—>
Federico Fronterrè
Italian musician
—>
Interview: 10 questions
1. When did you start making music, what is/was your motivation to do it?
I started making music at the age of 13, creating short songs with no words, using only an electric or acustic guitar. My will was to experiment with the composition, and to improve my capacity of creating so-called songs with a very essential structure (a verse, a chorus and a bridge). My idea was not to join a band or doing concerts but only to see if I was able to do something interesting with guitar. About ten years later, after hundreds and hundreds of listened cds, I decided to abandon the idea of a composition with a beginning, an evolution and an end and (the most important thing) a melody. I want to experiment with the nature of the sound and of the noise and my will is to create something very obsessive and repetitive that have to transmit to the listener the sensation of a strange electronic mantra with essential sound frequencies that create a musical flux, something near to the drone music.
2. Tell me something about your living environment and the musical education.
I live in a small city, Cremona, not very far from Milan. It gives me very little chance to improve my artistic preparation about sound and video art. My family is also not very interested in this type of things. I’ve studied guitar for a year to have an essential preparation about chords, scales, solos and so on. I was always very interested in listening very different type of music, from rock to electronic or experimental music, even classical music. My musical education derives, in the most part, from all the music I’ve listened and I listen. My artistic preparation derives from my great passion and from the school that I’ve attended in the last 3 years: the IED (European Institute of Design), in Milan where I’ve studied Photography.
3.Is making music your profession? What is the context in which you practice music nowadays?
Making music is, now, not a profession for me. It’s a great passion. The context in which I practice music is my room and I try to reach a good visibility through the web.
4. How do you compose or create music or sound? Have you certain principles, use certain styles etc?
Now I compose music with my laptop. I’ve also experimented with radio frequencies and keyboard and guitar pedals. My inspiration derives from the artists that use feedback or electronic drones and from the composers for film.
5. Tell me something about the instruments, technical equipment or tools you use?
Now I create music only with my laptop, with a software called Reaktor. I’ve also used a simple radio, a simple keyboard with the possibility of playing different instruments and two different guitar pedals. I used, also, two microphone to record all the stuff.
6. What are the chances of New Media for the music production in general
and you personally?
The chance of the New Media is extremely important in general and for me personally. I have so many different possibility of modulating frequencies, creating sounds and musical drones with my laptop that for me is an indispensable instrument of work.
7. How about producing and financing your musical productions?
Now with my laptop I haven’t no financial problems in producing music.
8. Do you work individually as a musician/soundartist or in a group or collaborative?
I work individually. I can have the complete control on my music.
9. Is there any group, composer, style or movement which has a lasting influence on making music?
Jesus and Mary Chain, Sonic Youth, My bloody Valentine. This 3 band have an incredible influence on my way of listening to the music. Many electronic artists and groups did the same: Matmos, Boards of Canada, Aphex Twin. I am also very interested in composers of music for films. In particular I am interested in the work of Angelo Badalamenti.
10. What are your future plans or dreams as a soundartist or musician?
To reach visibility through the web with my work of sound-art and, mixing sounds and music with my works as a video artist, reach visibility with the art galleries.
My Web Pages: www.myspace.com/federicofronterremusic ( for my music)
And www.myspace.com/federicofronterre (for my works of video art and photo works)
And www.equilibriarte.org/fronterre (for all my photo works, in particular)