Marion Di Napoli on Finding Control Through Catharsis

Marion Di Napoli’s Fade Away EP, out now via Charlotte de Witte’s RPM imprint, hits with the weight of something personal, not just polished. You can hear the intention in every breath, every reverb-drenched vocal, every bruised kick. After spending years operating under the La Kajofol alias, Di Napoli steps fully into her own identity on this debut solo release—and it feels like she’s been preparing for this moment all along.

Following her feature on Sanctum, a track co-crafted with de Witte earlier this year, Fade Away builds on that momentum with something darker, more vulnerable, and more vocally driven. It’s techno built for catharsis—not spectacle. This is what happens when someone uses the full range of their skillset—not just as a producer, but as a vocalist, arranger, and architect of mood.

We caught up with Di Napoli to explore how she stays creatively grounded outside the studio, what she wishes more producers understood about emotional depth, and how travel, cinema, and stillness all find their way back into her sound. This one’s honest, sharp, and full of insight. Just like the record.

What non-music habits or routines actually help your music get better over time?

Without a doubt: travel, adventure, discovery… and also the balance of a healthy daily routine. I’m deeply influenced by my surroundings; they shape my emotions and my creativity. I need to live somewhere calm and close to nature, a place that quietly inspires me every day.

But more than anything, I regularly need to escape, sometimes far, but often just a few hours away. I’m lucky to live between the sea and the mountains, so I take frequent weekend trips to reconnect. That’s how I recharge, and that’s what keeps the music flowing.

Have you ever had a breakthrough in your work that came outside the studio?

Yes, absolutely! It often happens when I’m traveling.

A walk through the forest, along the shoreline, or a quiet moment sitting above a mountain lake… those are the times when I reconnect with myself. There’s something deeply real in those moments, and it’s often when everything resets and clarity returns about my work, my music, my creativity, or even in my personal life. I regularly get melodies or lyrics while I’m walking, so I record voice memos in my phone… I probably have hundreds of little audio sketches saved up!

How do you use downtime in a way that still supports your creative growth?

I believe downtime is essential for creative growth.

For me, everything in life is about balance, finding that personal middle ground. I compose in waves: there are times when I spend entire weeks writing because I’m in a flow of inspiration, and those moments often come right after a weekend away, completely offline. Then there are periods when I don’t create at all, and I need those too. It’s all part of the rhythm. Creativity breathes in the pauses.

What kinds of input — books, movies, conversations, even silence — show up in your process later?

That’s a great question, because I draw a lot of inspiration from all of those things, especially films. I’m a huge cinephile. I love watching beautiful films and series, and film scores in particular move me deeply.

Composers like Hans Zimmer, Ludovico Einaudi, Howard Shore, Alan Silvestri, James Newton Howard, or Thomas Newman have been major influences. I’ve always dreamed of composing for film or video games. I think someday, I’ll give it a try!

How do you stay creatively sharp without always being in “output mode”?

Once again, it’s really through getting away, traveling, or spending weekends immersed in nature.

That’s really where I recharge; it’s my energy source, my breath of fresh air. Sometimes it’s as simple as watching a good film at the end of the day. These quiet moments, away from the pressure to create, are what keep me creatively sharp. They allow ideas to surface naturally, without forcing anything.

What do you wish more producers understood about staying connected to the work between sessions?

What I really wish is to hear more music with soul. Unfortunately, I feel that the hard techno scene has lost some of its musical richness. Today, the focus often seems to be on the spectacle, sharing drop videos on social media, rather than on emotional depth. I want to hear music that moves me, that stirs even the smallest emotion.

That’s my perspective. Lately, I’ve been drawn to artists outside the techno world, where the vibe speaks to me, like Emancipator, Duskus, Nimino, Ben Böhmer, or Max Cooper…

What’s something you do regularly outside music that ends up inside your music anyway?

I would say playing acoustic instruments.

I play quite a few like piano, guitar or handpan, and I enjoy taking an hour in the evening just to immerse myself in those sounds. These moments help me unwind, and inevitably, elements from those sessions find their way into my music, often in subtle and unexpected ways.