Meet Biagio Sanfelice | Kanohi

We had the good fortune of connecting with Biagio Sanfelice and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Biagio, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I’ve been a DJ-producer since I was 18 and while honing my artistic skills, I worked part-time with music in clubs in southern Italy. After graduating in geology at the Federico II University of Naples, I decided to embark on my second career as an independent artist. So I decided to do the entire project myself, using my soft skills as a photographer, content creator, art director and graphic designer.
All my social media content is made by me with attention and love for what I do, trying to show my vision of the music I make.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m an Italian artist based in Southern Italy and Kanohi is my pseudonym.
It’s a Maori word that can be interpreted in many ways, depending on how you intend to use it. It is generally translated as “face” or “eye”. The popular expression: “kanohi ki te kanohi” which translates into “eye to eye”, or “face to face” is an important key to fully understand the meaning of this word.
I have chosen to communicate my music using the “Kanohi” idea, therefore a “face to face” approach. The logo I used recalls a physical particularity next to my left eye and it conforms to the meaning of my artistic name.

My music undergoes various influences from the world of electronic music, and ranges between different genres, depending on the message I intend to convey to the listener, for each song.
In the past I have distributed music with small and medium-sized record labels under other pseudonyms that I have decided to keep, despite having decided to continue the Kanohi project which brings with it the previous experience, adding a touch of uniqueness.

My first single that I distributed on all digital stores is called “Fading”, and it talks about how you can fade for a love. It’s a mix of rnb and rock tronic music, which I used to amplify the hidden meaning behind the single.
Behind the music I produce there is always a veil of suffering that is enclosed in the distorted sounds and harmonies that I choose, which represent the truth that lies behind the good and bad experiences that life imposes on us.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
VISIT ITALY!
Above all, visit all of southern Italy, u will eat great food and visit some breathtaking places.
As a Salerno native, I warmly invite you to see the Amalfi coast!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My wife has always believed in my project and in my way of telling (both visually and with music) my point of view.
It is to her that I owe a lot, for the support she has always given me and for the encouragement to make music.
Last but not least, I also owe a lot to my father, who passed on to me his strong passion for music; he’s been a guitarist since he was 7 years old!

Instagram: Kanohi_music

Other: Find me on Spotify!

Image Credits
All the images uploaded are made and post-produced by myself.