Alessandro de Caro
Italian sound artist
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biography
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Interview: 10 questions
1. When did you start making music, what is/was your motivation to do it?
I took piano and music theory lessons as a child, and I attended conservatory for three years. After this period I decided to study electronic music because I was interested in sound design; my real objective was to create original sounds and so I began to explore the synthesizer.
2. Tell me something about your living environment and the musical education.
I am based in Turin (Italy), I first came here to study at university. I pursued my studies in New Media Theory and Techniques at the Arts, Music and Performance Faculty and it was a good learning for me, because it allow me to focus on the exploration of the relationship between music and the other arts.
3. Is making music your profession? What is the context in which you practice music nowadays?
Actually, it’s not my profession. I’m a computer science teacher, but this situation is a lucky coincidence, as it makes it easier for me to combine computer music experiments and my job.
4. How do you compose or create music or sound? Have you certain principles, use certain styles etc?
When I compose a piece I start with a sound model, in general, and I try to develop a structure and a series of effects around this primary idea. It’s an experimental method, but after this first phase of research on my synthesizer I’m ready to write the score, which then includes all parameters and other details.
5. Tell me something about the instruments, technical equipment or tools you use?
My main instrument is the virtual synthesizer. I use synthesizer programs on my laptop, like Kontakt and Absynth. Moreover, I’m very interested in object-oriented programs like Pure Data, Max/MSP and others.
6. What are the chances of New Media for the music production in general and you personally?
New Media is an important aspect of the relationship between society and science. For a composer or a musician, technologies provide new possibilities for sound-making and are at the base of projects that reflect social or political changes. For me, personally, it isn’t only a question of digital recording or sound editing. When I’m developing a project, I often consider other ideas about web design, cinema or other fields. Internet supports this attitude very well, attracting my attention outside of musical tradition and practice.
7. How about producing and financing your musical productions?
Actually, this is not a problem as I develop my musical projects in my own recording studio.
8. Do you work individually as a musician/sound artist or in a group or collaborative? If you have experience in both, what is the difference, what do you prefer?
I usually prefer to work alone in my studio, but on other occasions I’ve been involved with what I feel have been successful collaborative efforts, specially with new media artists.
9. Is there any group, composer, style or movement which has a lasting influence on making music?
Yes, of course. When I was a student my first approach to music included only classical tradition (Chopin, Bartòk, Satie), but soon I discovered other genres, like British new wave (Cabaret Voltaire, Cocteau Twins, etc.) and electronic music. I never forget my classical background, it was very important for me. In the contemporary music environment, I’m very much influenced by Xenakis, Maderna and Stockhausen.
10. What are your future plans or dreams as a sound artist or musician?
At the moment, I’m working on an interesting project about music and sculpture, but in the coming months I hope to collaborate with other musicians and visual artists, maybe through the Web.
Can works of yours experienced online besides on SoundLAB? Where?
List some links & resources: http://alessandrodecaro.wordpress.com/category/biography/