Nu Genea

Formed in Naples in 2014 by Massimo Di Lena and Lucio Aquilina—initially under the name Nu Guinea and renamed Nu Genea in 2021—the Italian duo crafts music that links jazz-funk, disco, boogie, fusion, afrobeat and Neapolitan heritage in a highly rhythmic manner, nourished both by clubs and Mediterranean orchestrations. After a spell in Berlin, the two musicians, who came from house and minimal scenes, refocused on more organic compositions in which percussion, bass lines, keyboards and vocals in Italian or Neapolitan take center stage. As Nu Guinea they released the EP Nu Guinea in 2014 and World in 2015, then the album The Tony Allen Experiments in 2016—born of a collaboration with Tony Allen—followed by the pivotal Nuova Napoli in 2018. Renamed Nu Genea, the duo continued this trajectory with Marechià in 2021, recorded with Célia Kameni, and the album Bar Mediterraneo in 2022. Alongside their releases, Nu Genea also works on reissues celebrating local musical heritage with the Napoli Segreta compilations, and presents their pieces on stage in an expanded format that sits between concert, dance and club culture.