Taking us back to the decade when cassette tapes and radios held the majority of the music industry, Mixed By Erry is now premiering on Netflix. An Italian music drama, Mixed By Erry follows the lives of three Fratassio brothers–Angelo, Peppe and Enrico. It is set in the mid-90s, in the era of flaunting cigars and boasting piles of music cassettes in the country popularly known for its splendour beauty. Even though this film is centred mainly on counterfeit, it goes way beyond its set structure and genre. It symbolises the rise of a local music DJ to become the king of the music world, his naivete influencing his wrong decisions.
Enrico was yet another aspiring DJ who was rejected due to his under-confidence, lack of a stylish name and attitude-driven persona. This isn’t a revenge story but a success story–and eventually a story of justice and betrayal. Seems like a true story, doesn’t it? Don’t worry, you aren’t the only one who’s wondering so!
Is Mixed By Erry Based On A True Story?
Manifested by the creator of the I Can Quit Whenever I Want trilogy, Sydney Sibilia Mixed By Erry is a tale of a DJ brother turned into an entrepreneur and eventually the brand ambassador of piracy. Enrico Fratassio (Luigi D’Oriano) and his brothers Angelo (Emanuele Palumbo) and Peppe (Guiseppe Arena) began an innocent business of selling mixtapes created by Erry. They were limited to their neighbourhood at first. Then they doubled the investment and the risk in order to expand their business. However, their journey hasn’t been easy and Netflix’s Mixed By Erry is here to depict those hurdles to us.
Is Enrico Fratassio’s story true? Yes, Mixed By Erry is based on a true story. It is adapted from Simona Frasca’s eponymous book depicting the life story of three brothers who took Italy–and the world–by storm. Frasca serves as a crucial part of the creation of the film, too. A few of the elements, however, are fictionalised. But Mixed By Erry sticks closely to Enrico’s real-life story without dramatising anything much.
Is Enrico Fratassio A Real-Life Person?
Yes, all three Fratassio brothers are non-fictionalized humans just impersonated by some talented actors. Their journey towards piracy and smuggling began at a young age. They watched their father, Pasquale (portrayed in the film by (Adriano Panteleo) trick customers into buying tea bottled in wine containers. Though they didn’t trick customers per se, they took smuggling a step ahead by indulging in manufacturing and selling pirated song cassettes.
Projecting the real-life story of the 90s music legend, Enrico Fratassio has been Sibilia’s most-ambitious and long-dreamt project. Sydney has experienced the story of Enrico, Peppe and Angelo first-hand. He has been aspiring to let the world know of it for a while now. So, Sydney collaborated with Netflix. He formed a team with Armando Festa and fleshed out Enrico and his story.
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Enrico Fratassio Sold Out 180 Million Compilations
When Erry, Peppe and his girlfriend, Francesca (Chiara Celotto) started a local business, their sales were limited to a few thousand copies per month. As Angelo joined the business and the three of them doubled the investment and used their creative minds to expand the Mixed By Erry brand, their sales skyrocketed instantly. They attracted millions of customers, spread their reach into the international market and started dominating the music industry by the end of the 1980s. There was no one left oblivious to Mixed By Erry, not even the police department.
The Fratassio brothers were the talk of the town. Their yellow Lamborghini and DJ Erry’s mixtapes became the centre of attention. However, not all of this attention turned out to be positive. Most of it, especially from the police department and jealous business rivals, resulted in their downfall. So, after selling 180 million compilations under the tag name Mixed By Erry, the Frattasio brothers had to make a 4 year-long trip to prison.
Where Is Enrico Fratassio Now?
It is the major question, isn’t it? The one who proved Forcella possesses DJs as well, where is he? After serving 4 years in prison, the Fratassio brothers had planned to dig their buried money and live their life off them. However, since Italy changed its currency from Lira to Euro, the Fratssio brothers’ plan died a painful death. The three of them didn’t lead an extravagant life, they couldn’t after the whole debacle actually. They proved to the world that personalised mixtapes could be a grand thing and that personality doesn’t rule passion.
After serving their sentence, Enrico and his brothers lived a relatively normal low-key life. He reportedly distributed gift boxes and occasionally performed as a DJ. Even now, Mixed By Erry is a small business on eBay. It doesn’t sell pirated copies but helps its customers get their own personalised mixtapes. The empire Erry and his brothers created crumbled down even before the start of 2000. Now, they serve as inspirations to novels and movies–and the folks in their neighbourhood.
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