Nikos Tryfonopoulos, also known as 3voice, is a Greek dj and producer currently based in Athens. His music ranges from dub techno riddims to deep dubstep tunes and is also influenced by Ambient and experimental sounds.

He has a degree on Audio Engineering and Music Production from the SAE Institute of Athens. Together with Cynic_al aka HMISU he runs the Craton net label and is an active member of Urban Danja Crew and Deep Beats. During the currently lockdown due the Coronavirus situation we sat down to have a chat.

Hey Nikos, how is it going in Athens at the moment? What do you do during the lockdown?

At the moment Athens is like in a movie, as in many European cities based on the information we have. Empty roads are a bit creepy for everyone I think. However, I believe that people who like arts such as music, painting, graphic design, etc., they pass their time at home in a more creative way. Concerning my isolation the same holds for me too. I spend my time creatively. Nevertheless, in any circumstances, mandatory isolation certainly is not a good thing.

How is the techno scene in Athens on a normal day?

The truth is that the Techno scene in Athens has been booming in recent years, but in some specific genres and harder techno styles, dub-techno is not that much in taste of the party organizing teams. 

A few years ago, about 5-6 I think, we started with a good friend and partner (Insom aka Wosui) a series of events and podcasts dealing with the "deep-dub" part of electronic music from deep / dub techno to deep dubstep, drum n bass and more. we called it "Deep Beats" even though it has not been active for the last 2-3 years, maybe it can start again.

What was the key moment that got you into house and techno?

When I listened to Prodigy for the first time, this was the key moment to get into the rhythm of electronic music, and secondly when I listened music from the Detroit Techno scene.

Please accept YouTube cookies to play this video. By accepting you will be accessing content from YouTube, a service provided by an external third party.
YouTube privacy policy
If you accept this notice, your choice will be saved and the page will refresh.
Accept YouTube Content

Together with Cynic_al you produced the track “Lost Path” for our Etui Winter Camp 5 compilation. What is the idea behind the track? Can you take us through the production process?

The whole idea started a few years ago. During that time Panagiotis (Cynic_al) was dealing with modular systems,  and we decided to start some projects together. 

At the moment Panagiotis lives in the Netherlands, so he sends me the key sounds from the modular synths and I build and work on them. "Lost path" was produced in that way, and when I finished the track, I wanted to play it live, and that's what I did.

Your describe your music as “dub techno riddims to deep dubstep tunes”. Tell us about your studio setup and your DIY stuff.

The description is about the influences on my productions not only from the techno scene, I often write and release songs at 140bpm and above, hybrid music, no limitation, as long as it sounds deep. 

My equipment is cheap and old I would say, I would like to refresh it. I have a Diy echo unit made by Sunjaman, a friend from the reggae / dub scene in Athens, an old diy springverb and a siren made by Cynic_al and an old Alesis QuadraVerbGT. I also work a lot with midi controllers in a decade old DAW of cours...