Maurizio Sera (born September 30, 1981),[1][2][3] known professionally as Irko (stylized in all caps) is an Italian audio engineer currently based in Los Angeles, California.[1]
IRKO | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Maurizio Sera |
| Born | September 30, 1981 Conegliano, Treviso, Italy |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | Mix Engineer, Engineer |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Website | irko |
Career
editIrko was born and raised in Conegliano, getting his start in music producing beats and working as a DJ.[1] He gravitated towards hip hop because of the "heavy hitting" boom bap drums and bass.[4][5] Irko enrolled in computer science in Venice, which he described as "the most boring thing I could imagine".[2] He started studying audio engineering after finding himself "explaining to the actual engineer how to do his job"[1] and coming across a poster asking "Do you want to learn how to work in a recording studio?", signing up immediately despite discouragement from his family.[2] He opened his first studio in his dad's garage, having people stationed in a nearby American Air-Force base join recording sessions.[1][6]
In the early 2000s, Irko was getting recognition and building connections on MySpace.[7] In 2006, Irko was invited to New York by Tokyo-based producer B-Money, whom he had met on MySpace. Despite not having much money, he convinced himself to travel so that he could learn how a bigger recording studio works. When arriving there, Irko was invited to work on Jay-Z's Kingdom Come album with B-Money, which led to him landing a recording credit for the song "The Prelude".[2][5][8] He later moved to Los Angeles, where he has been living and working for 10 years.
Irko has since worked with artists such as 88-Keys and Kanye West, mixing the song "Stay Up! (Viagra)", and later mixing Kanye West's album Donda in 2021.[9][10] In 2024, he mixed West and Ty Dolla Sign's collaborative album Vultures 2.
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Blackbook (June 25, 2009). "Industry Insiders: Maurizio "Irko" Sera at the Mixing Board". Blackbook Magazine. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
- ^ a b c d Verni, Francesco (October 9, 2021). "Irko: "Io, Kanye West e i misteri di Donda"" [Irko: Me, Kanye West and the mysteries of Donda]. Corriere Del Veneto (in Italian). Retrieved 18 December 2021.
- ^ "Irko on Instagram". Instagram. September 30, 2020. Archived from the original on 2021-12-26. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
Happy birthday to me! Woop!
[self-published] - ^ Archie, Ayana (25 October 2017). "Audio engineer IRKO talks about making it in music at MilkBoy ArtHouse". DBK News. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
- ^ a b Boroni, Michele (September 10, 2021). "Irko M Sera e i segreti del mix nell'hip-hop e di "Donda"" [Irko M Sera, and the secrets of the mix in hip-hop and "Donda".]. Rockol (in Italian). Retrieved 18 December 2021.
- ^ Produce Like A Pro (May 30, 2017). "Mixing HipHop & R&B with Mixing Engineer Irko - Warren Huart: Produce Like A Pro". YouTube. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
- ^ Tion, Marta (September 3, 2021). "Da Conegliano a Los Angeles: IRKO l'ingegnere del suono dei big" [From Conegliano to Los Angeles: IRKO the sound engineer of big names]. Oggi Treviso (in Italian). Retrieved 18 December 2021.
- ^ "Credits / Kingdom Come / Jay-Z". Tidal. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
- ^ "Mixing Hiphop & R&B with Irko". Produce Like a Pro. May 29, 2017. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
- ^ Witaszczyk, Adrian Lucas. "IRKO Interview: "There is no failures, there is chances to learn!"". Studio Know Mag. Retrieved 18 December 2021.