them work, seeing how they approach sound, would be incredible.

What’s the object in your studio you can’t live without?

Definitely my headphones. It’s funny — I have a solid pair of studio monitors, but I always end up composing and mixing on my headphones. They’ve become essential to my process.

If you weren’t making music, what would you do?

Probably something completely different — maybe a tennis player, since I started playing when I was really young and still play now. Or I’d be a trader, which is actually what I was doing before music.