Lowerzone

Napoli, Italy

The March of the Oppressed

ElectronicTechno

Behind the Music

I tried to capture my reactions to The Outlaw Ocean immediately after I read it. The emotions were spontaneous and raw - at the end of each chapter, I would think “Why is this happening? How cruel can humans be?” Those ponderings and David George Mndolwa’s story in “Jail Without Bars” left a gash on my soul that was filled with anxiety, fear, pain, sadness, hope, frustration and many other emotions. I then tried to translate these feelings into my music as they flowed from my mind, using techniques such as dark ambiance, heavy percussions, echoing vocals and raw synth. 

The effect is goosebump-inducing, just like The Outlaw Ocean’s effect on me. Ian did exceptional work with this book and I think it needs to be read to help people understand all aspects of our world. Music and art have always had a role of alerting people by creating works that arouse feelings, compelling the listener to think, change and improve their understanding of something. I hope my tracks will contribute to this impact.

Lowerzone
About Lowerzone

Vincenzo Gargiulo aka Lowerzone has always been a lover of every style of techno but mostly of dark and German techno. From his nickname “Lowerzone,” we can understand the inestimable power, care and passion with which the bass in his tracks makes everything dark and captivating, all combined with a solid and engaging groove. He debuted on digital stores with dark techno tracks, and later started to create a unique and sophisticated style, often mingling with sounds of different styles of music. 

After some years, his ambition and skills took him to play in underground clubs around his town. Blending dark, raw and techno sounds, he has managed to create a personal style that has led him to high-caliber labels such as Orange Recordings and Groovant. In 2019, Lowerzone debuted on Sam Paganini’s JAM records with his first Vinyl release on “Four on Jam,” a various artist compilation with other big DJs of the techno scene. During the same year, Lowerzone started his own label to create a unique sound between the vibration of electronic music and a sinister visual art concept. The young label, No Response, is already receiving praise from techno lovers all over the world for its high quality music selection. 

In 2020, he reached other important labels like Suara, Footwork, Analytictrail and Unity. Lowerzone receives massive support from big DJs who play his tracks all around the world smashing the dancefloor. Now he continues to work hard to get better results in the techno scene.

Winner of the 2021 Scripps Howard Award for Excellence in Innovation in Journalism

The Journalism behind the Music

All music in this project is based on The Outlaw Ocean, a New York Times Best-Selling book by Ian Urbina that chronicles lawlessness at sea around the world. This reporting touches on a diversity of abuses ranging from illegal and overfishing, arms trafficking at sea, human slavery, gun running, intentional dumping, murder of stowaways, thievery of ships and other topics.

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