Quest

Digging, tritone and vinyl

The tension of the tritone and the patience of the digger run through the identity of Quest, a figure built around vinyl, useful rarities, and the club as a space for discovery. The Italian Marco Maranza, born in 1992 and based in Berlin after a key period in London, has developed a booth language that shuns the linear reading of techno. His sessions function as a continuous search for forgotten cuts, rhythmic mutations, and hard-to-classify pieces, with an arc that can shift from house and techno towards electro, EBM, breaks, UK Garage, or dark electronica without losing narrative tension.

The craft behind the counter

His time at the London shop Vinyl Pimp was decisive in refining an identity associated with digging, obsessive listening, and selection as a craft. That context connected with the European community of vinyl selectors orbiting between London, Berlin, and the most demanding club circuits, alongside names like Francesco Del Garda, Binh, or Christian AB. The relationship with Christian AB was consolidated after meeting at The Record Loft in Berlin, and ended up leading to highly valued b2b sets within a scene that prioritizes catalog depth over immediate showmanship.

The Devil's Note as a statement

The authorial dimension of Quest is also articulated through La Nota Del Diablo, a vinyl label associated with the imagery of the devil's interval and an aesthetic of nocturnal tension. The label paved the way with Primo Tempo by La Decima Vittima and continued with releases like Red Tears by Christian AB and Arid Land by Matthew Dexter, maintaining a line of limited, physical editions oriented towards the collector. More than a volume platform, it functions as an extension of his way of DJing: records with character, ambiguous atmospheres, and a clear inclination towards the strange that can still be functional on the dancefloor.

Booths that demand risk

In recent years, Quest has expanded his international presence with appearances at spaces and platforms such as Resident Advisor, Dekmantel, fabric, Mixmag Lab, HÖR, Hoppetosse, Ibiza Underground, or DC-10. His RA.915 and his mixes for Dekmantel and fabric reinforced his reputation as a selector capable of building long journeys without relying on dancefloor clichés. He has also developed a particularly recognizable chemistry with Adiel: both connected in the environment of Goa Club in Rome, shared a first joint opportunity at Elysia, Basel, and their b2b at Time Warp marked a leap in scale for that alliance. At his current point, Quest moves between vinyl cult and international festivals without abandoning the central idea of his work: making every set feel like a sonic excavation in real time.