Italian drum & bass producer Maztek has been simmering in the underground for a while now with releases on RAM, Hospital, and Renegade Hardware all raising his profile and cementing his reputation as one of the most elevated producers in the game. His tunes are sharply produced and bristling with energy, enough so that the ears of the the bass music hegemony in London have taken note.Maztek's debut album Three Point Zero, released in December, is a lengthy 16 track collection of heady ruminations on the neurofunk sound that doesn't fall prey to genre tropes. His tunes bring the bassweight without overdoing the aggression, are heavy on funk, and even have an air of playfulness to them. Check out "Stompin" below, complete with Maztek's take on how it came about:
Advertisement
Maztek explains the unique perspective that brings about his signature sound: "I focus on the beat, drums and the rhythm at first, giving more exposure to that part of the groove. I really like everything to be "clean" and the details to be finished, that's why sometimes you don't hear that 'overbearing aggression' you mentioned.As an Italian, Maz has operated as a satellite in a scene that is primed towards the UK and Northern Europe. "Someone told me that I had to be there to be part of the scene but I think this is not completely true," he says. "I'm Italian and it has been harder to be recognized, but at the same time, music has no boundaries. What I love about the UK is that if your music is good enough you'll have your space. The UK is where everything started and I'm glad to be part of this scene and being inspired by it."
Well, now it's time for the scene to be inspired by Maztek. Three Point Zero is an undeniable contribution to the milieu and with a multitude of US and European dates already underway, it's time for the Rome-based producer to step into his own."This was my first album and my ambitions for it were to strike a balance between the dancefloor oriented tracks that I'm known for as well exploring some more varied electronic compositions to complement them," Maztek explains. "With this album I've retraced my path as a producer telling my own story through my musical influences, especially those drawn from hip hop and trip hop…This album came together encapsulating that vibe as well as recreating the older drum & bass sounds, the ones which I grew up listening to."
Find Maztek on FB // Soundcloud // Twitter
