We Speak Music

KHOMPA releases boundary-pushing drum-triggered ‘Tre Trigger Contro Tre Trigger’

Published

2 years ago

September 25, 2023

Don Reed

Davide Compagnoni, aka ‘KHOMPA’, has been pushing musical boundaries since the release of his ground-breaking debut album, The Shape of Drums to Come in 2016, featuring an adventurous mix of drumming, electronics and cutting-edge drum triggering technology. The album, featured on Ableton Live and Modern Drummer, introduced this unique audiovisual live project, whose main elements are: a drummer, a conventional drum kit, 3 state-of-the-art drum sensors, a laptop and a stepsequencer. Each drum controls a virtual musical instrument (synthesizers, samplers, arpeggiators, etc.) within Ableton Live music software that, in combination with a custom stepsequencer developed with MaxforLive app, allows Davide to perform real melodies/electronic orchestration without the use of any backing track. 100% live. In addition to that, he also uses a microphone set up in the middle of the drumkit to capture the dynamics of the acoustic drums and translate them through ‘envelope followers’ into electronic parts in several ways.

KHOMPA’s second album, Perceive Reality, which followed in 2022, saw the further integration of audio and visual components, with AI-generated 3D visuals created by Riccardo Franco-Loiri (alias Akasha) all triggered and modulated live from the drumkit.

Tre Trigger Contro Tre Trigger is a companion piece to Perceive Reality, drawing on the same technology but venturing into a more trance-inducing territory, with oscillating synths snaking around a pulsating, primal drumbeat, rising in pitch to a cathartic peak.
The video for ‘Tre Trigger Contro Tre Trigger’ is a 100% live performance where all the sounds and visuals were triggered in real time with KHOMPA’s drum kit as a reflection of the punk/chaotic/hypnotic energy of the song. The piece is also the closing track of the live performance “Perceive Reality A/V” that the artist is currently playing in festivals, cinemas and clubs in Italy. In the video, words that seem to be extracted from a manifesto of perceptual dissociation bounce off the screen activated and distorted by the drum kit itself.

We Speak Music

Giampaolo Pasquile ‘The Fake Truth’ – Retro-Futurism with a Human Touch

Published

2 hours ago

June 2, 2025

Philomena Marie

Giampaolo Pasquile’s The Fake Truth is a masterclass in blending the tactile warmth of analog instrumentation with the precision of digital innovation. As a seasoned producer and mix engineer, Pasquile has collaborated with industry giants like Mike Posner and Will.i.am, and his latest project reflects a deep understanding of both musical history and future possibilities.

The album’s charm lies in its ability to evoke nostalgia without succumbing to sentimentality. Pasquile’s meticulous production ensures that every sound serves the song’s emotional core. Lyrically, The Fake Truth delves into themes of memory, identity, and the passage of time. Pasquile challenges listeners to reconsider their perceptions of the past and future, offering a sonic journey that is both introspective and expansive. The album’s hybrid compositions, where AI suggestions are filtered through human creativity, reflect a harmonious coexistence of technology and emotion.

In The Fake Truth, Giampaolo Pasquile has crafted an album that is both a tribute to musical heritage and a bold step into the future. It’s a testament to the enduring power of human creativity in an increasingly digital world.