MAC: The Italian Groove Architect Shaping NYC's Underground
Advertising savant by day, deep-house devotee by night. Born in Milan but forged in New York's underground — MAC bridges the cerebral and the sensual, with a sound as suave as it is subterranean.
"New York taught me that the best parties aren't events — they're accidents."
From Milan ad agencies to New York techno sanctums — MAC is a man of dual creative passports, bridging the cerebral and the sensual with a sound as suave as it is subterranean.
Federico Maccherone — known as MAC — came to DJing sideways. He first pushed his childhood friend Dodo Martino (co-owner of Digital Lovers) to DJ, before discovering his own calling in New York's techno scene. In the dimly lit lofts and sweat-drenched afterhours, he found his voice.
His sound nods to Larry Levan's Paradise Garage soul while locking into modern minimal's hypnotic pulse. Before the decks, he cut his teeth at Spike Lee's DDB agency — a creative life lived across two worlds, both requiring the same instinct: know your audience, trust the groove.
Leila Antakly Your influences span Larry Levan to Seth Troxler. How do these legends shape your sound?
Moodymann showed me raw soul can live in machines. And Seth Troxler? He proved techno can be both deep and deliriously fun. My sound sits where these worlds collide.
Favourite labels — what's in your crate right now?
- Liebe Detail — for textured, melodic house
- Supplement Facts — Wata Igarashi's label — pure hypnotism
- Dial — Lawrence's timeless elegance
- Crosstown Rebels — because Damian Lazarus is a shaman
Leila Antakly Clockwork is your new collaboration with Francesco Leali. What's the vision?
We're working with revolutionary labels and live musicians to create something that feels classic but sounds futuristic. The first EP is coming soon.
Plans for the season?
- Clockwork's debut EP
- DJ sets that blur house, disco, and techno
- More midnight studio sessions than sleep
Favourite venues in New York?
Loft and rooftop parties — therefore Blkmarket and ReSolute.
"Without You." Heartbreak you can dance to.
MAC · Current Favouritework
A new collaboration with Francesco Leali — diving deeper into the shadowy, sophisticated corners of house and techno. NYC's next underground manifesto.
Working with revolutionary labels and live musicians to create something that feels classic but sounds futuristic. The first EP is coming soon.
MAC's creative partner on Clockwork — together channelling NYC's underground pulse into something new. The two share a vision of club music that seduces rather than shouts.
In a city oversaturated with DJs chasing trends, MAC stands out by honouring groove's legacy while pushing it forward. Music should move bodies and minds simultaneously.
Influences & Legends
// Where soul meets machineThe foundational lesson: DJing is spiritual — it's not just beats, it's church. The Paradise Garage's transcendent energy is the benchmark against which MAC measures every set.
Proof that raw human soul can live inside machines. Moodymann's Detroit funk-house vocabulary — deeply personal, deeply physical — is embedded in MAC's approach to programming.
He proved techno can be both deep and deliriously fun. The tension between seriousness and joy is something MAC carries into his own sets at ReSolute and Blkmarket.
Textured, melodic house with genuine craft. One of the labels MAC consistently reaches for when he wants something that builds slowly and rewards attention.
Wata Igarashi's label — pure hypnotism. Minimal but never empty; functional but never cold. Exactly the kind of music MAC finds indispensable.
Lawrence's timeless elegance on Dial, and Damian Lazarus's shamanic energy on Crosstown Rebels — opposite ends of the underground spectrum, both essential.
Discover more artists chosen for their ideas,
not their visibility.
Antakly Projects is an independent platform dedicated to artists, musicians, photographers, designers, and thinkers at every stage — from emerging voices to established masters. Every interview is selected for depth, not reach.
