Tune #88: 3KZ - A Love Supreme

Italian techno music delivers:

3KZ - A LOVE SUPREME


3KZ is the collaborative project of Italian producers Giuseppe Maffei and Nico Campanella. Hailing from Puglia (a district of South Italy), the two youngsters shared parallel paths in music, since they both were captivated by the techno music of the 90's.

Giuseppe is mostly known with this solo alias Z.I.P.P.O. since 2014, when his first production Symmetrica Therapy was surfaced in a EP by German label Figure. His alias is associated with the composition of eclectic techno tracks, presented by various European independent labels (Suburban Avenue, Involve Records, Enemy Records, Virgo). Additionally, he is the owner of Fides, a record label focused on releasing his and Nico's material. At the end of this month, his new project Midnight Conversation (with the fellow Italian Mattia Trani) is expected to be released, whose output seems a fine mixture of nu funk / nu jazz.

Nico emerged in the music scene as Kaelan, via his label Subosc in 2012 (initially in digital-only format). His work can be considered as a harmonic interpretation of the Detroit sound, since his training on classical piano blends perfectly with his inspiration from techno legends (Jeff Mills, Robert Hood, Derrick May), in order to produce a trippy musical experience. His other solo aliases are also interesting for listening purposes (2030 for electro productions and Ixm for dub techno tracks).

Personally, I believe that their collaborative effort as 3KZ is the most creative. In 2017, their debut album Parallel Reflections was released via Fides and it is undoubtedly a top notch LP (with an amazing artwork cover!). The two guys work splendidly into crafting sublime melodic techno with modern equipment.

This year, they return with a new killer EP called A Love Supreme, released in March by Berlin-based label Arts. For some reason, the tracks remind me the early works of Ludovic Navarre (St. Germain anyone?), who was one of the pioneers for the French techno scene.

Finally, I hope that they visit someday Greece for an ambient jam session like this one!