phantom bleu - AN INTERVIEW WITH DAVIDE ROSSI
Davide: So, explain to me what we are doing again.
Jack: Well, we are going to talk about your work with Gorillaz, but also a bit about your work outside of Gorillaz.
Davide: Oh! Ok! Thank you, alright.
Jack: So, what inspired you to start making music? Any inspirations/influences?
Davide: Oh, that’s a long time ago. I was just a kid, I’ve just been doing this forever, since I can remember, ya know? I was just a child, and I was just influenced by all the things that were going on at the time, the 70s in Italy, TV stuff, a few records that my mother had. I remember she had all the early John Lennon and Beatles stuff, Elvis too, just basic stuff, but I was really into it. I would play along with my toys, and she noticed, so she brought me to the attention of some music teachers in the area, and eventually I went to music school. After that, I was into all sorts of stuff like classical music and then bands. I remember on Italian Television we had Bowie and Led Zeppelin, I remember seeing all sorts of stuff, Roxy Music, Madness, we had this early version of MTV which wasn’t even called MTV. It was like that type of Anglo-Saxon, Anglo-American pop culture that I was definitely into as well as classical music that I began studied when I decided to play the violin when I was 10.
Jack: I’m glad you found classical music, I had a similar experience myself when I found Bowie and Roxy Music at a young age!
Davide: (laughs) Yea, it’s funny, because at the time they were on telly, and I really didn’t think much of it. I thought it was kind of weird, but at the same time, I thought it was cool. I was so small then…
Jack: Yea, for sure. You studied under one of my favorite guitarists, the legendary Robert Fripp. What are some key things he taught you that still stick with you today?
Davide: Well, I actually went to one of his seminars because my friend went. This was like in 1990 when I was in Berlin, he was holding these sort of guitar courses, and you had to apply. So, I did apply, and I tried to follow the courses everywhere I could, together with my conservatory studies. I went to Germany a bunch of times to do it, Switzerland, France and the U.S. too, I did one in West Virginia in like ’91 or ’92. I was following him, to me, it was very inspiring. By the time I was 20, I was finishing my studies at the conservatory in Italy and I was already playing in bands in Italy, but also doing sessions for the underground Italian scene, which was quite prolific at the time. The classical music was kind of stiff, and very much this “one way” of doing music. This and the bands were different worlds, but the pop music we would play was a little too simple. That’s what I liked about Fripp, he had this very technical approach that was very similar to my classical background. Even though he comes from King Crimson and the rock and prog world, I think King Crimson were a very unique type of heavy metal to be honest with you. There was a little bit of prog, but it’s very much rock, I don’t think they were like Yes, who were really much more prog, if you know what I’m saying.
Jack: Yea, I do
Jack: Well, we are going to talk about your work with Gorillaz, but also a bit about your work outside of Gorillaz.
Davide: Oh! Ok! Thank you, alright.
Jack: So, what inspired you to start making music? Any inspirations/influences?
Davide: Oh, that’s a long time ago. I was just a kid, I’ve just been doing this forever, since I can remember, ya know? I was just a child, and I was just influenced by all the things that were going on at the time, the 70s in Italy, TV stuff, a few records that my mother had. I remember she had all the early John Lennon and Beatles stuff, Elvis too, just basic stuff, but I was really into it. I would play along with my toys, and she noticed, so she brought me to the attention of some music teachers in the area, and eventually I went to music school. After that, I was into all sorts of stuff like classical music and then bands. I remember on Italian Television we had Bowie and Led Zeppelin, I remember seeing all sorts of stuff, Roxy Music, Madness, we had this early version of MTV which wasn’t even called MTV. It was like that type of Anglo-Saxon, Anglo-American pop culture that I was definitely into as well as classical music that I began studied when I decided to play the violin when I was 10.
Jack: I’m glad you found classical music, I had a similar experience myself when I found Bowie and Roxy Music at a young age!
Davide: (laughs) Yea, it’s funny, because at the time they were on telly, and I really didn’t think much of it. I thought it was kind of weird, but at the same time, I thought it was cool. I was so small then…
Jack: Yea, for sure. You studied under one of my favorite guitarists, the legendary Robert Fripp. What are some key things he taught you that still stick with you today?
Davide: Well, I actually went to one of his seminars because my friend went. This was like in 1990 when I was in Berlin, he was holding these sort of guitar courses, and you had to apply. So, I did apply, and I tried to follow the courses everywhere I could, together with my conservatory studies. I went to Germany a bunch of times to do it, Switzerland, France and the U.S. too, I did one in West Virginia in like ’91 or ’92. I was following him, to me, it was very inspiring. By the time I was 20, I was finishing my studies at the conservatory in Italy and I was already playing in bands in Italy, but also doing sessions for the underground Italian scene, which was quite prolific at the time. The classical music was kind of stiff, and very much this “one way” of doing music. This and the bands were different worlds, but the pop music we would play was a little too simple. That’s what I liked about Fripp, he had this very technical approach that was very similar to my classical background. Even though he comes from King Crimson and the rock and prog world, I think King Crimson were a very unique type of heavy metal to be honest with you. There was a little bit of prog, but it’s very much rock, I don’t think they were like Yes, who were really much more prog, if you know what I’m saying.
Jack: Yea, I do
Davide: Fripp used to be very into polyrhythms, not the straightforward 4/4 but like the 6/4 or 7/4, that was more my cup of tea, I felt connected to him. Of course, it was also great for me to get out of Italy, cause I felt the scene there was kind of limiting. Now though, I’m beginning to reevaluate what Italy did for music, but at the time I just thought all the cool stuff came from England or the U.S., I took Fripp’s classes as a gateway to move to England eventually. I followed his school for about 4 years, and it culminated to me moving to England in ’94, and that’s when I started to meet up with all the people who would give me the big jobs, ya know? There were so many scenes there, it was really cool.
Jack: It’s always cool when you can find all these common threads between all these diverse musical sounds.
Davide: Yea, yea, absolutely. For me, it’s always been like a big crossover, and I feel like that’s how it is for most people to be honest. Like, when you’re a kid you can be like, “I only listen to heavy metal or goth music or hip hop,” but later on, you see that there is great sounds in everything.
Jack: I completely agree. You’ve worked with so many different musical icons over the years including Goldfrapp, Coldplay, The Verve, Röyksopp, Frank Ocean, Alicia Keys, Jazmine Sullivan and Siouxsie Sioux. How did working with each artist differ and do you have a favorite song or album you’ve worked on?
Davide: I’ve worked on so many records, and it’s all across a long stretch of time, I’ve been doing this since the 90s. I don’t really have a favorite, sometimes it’s really great to work with an unknown artist, and other times its great to work with a big band, its about the quality. Goldfrapp was kind of the first band I worked with in England, and that was a real step up. They were such a great and unique band and after that, it was all about world touring with Goldfrapp, then I started working with Coldplay, and through them I got to work with Brian Eno, and then I met up with Röyksopp in Norway, it was all just a progression. I am very attached to the period of time where I was working with Goldfrapp, Coldplay and The Verve because it was at the peak of this “melting pot” time for me, where I got to work on many different things all at the same time. Nowadays, I work remotely, basically I play everything from my studio, people send me stuff and I record over and over. Things always change, for Goldfrapp, I would play on a bunch of stuff and then live I would act as an MD (Musical Director) for them, but with Coldplay, I really started arranging professionally with them on the “Viva La Vida” album. What I was doing with Coldplay with my strings ended up giving them a number one album all over the world, it became iconic, I felt so lucky meeting them. The Verve were even more incredible, but unfortunately that stopped cause the band didn’t get along (laughs).
Jack: (laughs)
Davide: But yea, things always change, even now. I mean, to do a song with Gorillaz, I always dreamt about working with Damon Albarn and be a part of that project, it’s just great.
Jack: Before we get to Gorillaz, I gotta say that for me, my first exposure to you was “Viva La Vida.” I mean when I was young, I thought those strings were incredible!
Davide: Yea, that’s kind of what I do. I was always multitracking myself, making the idea of an orchestra on my own. Originally, I would only do this as a demo for someone like Goldfrapp, and then go record a real orchestra at like Abbey Road or whatever. I was gonna do the same thing for Coldplay, but they really liked the sound of me just playing by myself. So, that became my thing, I do an orchestra on my own, I play the violins, the violas, the cellos, the double basses, I record myself 60 or 70 times on a multitrack and recreate the illusion of an orchestra. It is amazing that we can do that with technology, and if I didn’t tell you otherwise, you would probably think I used a string ensemble. So, that kind of became my little niche and that track, “Viva La Vida,” became my sort of calling card if you will.
Jack: Makes sense to me! So, how did you meet the Gorillaz and end up on the track “Désolé”?
Davide: Well, now string arranging is my job, and I have a manager. So, my manager set up a meeting with me and the producer James Ford. I actually knew James Ford from when his old band, Simian Mobile Disco, was opening for Goldfrapp in the early 2000’s. He of course now, is a really established producer, and he was working with the Gorillaz and asked if I could try and do some strings for a single of theirs. I was in LA at the time, so I recorded it remotely and sent it to them. It wasn’t very romantic, they asked if I could do it, and I did.
Jack: Very nerdy question, do you remember when you recorded your parts?
Davide: I actually do not… I think it was way before it came out, maybe 5 or 6 months or so, around the autumn of 2019. I would have to go to my diary to find out. I did a first try, and I think Damon wasn’t so keen on it. So, I gave him another go, free of charge, and then he liked it.
Jack: (laughs) That was actually gonna be my next question. Did Damon give you any sort of instruction for what to do?
Davide: Yea, he did. I never spoke with him directly; it was all through James. That’s pretty common with my work actually, the producer would pass on instructions from the artist. As I said before, Damon didn’t like it and James told me they were gonna do it without strings, and I went, “Oh c’mon, I’ll try it again.” If they didn’t like it, fine, but I wanted to give it another go. But they did like it, so I was pleased.
Jack: Did the song sound any different when you were working on it? I know Damon changes up his songs a lot.
Davide: Well, not really, when I got it, it was pretty much in the spot. I think the vocals on the version I got were rough ones from both Damon and Fatoumata. The album version is longer, and on that one there are other string players on it for the outro. They added some cello on it, or something. I wasn’t in the room, so I don’t know quite what he changed.
Jack: Yea, I think that was Damon’s string section the Demon Strings, I was gonna ask you about that cause you played on it and you have a credit alongside them.
Davide: Yea, when I heard the version they released, I saw the credits had other people which surprised me cause I didn’t use a string section, so it makes sense they added people. The album version had some extra stuff they added, I asked James what they added, and he had no idea. So, even the producer was out of the loop.
Jack: What did you think when you first heard the song, and what was the vibe you got from it? How did it make you feel?
Davide: I thought it was a great song straightaway, I was very into it. I saw Fatoumata at Roskilde in Denmark where I live a few months before, so when I got the song, and she was on it I was amazed. I thought it was a really good up tune and I loved the fact that he sang in French. I just like the Gorillaz, there’s not too many things I don’t like about them, they are a great band.
Jack: Can’t argue there. What’s next for you?
Davide: I am working constantly on many different things. I’m working with a very big band which I can’t really talk about, and also…uh…I can never remember what I’m doing, it’s like a factory. I’m always kind of working with Coldplay on and off, it’s been 13 years and who knows when something will come out. I’ve also been working with Dhani Harrison recently, he’s George Harrison’s son, he’s a friend. I wrote some stuff for his last album, he’s great, I love to work with him. I’m also working with many new artists who no one knows. I’m also working with Imelda May, whose pretty big in the UK. I’m working on so many things, and the big names are those. I love making music, and sometimes the unknown names bring out the best stuff, there’s a big scene in Norway right now, all this Scandinavian stuff is really cool, hopefully even more stuff can happen when the world opens up again.
Jack: Cool stuff man, I got one last question for you. For those of our readers who aren’t familiar with your work outside of Gorillaz, what do you wish to tell them? Any specific songs or highlights you want to share? What do you want the world to know about Davide Rossi?
Davide: (laughs) Nothing…
Jack: (laughs)
Davide: Well, Coldplay’s a good start, “Viva La Vida”, “Paradise” and all that. Goldfrapp and the “Felt Human” album was a great one I was on… there’s a lot of great stuff I was on, I feel almost embarrassed at how much I forget. It’s a job, and I love it, but it is what it is at the same time.
Jack: Well, you make some amazing sounds man, thank you so much again for doing this.
Davide: No problem, thank you for your interest, we will speak some other time. Take care man!
Jack: You too man, bye!
Davide: I thought it was a great song straightaway, I was very into it. I saw Fatoumata at Roskilde in Denmark where I live a few months before, so when I got the song, and she was on it I was amazed. I thought it was a really good up tune and I loved the fact that he sang in French. I just like the Gorillaz, there’s not too many things I don’t like about them, they are a great band.
Jack: Can’t argue there. What’s next for you?
Davide: I am working constantly on many different things. I’m working with a very big band which I can’t really talk about, and also…uh…I can never remember what I’m doing, it’s like a factory. I’m always kind of working with Coldplay on and off, it’s been 13 years and who knows when something will come out. I’ve also been working with Dhani Harrison recently, he’s George Harrison’s son, he’s a friend. I wrote some stuff for his last album, he’s great, I love to work with him. I’m also working with many new artists who no one knows. I’m also working with Imelda May, whose pretty big in the UK. I’m working on so many things, and the big names are those. I love making music, and sometimes the unknown names bring out the best stuff, there’s a big scene in Norway right now, all this Scandinavian stuff is really cool, hopefully even more stuff can happen when the world opens up again.
Jack: Cool stuff man, I got one last question for you. For those of our readers who aren’t familiar with your work outside of Gorillaz, what do you wish to tell them? Any specific songs or highlights you want to share? What do you want the world to know about Davide Rossi?
Davide: (laughs) Nothing…
Jack: (laughs)
Davide: Well, Coldplay’s a good start, “Viva La Vida”, “Paradise” and all that. Goldfrapp and the “Felt Human” album was a great one I was on… there’s a lot of great stuff I was on, I feel almost embarrassed at how much I forget. It’s a job, and I love it, but it is what it is at the same time.
Jack: Well, you make some amazing sounds man, thank you so much again for doing this.
Davide: No problem, thank you for your interest, we will speak some other time. Take care man!
Jack: You too man, bye!