Ktonios is the moniker under which Davide Ghelli Santuliana performs as a musician.
Ktonios’ music is based on the deconstruction and reconstruction of the traditional dance “tammurriata", mixing it with extremely minimal techno. A meeting of two underworlds.
Tammurriata originates from the region of Campania in Southern Italy. It is mainly performed with a "tammorra" (a hand-played drum) and a singer improvising using a set of standard lyrics covering different topics, such as love, death, gossip and spirituality. Similarly to other musical traditions of Southern Italy, the origins of tammurriata can be traced back to a ritual-magic background. However, tammurriata evolved over the course of the 20th century and also became a symbol of revolt of the oppressed against the oppressor - for instance the workers in their class struggle (see 'E-zezi Gruppo Operaio as an example).
Ktonios builds on top of this lineage, paying homage to this musical tradition and its improvised nature. They mix the tammurriata with extremely minimal techno music. Like tammurriata, the origin of techno music, in Detroit, is also connected to a history of revolt, marginalized communities and the underground scene. It used primal rhythms and served as an emancipatory tool for oppressed people.
The name "Ktonios" - from the adjective "ctonio" in Italian, meaning “underworldly” - also references the underground world. Ktonios produces their music using a hybrid setup, a combination of modular synthesizers and generative software tools. Using a specific set of samples, Ktonios manipulates them in real time, improvising on a set of predetermined standards in a similar fashion to the original tammurriata.
Ktonios' performances have taken places, among others, at Paviljoen aan Het Water (Rotterdam), Open Oscillator (Amsterdam), Koffie en Ambacht (Rotterdam), Butcher's Tears (Amsterdam) and The Grey Space in The Middle (Den Haag).