There are records that seem to suspend time, where rhythm is no longer measured by pulse alone but by resonance, repetition and gradual transformation.
With Parallel Commutator, released via Turkish imprint Oath, CZN presents two extended compositions, each unfolding over fifteen minutes. The project brings together percussionist and sculptor João Pais Filipe, composer and drummer Valentina Magaletti, and producer Leon Marks in a practice where percussion is approached as both instrument and material.
The name CZN derives from copper, zinc and nickel, the raw metals central to Filipe's handcrafted gongs and cymbals. More than simply a title, it reflects the trio's shared fascination with the physical properties of sound: resonance, vibration, weight and decay. Built around drums, gongs, cymbals and resonant metal surfaces, the music emerges through the interaction of materials as much as through performance itself.
Drawing on Magaletti's expansive approach to percussion, one that moves fluidly between composition, improvisation and sonic experimentation, and Filipe's parallel practice as both musician and instrument maker, CZN occupies a space where rhythm gradually dissolves into texture. Across the record's two immersive pieces, metallic overtones, sustained drones and slowly shifting acoustic phenomena evolve with remarkable patience, rewarding deep listening through subtle changes in timbre, density and space.
Although rooted in their individual practices, CZN exists as a distinct collaborative language. Magaletti's fluid approach to rhythm and texture meets Filipe's deep understanding of metal, resonance and instrument making, while Leon arks'
production draws these acoustic performances into an expansive spatial field. Together, the trio blur the boundaries between improvisation, composition and sound sculpture, creating music where melody and conventional pulse give way to vibration, overtones and physical resonance. Patient, uncompromising and quietly hypnotic, Parallel Commutator unfolds as a continuously shifting sonic environment, extending CZN's ongoing exploration of percussion as both physical material and compositional force.
Built around custom gongs, cymbals, and resonant metal objects forged by Filipe. The band's name CZN directly represents the raw metals central to their sound: Copper, Zinc, and Nickel.
