Daniele Luppi’s approach to composition and sound is singular and distinctive, blurring the lines between genre and time while crafting music that sounds authentic and otherworldly all at once—like an intricate dream you can’t shake long after you wake up. The Los Angeles-based musician is well-known for his trilogy of releases that encapsulate the stylistic breadth and history of Italian music and culture as a whole; 2004’s An Italian Story drew from the chic lounge-pop of the 1960s and ‘70s, while his 2011 follow-up Rome—which featured contributions from musical luminaries like Jack White, Danger Mouse, and Norah Jones dove deep into the lush opulence of Spaghetti Western film scores.
His most recent album, Milano from 2017, found Luppi collaborating with Yeah Yeah Yeahs frontwoman Karen O as well as Parquet Courts front man Andrew Savage for an album-length reflection of the punky underground energy of Milan in the 1980s. In addition to Emmy-nominated work as a composer for both film and TV (the award-winning Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon, Magic City, Marco Polo and more), he’s also worked extensively with Danger Mouse on projects ranging from Broken Bells’ After the Disco and the Sparkle horse collaboration Dark Night of the Soul, as well as on recent efforts from Red Hot Chili Peppers and Depeche Mode member Dave Gahan’s long-running solo Soul savers project.
Later this year, Luppi returns with a new EP in collaboration with Cigarettes After Sex mastermind Greg Gonzalez, Charm of Pleasure. Across five exquisite songs, Gonzalez and Luppi fuse their compositional elegance and dream-pop sensibilities to craft music that sounds like nothing either of them have accomplished before—while also making perfect sense within their own catalogs as well. And it’s just the beginning for Luppi, who’s also prepping a new release for next year and continues to chart his own exciting future—drawing from classic sounds and styles to craft art that will truly stand the test of time.
