Irko

Maurizio Sera (born September 30, 1981),[1][2][3] known professionally as Irko (stylized in all caps) is an Italian multi-platinum audio engineer currently based in Los Angeles, California.[1] He has worked with artists such as Kanye West, Jay-Z, 88-Keys, Jennifer Lopez, Pitbull, Rick Ross, Diddy, David Guetta and many more.[4]

IRKO
Background information
Birth nameMaurizio Sera
Born (1981-09-30) September 30, 1981
Conegliano, Treviso, Italy
GenresHip hop
Occupation(s)Mix Engineer, Engineer
Years active2000–present
Websiteirko.it

Career

Irko 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.[5][6] 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][7]

In the early 2000s, Irko was getting recognition and building connections on MySpace.[8] 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][6][9] 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. Other artists he has worked with include Diddy, Jennifer Lopez, Kevin Gates, David Guetta, Snoop Dogg, Pitbull, Jackie Jackson, 21 Savage, Common, Rick Ross and many others.[4][10]

References
  1. Blackbook (June 25, 2009). "Industry Insiders: Maurizio "Irko" Sera at the Mixing Board". Blackbook Magazine. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
  2. 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.
  3. "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]
  4. "Mixing Hiphop & R&B with Irko". Produce Like a Pro. May 29, 2017. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
  5. Archie, Ayana (25 October 2017). "Audio engineer IRKO talks about making it in music at MilkBoy ArtHouse". DBK News. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. "Credits / Kingdom Come / Jay-Z". Tidal. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
  10. Witaszczyk, Adrian Lucas. "IRKO Interview: "There is no failures, there is chances to learn!"". Studio Know Mag. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
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