From the solitude of volcanic Mount Etna to stages around the world, melodic techno duo Mathame writes songs that inspire a generation of producers, and transports fans to heights that are out of this universe.

Brothers Matteo and Amedeo Giovanelli conjure magic with emotive and cinematic soundscapes, crafting sci-fi worlds and ethereal energies that linger in the air like candles in a great cathedral.

The dark yet romantic pulse of the group’s releases caughtDespite a 12 year difference, Matteo and Amedeo have always been close. Raised in a home filled with records and cassette tapes, their parents ran a successful pirate radio station in Italy. Matteo, being the eldest, had a cultural head start, cutting his teeth as a local hip-hop DJ in the late ‘90s and early 2000s. He followed that with a deep-dive into the world of film, studying at university and graduating to become a professor, all the while writing and directing a series of artful movies.

Young Amedeo, meanwhile, looked up to his brother but cut a clear path of individuality. He helped his brother on film sets, dutifully studying hours of Matteo’s favorite intellectual films, but it was Amedeo who first dedicated himself to producing electronic music. Always musically minded, he’d studied violin for years before giving in to DAWs and synthesizes, but the influence of classical pieces and theatrical soundtracks hangs heavy over Mathame’s modern catalog.

It wasn’t until their parents moved to the enchanting slopes of Sicily’s Mount Etna—an active volcano—that the Mathame project was born.

“It’s a magical place,” Matteo says. “We have this big view on the termina. You get to see the forest. You feel the volcano all the time, rumbling. We stayed there for five years.”

The brothers took a step back from city life to help their parents run a quaint bed and breakfast. It was hard work in the summer, cooking meals and entertaining guests from around the world, but in the winter, the whole Ita...