ColdplayCorner.com Interview with Davide Rossi

[coldplay12]

Davide Rossi Speak about Working With Coldplay On Mylo Xyloto ...

 

>> Interview

[Major_Love]

Rossi on Paradise! Viva la Vida No. 2? :P

[coldplay12]

Maybe Why Not??

[Juanma]

Thanks :D

[juanif94]

Cool! Thanks :)

[Raphaele]

thanks:)

[Steveplay]

Hello,

 

It's a realy interview ? Because you are a specialist lies.... :)

[JackZ]

Lol, Davide is not a man of favorites...

[strikie]

there's not many jaw-dropping news in this interview,

But still a nice one :smiley:

[coldplay12]

1) At first, hello Davide and thanks for the interview.

Hi Lofti, nice to meet you and thank you for your interest.

 

2) To begin with, could you introduce yourself in a few words to the fans who don't know Davide Rossi?

Well, I'm a violinist and a string arranger mainly. I usually play the electric violin live and have been doing so with British electronic duo Goldfrapp since 2000. As string arranger I worked with many artists such as Alicia Keys, Röyksopp, Recoil (Alan Wilder's project), Moby, The Verve and of course Coldplay, whom I've been collaborating with since 2006.

 

3) Now, tell us, when and how did you met the band? (the general mood at the first contact and everything)

I met the boys in 2005. I was playing with Goldfrapp and we were supporting the european tour of X&Y. I remember we just started hanging out pre and after show(s), they were so cool people it was impossible not to. I ended up playing endless tennis table games with Chris in every arena before the show.

 

4) What was your impression when you met the guys for the first time?

i think i answer that on question 3...

 

5) What is the particularity of Coldplay compared to the other bands you have worked with before?

I think to me their work ethic is something rather special, they are utterly dedicated to their cause of making the best possible music they can and there is no compromise at all. I have to say most artist I worked with have the highest expectation about what they do, but the regime Coldplay works, making albums and touring schedules are just phenomenal.

 

6) Among the members of the band, who are you the closest to?

All of them of course! Honestly I do love them all dearly, when I go and work there is like coming home, we are friends and hang out together also after work, so there is no difference there.

7) What did you feel the first time you heard a Coldplay's song ?

Actually I do remember that… although I was never a Coldplay fan before meeting them, i remember listening to 'Trouble' for the first time during the autumn of 2000 as I was driving in Bath, going to rehearse with Goldfrapp. I thought it was a special song, uplifting and sad at the same time.

 

8 ) In the few songs of the last Coldplay's album « Viva la Vida Or Death And All His Friends » where you took part, which is your favorite song ?

i dont have a favourite song, i think they are all pretty different from each other and in each one theres something unique which i love about it.

 

9) Jon Hopkins or you, who influenced the other one in the few songs where we can find your arrangement ?

me and jon collaborate with coldplay in our each and individual ways, however there has been some instances where me and him worked together. for example the intro of violet hill is basically us messing about in the studio, chris noticed it and pressed the record button: thats how the intro of violet hill was made!

 

10) Working with Brian Eno, Marcus Dravs and Rick Simpsons must not be always easy, please tell us about the atmosphere in the studio with those three giants of the music.

i don't think it was ever difficult to work with those three. there is an element of collaboration and team work in the studio with coldplay which everyone respects. we are all in the service of the band, not the producer or the songwriter.

 

11) What do you think of Coldplay's producers (Eno, Dravs and Simpson)? According you, who does influe the most the band and the course of what happens in the studio? And more particularly for the recording of the next album (Mylo Xyloto)?

i think everyone has his own role, brian is more like a musical adviser and an infinite source of inspiration, markus is possibly the most straight forward producer type, he makes the schedule and makes things work, rik is always there, working donkey hours and very close to the band. but in this new album also dan green (coldplay front of the house mixer since their beginnings), is helping producing, so the team is growing bigger and bigger.

i would like to say that although there are roles and producers etc, everyone has their own importance in the project. from myself, to jon hopkins, to dan, rik, brian and markus, everyone feels like part of a big team and this is the strength of such a working situation.

 

12) About 'Every teardrop is a waterfall' (Coldplay's latest single), how did the recording go? When did the band contact you? What was concretely your role?

I've been working on this album from december 2009 until a few weeks ago, with breaks of course. i heard it for the first time when chris sang on it a month prior to release i think. he shortly thereafter asked me to write an arrangement for it, i usually fill all the spaces with my strings and they decide what or what not to keep.

in ETIAW my strings are more subtle throughout the all song and they come out strongly only for a couple of bars prior to the outro.

13) About 'Mylo Xyloto' (Coldplay's upcoming album), things seem to have been done in a tight schedule (between last minute changes and touches), how did the band, the other members of the staff and you deal with all of this? It must have been scary, haven't it be?

working with coldplay is always about changing and be ready for change. especially towards the end everything seems to happen at the same time and usually, i think, the best songs come out right at the end. I'm never scared of such situation, i love pressure and its fun time for me.

 

14) When have you been involved in the creative process?

from the beginning, when they were still working on demoes until the end, where the final touches were put down.

 

15) What do you really think of Coldplay's upcoming album? Will said it is going to be vibrant, what about you?

i think its going to be amazing of course, i can't wait to hear it myself on a cd!

 

16) How would you describe the style of the next album?

i think they experimented quite a bit and really tried to move forward. however it's going to be very coldplay, as usual.

 

17) From the few songs we have already heard in live and in the latest digital EP ('Every teardrop is a waterfall'), Coldplay adopts a rather sentimental approach for the next album, in example with 'Hurts like Heaven', 'Princess of China' or the wonderful 'Moving To Mars'. Do you have Anything to say about this?

to me everything that chris and the boys write are very emotional because they go straight into your heart, there is something very simple and direct and honest in their songs.

 

18) What is your favorite song from the upcoming album?

i honestly don't know.

 

19) Hope well and have well... How many tracks are there on Mylo Xyloto?

i honestly don't know.

 

20) Can we expect for a touch of Davide Rossi on 'Paradise', Coldplay's next single?

absolutely yes.

 

21) On how many songs on the upcoming album your arrangements can be heard?

i cannot remember, i think 7 or 8 tracks, but i may be wrong.

 

22) More projects between Coldplay and you to come after 'Mylo Xyloto'?

i really hope so, but i never take things for granted...

 

23) Phil Harvey is known as the 'fifth member' of the band and you are described as the 'secret member.' Any coment about this?

well, i think you are right about phil, I'm not sure I'm the 'secret' one… heheh, i suppose I'm just happy to work with them, they are not only great musicians but fantastic people too.

 

24) Please, tell us more about your others collaborations (The Verve", "Siouxie", "Röyksopp"…)

i worked on the last verve album 'forth', where i did 6 strings arrangements with them, i also played live and headlined glastonbury and other european festivals. it was a fantastic experience and its a shame it had to be ended so soon.

i made 2 strings arrangements on siouxie solo album 'mantarrey' and worked on 2 albums with royksopp: 'junior' and 'senior'.

 

25) What doest interest you in an artist to think 'I want to work with him/her'?

i like it when there is a drive, character and will to do absolutely the best possible music, something that can last.

i believe I've been fortunate in working with many such artists, like coldplay, goldfrapp and many more.

 

26) To finish with, thank you very much Davide for giving us a bit of your time, it was for me a real pleasure to ask you those questions, I hope to interview you again very soon, after the release of the album within a couple of months, to talk about the new songs and everything about your job on this project with Coldplay . The whole ColdplayCorner.com team's and I thank you again.

thank you lotfi, it was a pleasure to answer all your questions.

 

27) It's a sort of tradition in ColdplayCorner's interview, a few words in french for the french Coldplay fans?

mais bien sûr ... Je suis heureux de vous avoir rencontré et je vous souhaite tout le meilleur jusqu'à ce que la prochaine fois!

[coldplay12]

Oups double post!!!

[SprayCanSoul]

Thanks!!