mojo magazine sat down on a zoom call in late february 2025 to catch up with Ferrari and get a read on the state of his music.

here is the resulting interview, replete with imperfect punctuation.

why is it important to you to self publish this interview?

oh man. as a smaller artist im already so incredibly jaded—- I can’t imagine what some of my favorite artists have had to go through over the years. Music is such an exploitative industry and basically they coerce artists to pay for their own press these days even if they have a record deal.… Music is such a craft and it is taking me decades to become an expert. I don’t want other people profiting off of my music and I certainly don’t want other people in charge of what goes up and print or how I am quoted. If there are grammatical mistakes or miss quotes… I’d rather it beyond me to fix it, then try to deal with a bunch of assholes on a power trip, trying to extort me for money for lack of a better term. The reality is it really is that bad in the music industry right now.

what have you been up to since the release of revenge 101?

i’ve been laying low for a few years – being meticulous and very picky about releasing new music. despite a lot of events in my life… I am always working on music, whether it is practicing, DJing, researching, or actually building tracks from the ground up.

sometimes I will spend a few hours researching drum sounds. I definitely love plug-ins, but I try not to go too intensely… There is a lot to be said for keeping the structure bare bones… Well, that phrase doesn’t necessarily describe my music. It’s definitely true that overproducing something makes it sound worse.

how do you know when a song is done? What makes you satisfied with a song enough in order to release it?

(laughs) that’s funny actually one of my favorite songs of all time is called my insatiable one by suede… It’s just one of those once in a lifetime brilliant works of art that stands above… I love lyrics. if taken out of context, the lyrics can seem very apocalyptic and depressing… But in the context of the song with the music, it makes a point so perfectly… The absurdity of modern life…” we should paracetamol while the ridiculous world moves by..,”

what was the question? I’m just joking, but I definitely am neurodivergent and sometimes my ADHD takes over… To answer the question correctly means that there is no one solid answer… I just know when it’s done… It’s almost like having a conversation with the muse in my heart.

For instance, I released heartthrob slightly reluctantly because I had some issues with it, but I knew that I wanted to release it, and I was happy with a lot of the elements of the song.

I knew I had to release it and I can’t explain why. It’s certainly not something one can explain in words. And lyrics definitely take on your meaning in the context of music.

you’ve been working on the new record for several years. Is it taking longer than expected and why?

yes, 100%. I’m going for quality over quantity.

how did you learn to play guitar? you have been known to “Kurt Cobain working on… Do you share his thoughts on music theory being irrelevant?

dude thanks for asking. seriously, people gatekeep the most important questions so i appreciate you asking.

I always had a guitar in my hands. literally. not a joke i have been known to sleep with microphones and guitars in the bed. it’s that level of devotion because it certainly was extremely hard. that’s the joke of the line in heartthrob: “i woke up like this” (laughs) literally i wake up to guitars and pedals and microphones and such. but it is a full time job and did not become so easy without a massive amount of sacrifice and work.

and yes, I definitely feel a kinship with Kurt. I feel close to his spirit after learning a lot more about him and hearing a lot of in-depth forgotten interviews. I think when Kurt talks about music theory and musicianship being arrogant, what he is really referring to is the fact that a lot of of ultra conservative—- or for lack of a better term— haughty, self involved people who live in a solipsistic universe -– these are the types of people who over dramatically miss the point. music theory is definitely important to me— but i can’t stand pedantic people who destroy music by making it all about the rules. the entire point is to break and remake the rules. you can’t create a hook otherwise. there is not a single musician who did anything interesting without basically forgetting music theory as they channeled their songs.

For me personally, I needed to study music theory for quite some time. It helped me build a backbone for my work, but I am always breaking rules and I very much relate to Kurt’s creative style in the sense that it’s writing the hooks on the guitar that are the most important aspect.

For me also when it comes to drums and syncopated drums, I have a passion there. A lot of what I have learned outside of the classroom so to speak is in my life – for instance, working at an actual vinyl record store geared specifically toward DJs in the early 2000s gave me an education that I couldn’t have gotten anywhere else.

basically, though I just come from a background where the guitar chose me ___ I have obsessively practiced for many years whether I wanted to or not. I think a lot of artists do a disservice to their fans when they make it seem like it doesn’t take a lot of work. It definitely takes a lot of work and I wish someone had told me that when I was a kid, because nobody just manifest the guitar and immediately knows how to shred. You have to learn one of the best tricks is to move on from a teacher if they are not inspiring you or helping you progress methodically.

so yeah, for many years, it has just been me, the guitar and the muse.   

how do you feel you fit into the post-punk darkwave new wave revival scene?

I think I certainly belong there. That is an area where I diverge from Kurt, who was more influenced by punk rock than post-punk. post-punk is what really made me who I am, and post-punk involves more understanding of music theory, a little more dressed up than punk, as it were. still, grunge was almost part of the post-punk movement because I don’t believe there is any other real grunge band aside from Nirvana. The rest is derivative. 

you’re clearly an expert with guitar pedals, rackmount effects, and everything that has to do with effects for the guitar, as well as becoming a very strong producer in your own right. How did this first come to be and what was your first pedal?

I remember being obsessed with the finer detail details of sounds and music since I was a tiny child—- the bass/ baritone-like guitar riffs at the end of Love and Rockets’ “so alive” caught my ear at age twelve. I vividly remember asking “what instrument is making that sound?”.—- knowing it wasn’t a guitar but was similar In the early 2000s we were listening to a spiritualized ® record, and my friend i said that i should get an ehx smallstone phaser. it was one of the older electro harmonix models. but I will admit that I have an issue with EHX because to this day they still continue to made pedals _without_ clickless switches, which is basically insulting to musicians honestly. so that was my first pedal. I bought it used, but it was my second pedal that changed everything for me. The small stone was the old school large one that came in a wooden box. It would still be a few years of learning to dj with vinyl, then selling my first set of turntables in order to buy a guitar in nyc—— that’s when i started having a guitar in my hands all the time.

it was in the 2010s when I started getting really serious about things. I was doing a lot of online research on YouTube and that was when the pedal demos first came to be. I much prefer the simple – meaning not overly produced – pedal demos. So I technically consider the earthquaker devices hummingbird trem —-that was in like an icy blue color. It had a hint of green, but it was like an ice blue… A really nice smaller metal enclosure… I consider that my first pedal. I had two, and used to stack both of them to make these crazy airplane sounds. And I would use that with the boss pitch shifter which they have since upgraded to the harmonist. I literally got it online from analogue haven. old school—- when specialty modular synth shops were the only outlets that had the new boutique pedals. I was happy to support small business with my minimal pocket money.

I actually started using guitar pedals with my first synthesizer, which was a Nord lead 2 blackout (reverse keyboard) edition– because at the time I was also in school for music theory.i had this fancy degree from Vassar that to this day has not really opened any career doors for me. I literally went to community college to study music theory.  So I had to have a keyboard of some sort. And I was testing out making dub techno chords with the boss DD7. most of learning was me being the autodidact that I am, though. I had to get some basic info, take lessons, and then teach myself the rest.

wow that is instense—- a lot of formative experience. how did you end up so interested in synths? 

at the time it was because of music theory. And I was raised with an old-school attitude about knowing your way around a keyboard being important regarding playing guitar. However, I can’t explain it. I think I just started having a passion for pianos at the same time as I was learning music theory. I used to drive up and back in the day when the Guitar Center in West LA was not playing loud music. I would actually record on my iPhone improvisations and stuff like that—- so I could capture and remember what sounds certain synths made. I was always looking at equipboard and reading articles about musicians’ studios. I started learning about shoegaze history early on in my guitar obsessed life. I also fell in love with the Korg MS 20. Just the sounds you could get out of that. Definitely I have a love affair with electronic music.

At that time I was also developing my obsession with fashion textiles. I would go to LA as much for the music shoppes as I did the fashion district and certain secret spots where I could get my hands on silk georgette by the yard—- not kidding you.

you’re talking to a fellow fabric nerd here; i get it, say no more. do you remember pearl paint as well?

yes! that was the best art supply store ever, on the corner of Pico and something. man I wish they would come back.

what are your thoughts on the current state of music in 2025?

where do you feel the future of music is going in terms of it’s place in society—- or is that something you even think about?

major corporations have turned musicians against each other – so I did a lot of networking in the Goth scene, but when push came to shove, it was just all about everyone promoting their own brand. There’s a deep sadness that comes with that. Because I’m always inspired by other artists. It should never be the situation, but that is the reality. You basically have to turn into a sociopath to have any type of success and it’s really boring and quite honestly pathetic to have to act like a fanboy just to make a friend on your level.  i’m not playing the game anymore. 

that said, i do have a lot of hope for the future of music. many artists are waking up to the reality that they don’t like their lives, and nobody believes touring is glamour anymore—- someone is paying your rent if youy’re touring unless you are one of the few mega stars. i’m grateful that i never became famous like that. i’m naturally pretty introverted. i guess what I’m saying is i know that the scene is going to start to change for the better because people can’t survive the way it’s structured now.

how many people do you have working for you at lace of spades?

I’ve had several assistants over the years out of necessity. Unfortunately none of them have worked out long term—- I would have literally almost killed to work for someone like myself when I was younger, and along the way people tend to make selfish choices. I’m a friendly boss, but don’t be mistaken, i’m the chief. The minute someone starts taking me for granted, I turn into a complete asshole. it’s just the way I am. I’ve worked so much in my life for next to nothing—— getting paid to keep my recording studio clean is about as cush of an easy entry job anyone could have. my instruments are like my children, my home is sacred. if someone crosses a line, I have to let them go. at the moment i can only afford to hire one person, and ultimately that person would have to a very special individual indeed. Whoever actually proves their loyalty will not regret it.  These days the bar for decency needs to be set higher.

Have you always been interested in fashion and skateboarding? And in what ways. I mean, what is the relationship between fashion and skateboarding and music for you – and what made you start those brand’s lingerie skateboards and FERRARI bones as a clothing brand?

yes, absolutely. I was really into surf + skate fashion as a youngster, and then as a teenager I started pouring over the pages of fashion magazines when i would hide away to get distance from my difficult upbringing. I became an instant fan of fashion. I have always been drawn to wearing black, though—- even in southern california. I literally used to call myself “the dracula of southern california” when I was like, seven years old. I always got dragged to mall to do things I didn’t enjoy, but it developed into a passion I have for malls in general, and architecture/ urban planning. 

i have far too many da vinci-esque passions, and like any relationship, my relationship with music is deeply lied to experiencing life. You can put on a dj shadow cd, or bauhaus, or dub techno while driving in the city/ on freeways. If you pay close attention to your surroundings and the pacing of people passing by in the street, the other cars, exit signs, etc.—- you will realize that god really is a dj. life flows in an order of things, a certain divine bpm. 

so i started lingerie skateboards and ferrari bones out of necessity. i got tired of wearing other people’s designs, and every other skater has their own brand. why shouldn’t i ?(laughs).   In all seriousness, I’m a fan of conceptual art, sculpture, visual art. and the extreme sums of money that get dumped on art works in current high society represents such a vapid, vacuous, arbitrary system. If someone wants my decks, it will cost them a minimum of $2000. damien hirst is over here with a team of 20 people executing his designs and making millions. I’m not the type to sit idly by and watch. 

would you still consider after all these years making music with other people? And why?

To be honest, I gave up on the human race. so… I would work with another starseed perfectly aligned with the aspects of my chart, maybe. I was raised with a certain level of manners and class, and I just can’t believe the way people act. I’m good at making friends and I’m a caring person. But after everything I’ve been through there is maybe one person that I would consider working with. And I’m not gonna talk into detail about that. Other than that, it’s a one man show when it comes to FerrariLover because to put it bluntly—- people are either distracted or not good enough, and or are ill mannered. It’s sad insofar as I am a fan of several  newer darkwave bands—- but I have “killed my idols” enough that I don’t feel the need to compare myself anymore. it’s tragic that even the new music scene pits artists against one another—- people are forced into a kind of narcissistic solipsistic universe, always promoting their own band, brand, and nothing else. for me, I’m a dj first; I am inspired by music. it’s honestly nauseating to try to make “friends” in the scene. 

do you have any stories of meeting other musicians on the scene to help explain your experience?

(laughs). yes. i was trying to make friends with a few people online in several bands. i had stopped listening to new music, and it was a relief to finally find some newer artists at or around my age to enjoy listening to, long story short—- i was at a show one night when one of said bands was cruising through town, and the promoter sat me with the drummer for a few minutes. I didn’t know what to say and certainly i knew the guy was tired from being in the van for so long, but literally he was so smug and snobbish to point of it being funny.  he acted like he was the king of rome there waiting for me to kiss his feet.  i know it’s awkward especially for introverts, but i made it clear i had no agenda or need to talk to him. i’m super passionate about the drums though, so i was mentioning early bauhaus drums and comparing them to joy division drums. he just sat there staring at me (i should say, glaring). it’s sad that people feel the need to feel so superior.

man i feel that. i’ve got many stories myself.  do you have a promotion strategy

I used to have one and I realized that was part of the problem.

i honestly don’t care that my google ads got cancelled. I have taken a ton of classes in the music industry and learned a lot. But at the end of the day, the system is set up so that it’s predatory and the word just keeps coming to mind pathetic. So many people had my credit card number and were making recurring for literally nothing but bleeding me dry. I’m done spending my inheritance trying to have some impossible success. Thankfully I studied formal logic very very closely and I can tell when something is a no-win situation. It’s very clear to me that I have a lot more success ahead of me and a lot more fans ahead of me if I just stop playing the industry game. informal mathematical logic. The industry is set up and what is called an “infinite regress.” that basically means there is a loop back system and you can never exit the system, and you can never really move beyond it. Spiritual evolution is meant to be upward towards space and beyond, but also in word in terms of the universe is inside of us. I honestly think it’s hilarious that people with billions of dollars are so obsessed with going to space. It’s because they know due to their own grieve. They’ve completely destroyed our planet and they are actually desperate to find a way out. What they don’t realize is that it is the people who have spent their time focusing inward who have all the power to escape the end of days.

so are you saying that you don’t regret spending the majority of your adult life as a monk?

I don’t regret it at all at this point. I only parted ways with the bullshit.  i’m very grateful that I have practiced meditation for many years. I can’t live without it. At the end of the day I no longer regret my past choices, and that’s all that matters.

what are your current career goals?

 (laughs). honestly, I don’t have any. You could say that I’m very jaded… And that would not be a lie. However, I am very grateful to be a musician and a producer. It really is the experience of making records and working on music that makes all the hard work worth it.

Interestingly, I’m certainly someone who has goals. I have a vision and I really want to live to see a time when  music and art gets the appreciation. It deserves in the sense that society would completely collapse without art and it’s only in the absence of art, an artist that that becomes blatantly apparent.

so I guess the way to properly answer the question would be to say that I have a vision, but I don’t have specific career goals. Maybe it’s my moon in Aquarius— i’ve just never felt like I fit into any type of categorization. Interestingly, I have this life path and it certainly chose me. I could have gone to law school or even try to go to school for architecture now because architecture is one of my passions and I would like to have an impact in that area –the structures that do the landscape have such a profound impact on life… But literally no matter what I do I always end up being a kind of outsider. For one reason or another, I’ve learned to go with the flow and follow the waves as it were…

FerrariLover will be around for a long time—- all of matter and reality is made of sound; science already knows this. It’s just not made common knowledge because of gatekeeping. All of the atomic substructure and the root of quantum physics has to do with the sound being the pure energy. It’s even in the Bible it says in the beginning was the word and the word was God. So sound vibration is basically the fundamental element that creates all things. I may have my head in the clouds, but I like it that way