| Davide Rossi | |
|---|---|
| Born | 7 August 1970 Turin, Italy |
| Genres | 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 on Coldplay's albums Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends[3], Mylo Xyloto and The Verve's album Forth.
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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 homonymous 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.
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. In 1995 moved to the UK and began a period of studying, 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.
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] Seventh Tree Tour (2008) and Head First Tour (2010). Although before Head First he has never played on any Goldfrapp's studio albums, he has recorded several b-sides, acoustic and live recordings of the band and a live DVD.
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.
From December 2010, Rossi was back in the studio with Coldplay, to start on a yet very long session for their latest album Mylo Xyloto, which was released in October 2011. His string arrangements are presents on 9 tracks of the album: Charlie Brown, Us Against the World, U.F.O., Every Teardrop is a Waterfall, Up in Flames, A Hopeful Transmission, Princess of China, Don't Let It Break Your Heart and Up with the Birds.
In July 2011, Coldplay released the Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall EP where Rossi is present in the title song and on a B side called Moving To Mars.
In December of 2010, Coldplay released Christmas Lights, a Christmas song also featuring Rossi's strings.
Although Coldplay has an unspoken rule of not allowing any extra musician on stage besides the 4 members of the band, they are using Rossi's strings live heavily by means of backing tape and for the many songs Rossi is featured on Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends and on Mylo Xyloto. In January 2011, Coldplay half-broke their 'stage rule' allowing Rossi to perform 'in shadow' and just behind them the song A Message 2010, at the Hope For Haiti benefit concert, which took place in the UK and US as a TV marathon gig. The song was later released on iTunes. Rossi did also some occasional appearances with Chris Martin during some charity events; in November 2006, for the Mencap Charity Concert at the Union Chapel in London and in October 2009 at the Bridge School Benefit in San Francisco, where Rossi performed also with Neil Young the song Comes a Time.
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 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.
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.
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.
| 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 |
| 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 |