Donato Dozzy

Donato Dozzy, born Donato Scaramuzzi, was already DJing when most of techno's now-canonical labels did not exist yet. According to Inner Spaces, he learned to DJ in the early 1980s, mixing dub, reggae and Italo disco before moving into acid house and techno. His solo debut album did not arrive until 2010. The gap between those two facts says something real about how he works, and in 2026 he has two albums out, with a third due on 20 November.

Latest: Donato Dozzy in 2025 and 2026

• 20 November 2026, Astro on Tresor. A seven-track album, his second full-length for the Berlin label after Filo Loves the Acid (2018), announced by The Quietus on 15 September 2026. It draws on the Jumbo Machinders robot cartoons he watched growing up in Italy, and the title track samples the Italian theme to Astro Robot Contatto Ypsylon.
• 21 November 2026, FOLD London. He is billed for the Transmissions daytime party at FOLD, alongside Sedef Adasï and Naone, from 14:00.
• 2 to 11 October 2026, Unsound. He was booked for a DJ set at the festival's first Warsaw and Kraków edition, according to The Quietus on 29 July 2026. See our Unsound page.
• 12 and 13 September 2026, Dissonanze, Rome. He was named, with Raresh and Honey Dijon, among the additions to the first lineup wave in Electronic Groove's 16 March 2026 report.
• 17 July 2026, Bristol. A four-hour back to back with Batu at Sawmills, billed as their first together in the city.
• 30 June 2026, Exhale with Batu on !K7. An eight-track collaborative album, per Bandcamp and The Quietus. Details below.
• 24 April 2026, Panorama Bar. The Berghain programme billed him for 02:00 on the Panorama Bar floor, between Mary Gehnyei and Fred P.
• 17 April 2026, Hypno Trance EP. A three-track 12" on Spazio Disponibile's Spazio Nero series (SPAZIONERO004), per Discogs.
• December 2025, II by Voices From The Lake. The duo's first album in over a decade, ten new tracks on Spazio Disponibile.

Rome, Brancaleone, and Berlin

Dozzy started a DJ residency at Rome's Brancaleone club in 1999, according to Inner Spaces, and it was there that he later met Giuseppe Tillieci, who records as Neel. After relocating to Berlin in 2004 he became a resident at Panorama Bar, inside Berghain, which the same profile says raised his profile; Only Techno dates that residency to 2004 through 2006. Inner Spaces cites his acclaimed sets at Japan's Labyrinth festival in 2007 and 2008, and Only Techno says the 2007 set was recorded and spread through a podcast by mnml ssgs. He founded Dozzy Records in 2006.

Aquaplano and K

In 2008, Dozzy co-founded the label Aquaplano with Manuel Fogliata, who records as Nuel. Frequencies says the label was active from 2008 to 2011, that its limited pressings became collector items, and that the Spectrum Spools compilation The Aquaplano Sessions (2014) gathered their work for a wider audience. His solo debut album, K, followed in 2010 on Further Records, according to Discogs a limited numbered cassette, and established the hypnotic, repetition-driven style, sometimes called microtrance, that he is best known for.

Voices from the Lake

The project that made Dozzy's name outside Italy grew out of his friendship with Neel. According to Norman Records, the name comes from a mix Neel prepared for Dozzy's wedding. The self-titled debut album, released on Prologue in 2012, is listed by Wikipedia's Resident Advisor entry as the site's 2012 Album of the Year, and it helped define ambient techno's modern vocabulary. In 2016, Dozzy and Neel co-founded a second label together, Spazio Disponibile, a Rome-based imprint and recurring party with a techno-focused sub-label, Spazio Nero. In December 2025 the duo returned with II, their first album under the name since 2012.

Exhale and Astro

Exhale, the album with Batu, the Bristol producer and Timedance founder, was released on 30 June 2026 on !K7. The pair met in Japan in 2019 and played back to back at Draaimolen in 2023, according to The Quietus; see our Draaimolen festival page. Early ideas were sketched in Dozzy's Rome studio in early 2025 before Batu took the demos to Bristol. "It was interesting to see Omar interacting with my studio methods," Dozzy told The Quietus. The record was mastered by Rashad Becker. For more on the year's ambient releases, see our best ambient albums of 2026 and best techno albums of summer 2026.

Dozzy has also worked closely with Detroit-born, Berlin-based producer Eric Cloutier, co-releasing the Palinoia LTD 001 EP with him, which Discogs dates to 7 April 2020.

Discography and Key Releases

Dates and catalogue numbers come from Discogs unless noted.

FAQ

Who is Donato Dozzy?

Donato Dozzy is Donato Scaramuzzi, a Rome-based DJ and producer who has been active since the early 1980s. He co-founded the Aquaplano and Spazio Disponibile labels, released his solo debut album K in 2010, and is one half of the ambient techno project Voices From The Lake.

What is Donato Dozzy's real name?

His real name is Donato Scaramuzzi, which is how he is credited as writer and producer on the Exhale release. Dozzy is his performing name, and the spelling "Donato Dozzi" also appears on some listings.

What is Voices from the Lake?

Voices from the Lake is a collaborative project between Donato Dozzy and Neel (Giuseppe Tillieci). Its self-titled 2012 debut album on Prologue is listed as Resident Advisor's 2012 Album of the Year, and the duo returned with II in December 2025.

What labels has Donato Dozzy founded?

He founded Dozzy Records in 2006, co-founded Aquaplano with Nuel (Manuel Fogliata) in 2008, and set up Spazio Disponibile, along with its sub-label Spazio Nero, with Neel in 2016.

What is Exhale?

Exhale is a collaborative album between Donato Dozzy and Bristol producer Batu, released on 30 June 2026 on !K7 Records. Early ideas were sketched in Dozzy's Rome studio in early 2025.

What is Donato Dozzy's new album?

Astro, a seven-track album on Tresor due on 20 November 2026. It is his second full-length for the label after Filo Loves the Acid (2018).

What genre is Donato Dozzy?

Dozzy makes hypnotic, repetition-driven techno and ambient music, sometimes described as microtrance. As a DJ he plays long sets that run through techno, dub and ambient.

Is Donato Dozzy playing live in 2026?

Yes. He was billed at Panorama Bar on 24 April, in Bristol with Batu on 17 July, at Dissonanze in Rome on 12 and 13 September and at Unsound in October. His next listed date is FOLD in London on 21 November 2026.

How long has Donato Dozzy been DJing?

Since the early 1980s, according to Inner Spaces, when he started out in Italy playing dub reggae and Italo disco before moving into acid house and techno. His solo debut album did not arrive until 2010, nearly three decades into his career.

festivals

• Kappa FuturFestivalTurin, 2-4 JUL 2027→
• NachtdigitalLeipzig, 30 JUL 2027 - 01 AUG 2027→
• Dekmantel FestivalAmsterdam, 30 JUL 2027 - 01 AUG 2027 (est., unconfirmed)→
• MovementDetroit, 29-31 MAY 2027→
• Berlin AtonalBerlin, 25-29 AUG 2027→
• DraaimolenTilburg, 10-11 SEPT 2027→
• Houghton FestivalKing's Lynn, 5-8 AUG 2027→
• Unsound FestivalKraków, Dates TBA→

Past appearances and announced lineups only, each checked against the festival's own records.

related on rts.fm

• The 10 Best Ambient Albums of 2026 So Far→
• The 8 Best Techno Albums of Summer 2026→
• Independent Labels Are Winning: Inside the 44% Shift→