Who The F*ck Is shootlikeluca?

That's the question that has been the conversation starter for many industry professionals, but we approached him head on.

Some people find their way into music through a love of instruments, others through songwriting—but for shootlikeluca, it all started with a hunt for old-school rap CDs.

“Me and my friends at school would have competitions to see who could get their hands on the most old-school rap CDs,” he recalls. “They didn’t have all the old Tupac, Biggie, or even Eminem albums on the internet, so we had to go searching at all the stores in our city.”

That obsession led him down a rabbit hole of beat-making videos on YouTube. Watching producers craft instrumentals and record artists on FL Studio and Pro Tools, he started experimenting with making his own beats. But it wasn’t until college that things really clicked.

“I started recording friends I found in the music school. I discovered I was pretty good at it. They were all singers,” he says. That early experience laid the groundwork for what was to come.

An exchange program took him to Los Angeles, where he found his true passion, engineering hip-hop.

Working at recording studios, he quickly picked up the technical side of things, proving himself in an industry that moves at lightning speed.

“I sort of just fell into it,” he says.

Meeting Young Sabre & The 4381 Connection

After college, Luca found a studio in Downtown LA (DTLA) that felt like home. Immersed in the city's hip-hop and R&B scene, he learned from seasoned mentors (who worked with big names like French Montana, Young Dolph & Key Glock), sharpening his skills in one of the most competitive music markets in the world.

Then came a rare moment—an unexpected Aussie connection.

“The owner of the studio told me there were some Aussies coming in, which was pretty rare at a studio like that,” he recalls.

Luca, Stain, Mason, Sabre & 4381 recording in DTLA.

That’s when he met Young Sabre, an artist who would become a key collaborator.

That first session sparked something bigger. Luca eventually continued to collaborate in Sydney with Sabre and his collective, 4381, pushing boundaries in the Australian hip-hop & R&B scene.

Creative Process & Engineering Style

For Luca, engineering isn’t about controlling the room, he finds it's about creating an environment where artists can thrive.

“My style is kicking back and letting the artist make the studio their home,” he explains.

“When you’re engineering an artist in a studio like that, you just need to let them do their thing. Your job is to be fast on Pro Tools, fix any issues with the equipment, always be recording, and keep the music playing.”

It’s a minimalist yet crucial approach—staying invisible while making everything sound perfect.

LA vs. Sydney: Two Different Worlds

Having worked in both LA and Sydney, Luca has seen two completely different music cultures.

“The music scene in LA is crazy. A million things are going on at once, you never know who’s going to walk through the door,” he says. “The rap scene is big, and people work.”

Sydney, on the other hand, still has room to grow.

“I feel Sydney could use more open-minded artists willing to work with each other,” he admits. It’s a scene with talent, but collaboration and momentum are what truly push a city’s music culture forward.

Lessons Learned & What’s Next

For anyone coming up in music, Luca’s advice is simple but real:

“Be open-minded, get along with people, be yourself, and don’t be stubborn.”

And as for what’s next?

“Honestly, I’m just seeing where things take me. Life would be boring if we knew exactly how it would go,” he says.

One thing’s for sure—keep an eye on this space.