- Davide Rossi
-
Davide Rossi Born 7 August 1970
Turin, ItalyGenres Alternative rock, classical Occupations Violinist, string arranger, composer, record producer, musician Instruments Violin, electric violin, guitar, keyboards, vocals Years active 1985-present Associated acts Goldfrapp, Coldplay, Röyksopp, The Verve, Moby Notable instruments Violectra[1] Davide Francesco Rossi[2] (born 7 August 1970 in Turin, Italy), is a violinist, string arranger, composer and a record producer, perhaps best known for being the violinist, guitar and keytar-player for the British electronic music group Goldfrapp, and for his large contribution of electric violin parts and for all the string arrangements of Coldplay's album Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends[3] and The Verve's album Forth.
Contents
Biography
Early career - Italy
Rossi began playing music at the age of four and, under the encouragement of his mother, started to study violin at the age of ten. He entered the Conservatory Giuseppe Verdi of Torino in 1981 and began studying under the guidance of Maestro Ivan Krivensky, who remained his violin teacher until today. Rossi achieved his Diploma in 1992 at the omonimous school in Milano.
Along with his formal classical studies, he started to work with bands since the age of fifteen, mainly in the Turin's area. After his Diploma in 1992 he fully joined Mau Mau,[4][5][6][7] a folk-rock Turin's band, with whom he recorded many albums and toured most of Europe and the Middle-East. Other Italian bands that featured his work are Casino Royale, Afterhours,[8][9][10] La Crus,[11] Cristina Donà,[12][13] Bluvertigo[14] and the singer song-writer Vinicio Capossela.
Robert Fripp - Guitar Craft
In 1990 he became a student of legendary guitarist Robert Fripp and followed intensively his Guitar Craft courses all over the world for a period of nearly four years. At the end of these four years he moved to England, to follow his Spiritual Teacher John Wilkinson[disambiguation needed
], whom he met together with Fripp, during his seminar in Wiltshire, England, in October 1994. In 1995 Rossi moved for good to the UK and began an intensive period of studying, practicing and preparing for the following six years, where he also achieved a BA in Composition at Bath Spa University College, in Newton Park, Bath and a MSC in Digital Music Technology at Keele University. In 1999 he attended a music course by German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen in Kuerten, near Cologne, Germany. The two weeks period, however short in time, represented for Rossi one of the most important experiences, together with Guitar Craft, for his future musical career.Goldfrapp
In 2000 Rossi was invited by musician Will Gregory, whom he met two years previously, to join his new band Goldfrapp. Since then Rossi has been part of all the live incarnations of the band, touring most of the world during the Felt Mountain Tour (2000–2002),[15][16] Black Cherry Tour (2003–2004),[17][18][19] Supernature Tour (2005–2006)[20][21] and Seventh Tree Tour (2008). Although before Head First he has never played on Goldfrapp's studio albums, he has recorded several b-sides, acoustic and live recordings of the band and a live DVD.
He is currently touring the world on their Head First World Tour.
Collaborations
Coldplay
From the autumn of 2006 until February 2008, Rossi's career focussed mainly on studio work and string arranging. He uses his acoustic violins, violas and electric violins (which range goes down to the cello and even to the double bass lowest note) to re-create a whole orchestra. His work is featured in six songs of the Coldplay's studio album Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, produced by Brian Eno, Markus Dravs and Rik Simpson. "Violet Hill", first single released by the band on iTunes, features a soundscapes intro-like, which originally was an improvisation that Rossi and keyboard player Jon Hopkins did together during an early session with the band at their studio in London. Others songs where Rossi's electric violin can be heard are: Life In Technicolor, Lovers In Japan, Cemeteries Of London, 42, Yes and Strawberry Swing (the chunky bass groove, didgeridoo's like that comes a little while after the beginning of the song, is one of the many examples of the sound of his Violectra).[22] In Yes, the electric violin takes shape as a John Cale-ish riff almost monotonically throughout the verses, while full and sometimes Arabic string arrangements are heavily featured at the beginning and during the song's brakes. Viva La Vida however, is the tune where Rossi's work is featured in its fullest, his strings being the main driving force throughout the whole song, with a strong beginning loop which supports Martin's voice, until the choruses where the symphonic power of the orchestra takes its fullest shape.
In November 2008, Coldplay released an EP titled Prospekt's March, in which Rossi contributes to the songs: Life in Technicolor II, Rainy Day and Prospekt's March/Poppyfields.
Siouxie
In late 2007, Rossi also contributed to the arranging and the performing of two songs from the album MantaRay by Siouxie Sioux,[23][24][25][26] produced by Steve Evans[disambiguation needed
] and Charlie Jones. Mantaray, the debut solo album from renowned British artist Siouxsie, is her first solo recording without Siouxie & The Banshees or The Creatures. Rossi's work is featured in the tracks If It Doesn't Kill You and Sea of Tranquillity. The album, which was released on October 2007, has received many great reviews worldwide.The Verve
During the early part of 2008, Rossi met The Verve's guitarist Nick McCabe, who invited him to play on a session for what was going to be their new upcoming album called Forth, which was then released in the August of the same year. Rossi' s contribution to this album can be heard in six tracks. In Love Is Noise, he contributes, with the lower strings of his electric violin, to the daunting sound of the famous loop upon which the whole song is then developed. Sit And Wonder is a ground-breaking collaboration of 'noises' with Nick McCabe, where guitar and electric violin play a dance of interweaving acid sounds and harmonies. More classic string arrangements can be heard on songs like Valium Skies, Judas, I See Houses and Rather Be. Rossi has also performed with the Verve during several live and TV shows of their latest summer campaign. Some of them include Glastonbury and the V Festival.
Röyksopp
March 2009 sees the release of another important collaboration for Rossi. Norwegian band Röyksopp features his string arrangements in four of the eleven track of their new album Junior. These are: The Girl and the Robot, Röyksopp Forever, You Don't Have a Clue and Silver Cruiser.
Discography
Year Album Artist 1991 People Pie Africa Unite 1992 Soma La Macia Mau Mau Sauta Rabel 1993 Tuira 1994 Bàss Paradis 1995 Germi Afterhours 1996 Viva Mamanera Mau Mau 1996 Adesso! Casino Royale 1998 Eldorado Mau Mau 1999 Zero - ovvero la famosa nevicata dell'85 Bluvertigo 2000 Safari Beach Mau Mau Felt Mountain Goldfrapp 2002 Kodachrome - Compositions for Orchestra by Raymond Scott The Metropole Orchestra, Jan Stulen conductor 2003 Ogni cosa che vedo La Crus Preghiere Vero 2004 Fox & Feldman Clarinet quintets Roger Heaton, Mieko Kanno, Bridget Carey and Sophie Harris Wonderful Electric: Live In London Goldfrapp 2006 Bingo Bela B Dea Mau Mau Cake or Death Lee Hazlewood Yndigt land Sterling And He Just Pointed to the Sky... Peder 2007 Mantaray Siouxie Sioux Mondovisione Righeira Life with You The Proclaimers Købmanden Blæs Bukki feat. Natasja The Rainbow Express JaConfetti 2008 Biblen Blæs Bukki / Tue Track feat. Jonathan Spang Io non credevo che questa sera La Crus Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends Coldplay Echoes California Guitar Trio Couple Therapy Trolle//Siebenhaar Forth The Verve Fauna Oh Land Prospekt's March Coldplay Seventh Tree Goldfrapp 2009 Jagten paa noget Balstyrko Junior Röyksopp Insides Jon Hopkins Ali e radici Eros Ramazzotti 2010 Standing on Top of Utopia Kasper Bjørke Head First Goldfrapp Into the Great Wide Yonder Trentemøller Senior Röyksopp Music from the Film 'Monsters' Jon Hopkins Awards
Grammy Awards
2009 "Viva la Vida" Record of the Year Nominated Song of the Year Won Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group Won Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends Album of the Year Nominated Best Rock Album Won "Violet Hill" Best Rock Song Nominated Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group Nominated References
- ^ Violectra - Electric Violins - Electric Strings Violas Cellos Double Bass Custom Made
- ^ http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davide_Rossi
- ^ The Q Daily / Hidden / Coldplay: Viva La Vida
- ^ Mau Mau - e-mail, 29-07-2001
- ^ laScena :: recensioni ::
- ^ http://194.244.39.48/pub/p.php?f=%2Fcache%2Frecensioni%2F1319
- ^ Mau Mau - Marasma general (live)
- ^ Dadauno - Articoli & Recensioni
- ^ I testi di "Germi" degli Afterhours
- ^ Germi - Afterhours - Opinione - siete proprio dei pulcini
- ^ Newsic.It
- ^ SiNews
- ^ Dove sei tu - Cultura Spettacolo Venezia
- ^ Lo Spazio Musica di Spaghetti Italiani - Biografia dei Bluvertigo
- ^ Goldfrapp - PopMatters Concert Review
- ^ Montreux Sounds official website
- ^ Goldfrapp - PopMatters Concert Review
- ^ Goldfrapp, ULU, London | | guardian.co.uk Arts
- ^ Concert Review: Goldfrapp - Concerts & Live Music Shows
- ^ The Big Takeover: Goldfrapp - Nokia Theatre (New York) - Monday, December 5, 2005 :
- ^ Dark Romance - Dark Romantic: Alison Goldfrapp
- ^ The Q Daily / Hidden / Coldplay: Viva La Vida
- ^ Mantaray by Siouxsie Sioux on MSN Music
- ^ POTQ.cl - http://www.potq.cl/: Siouxsie - Mantaray (2007)
- ^ ::Siouxsie : Mantaray : 2007 : AZ / Universal Chronique www.obskure.com:::
- ^ Guts Of Darkness › Siouxsie › Mantaray
External links
- Davide Rossi on Myspace
- Davide Rossi discography at Discogs
Categories:- Living people
- 1970 births
- Italian violinists
- Italian composers
- Alumni of Bath Spa University
- Alumni of Keele University
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