coldpatrix

By private mail!

Oh wow! Very good memory! Graçias! It was a very exciting interview and i wanted to share with you...

I've had the chance to make an interview with Jon Hopkins! I hope you enjoy it! __________________________________________________ The enormous willingness disposed by Jon Hopkins towards us of Coldplayzone made special this interview from the starting point on. We are really proud and honoured to have had a contact with him and to have had another proof of his grandeur attitude and his artistic relevance. Thank you so much Jon! - Coldpatrix Hello Jon! It's a real honour and a great pleasure for Coldplayzone to interview you. How are you? Hello. Thanks very much, I'm well. I'm on my way back from a show I just had in Montreal which was very fun. Coldplay's fans (I'm completely aware of what I'm saying, since I'm one of them) owe to you such many things, like the microcosm of ideas you developed during the production of 'Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends'. Your main music genre - electronic music – wasn't so related to the band's ideas in the early steps of their career. How much did the relationship with Brian Eno and the confidence of Chris and the rest of the band in your music skills influence the perfect fusion of such different sounds? I think the band and Brian were looking to expand the palette of sounds they had become accustomed to using on their previous albums. They were interested in exploring different ways of working, and particularly in the idea of working with new musicians, to break up the routine of what they have become used to. During the recording sessions, how does electronic music come into play in the raw elaboration of the songs? How much does the fusion process affect the two creative trends? Our collaboration begun with me jamming on keys with the band while they played through the songs, which were at the time only partly formed. It's hard to say how much that influenced the further writing but it was good to see parts that I had come up with in those first sessions surviving all the way to the final mix. In 'Viva' your contribution and your work can be seen in more features than those reported on the official booklet. In the intro of 'Life In Technicolor' and the mainstream of 'The Escapist' your own style can be noticed very clearly, but most people don't know that also the intro of 'Violet Hill' is yours (you worked on it with Davide Rossi, we'll speak about him later on in the interview), as other notes of organ, harmonium and keyboards. Which one was the hardest for you to work on? No particular element was more difficult than any other, but I had different levels of responsibility on each song, and so probably felt different levels of pressure corresponding to that. Prospekt's March in particular, one of the ones I co-produced, was largely my responsibility in terms of sounds and arrangement, so I remember having some very late nights working on that one. Could you tell us something more about the intro to 'Violet Hill'? How it was born? But, most importantly, what did Brian Eno think listening to it then, since the sound elements of those 34 seconds are related to the ambient music, which he was an expert of in the past? That came about when Davide Rossi and myself were improvising together in the studio, and though we didn't know this at the time, Chris and Rik (Simpson) were listening to what we were doing and recording it. We went back into the control room to discover they were really excited about how it was sounding. I've never actually had a conversation with Brian about it though, he wasn't there at the time, I'm don't know what he thinks of it (he laughs, ndr) The official booklet of the album tells about one particular feature you took care of: the 'colouring'. What is it exactly? That was a word Chris and I came up with to describe those elements that I contributed which can't easily be described with a traditional credit. They would usually be atmospheric elements, or processes I added to instruments the band had played, things like that. Coldplay allowed people to know your music, having you performing live as a 'supporting act' before their shows, 15 times at least. Which one of them was the most amazing for you? And what kind of atmosphere did you sense before and after the show? It was a lot more times than that I think, I did two American tours, one Japanese tour and the whole UK tour. I think the Japanese tour was the most enjoyable, I'd never been there before and had always been fascinated by the difference in culture. Plus Davide Rossi came with us on that tour, to join me on stage. With the ping-pong, the sparks, the playstation and the buttons sewing for the uniforms, every backstage must have been very chaotic and ruled by time constraints. Do you recall anything in particular that caught your attention, among those intense moments? Not really as I tended to spend the time leading up to the show getting very nervous and getting my thoughts together - then after my show, I had to go and DJ at Front of House until the band came on. Then I would usually watch the show. Although backstage was always busy, with people running about everywhere doing stuff, the band's dressing room was always a peaceful place. Through this happy experience, you got to know a great work colleague, Davide Rossi (who, to the Italian fans of Coldplay, is a sort of divinity). What can you tell us about him as a musician, and as a friend? How does your approach change when you two work together or by yourselves? Dav is great fun to work with. I've rarely met anyone who works so hard and to such a high level. We've worked together on a few projects since then, and he joins me on stage at my shows whenever it's possible. When we're working on the same project we tend to work in separate rooms but frequently play eachother what we've worked on. Generally we seem to have quite an instinctive communication within music. Give us just an adjective to describe Chris, Jon, Will and Guy... They're all very funny guys, great to work and hang out with. We know you have a taste for 'Politik'. Apart from the first track of 'A Rush Of Blood To The Head', which are the three songs by Coldplay of your own A-list? Probably Death And All His Friends, Glass Of Water and Yellow. Let's talk about you now. Jon Hopkins officially became a musician at the age of 5, when you began to plonk away on piano. Later, you attended the 'Royal College Of Music' in London. After that your learning experiences started to change. How did you get from your institutional and 'classic' training to electronic music? The two things developed independently, at the same time - I was becoming much more interested in electronic music at the same time as learning the piano, and eventually stopped all piano training at 17 in favour of focussing on composing electronically. Every artist has his own music influences. What about yours? The most obvious one I guess would be Brian. I've been a fan of his for a long time now. Otherwise I'd say electronic artists such as Plaid, Four Tet, Nathan Fake, things like that. When did you feel aware that something was changing in your work, leading you from an early and uncertain career into the success you are living now? I guess one thing that really made me realise things were changing was when I did a week of work on the Viva album in LA with just Chris, and we worked on the electronic side of Prospekt's March and The Escapist. This was only a few months after I'd started work with the band and so it all felt pretty new and strange. Previously I'd been used to working in small studios on my own - and then suddenly I'm in LA working in an awesome studio with one of the biggest acts in the world. It felt surreal but was amazing. How do you feel, personally, when you are composing your tracks? Usually pretty excited. Few things beat the feeling you get when you know you've hit on something good in a new tune. 'Opalescent' and that brilliant masterpiece 'Private Universe', then 'Contact Note' dominated by the song 'Circle' that we could listen to before the shows of Coldplay and finally 'Insides' with the 'upsetting' 'The Wider Sun' and 'Vessel' on which also Davide Rossi worked on, but above all 'Light Through The Veins', the mother of 'Life In Technicolor' and its related songs. They're all albums that achieved a big success in the electronic music scene. Which one do you think is the music production that better represents your work so far? Definitely Insides. In my opinion it has a lot more depth and contrast than the previous two albums. What do you think about Italy and Italian people warmth? We know that you've been here many times during your career... I love playing in Italy. I've been lucky enough to be have a lot of chances to play there over the last few months. I've always found the Italian audiences to be very warm and responsive and always look forward to going back. You've recently created your official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/jonhopkinsmusic) and started on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/jon_hopkins). Do you think that a social network can help to better feel the support of your fans across the world? One of them (I don't know if you had a chance to watch it) even posted a link of a YouTube video that features a remix of 'Light Trough The Veins', 'Life In Technicolor', 'Life In Technicolor ii' and 'The Escapist'... Yes I have found the Facebook page to be a very easy way to communicate directly with people who are interested in my music. I haven't heard that remix I don't think but I will check it out. You've collaborated with great artists such as Coldplay, Brian Eno, David Holmes, Imogen Heap, and King Creosote, and have remixed Four Tet, Wild Beasts, Frou Frou and many more. Can you tell us something about your future projects? And again...are you going to be in the credits of the LP5 that the four guys are going to release sooner or later? I have recently finished my first solo film score for a film called 'Monsters', which comes out in a few months. I'm really excited about this, it's an amazing film. Otherwise I am trying to get started on a fourth solo record. I have been asked by Chris to work on the next album but I don't know when yet. We really thank you for you kindness and for the time you gave us for this interview. Would you like to say something to the community of Coldplayzone that got to know you through Coldplay and so learned to appreciate your music? Ok, I give you a hint: 'Life In Technicolor ii' is like an 'institution' here in Italy! Thanks for all the support! Thank you so much, Jon! ______________________________________ Source: http://www.coldplayzone.it/_articolo.asp?id=3218

Music player and performed, painting artist and... family!

The place's owner where Violet Hill video was filmed has told to some of us at Coldplayzone that Coldplay performed another video, something different from Violet Hill one, right there in that bulding (Palazzo Biscari). The owner said the band was preparing something to be hung with some wires like flying or so that. There's a lot of photos shot in Palazzo Biscari along with Violet Hill's one. I think that, as Asa Mader filmed Violet Hill clip and - in the intentions - Cemeteries of London's also, those photos (the flying Coldplays) are taken from the possible COL video...

She is indeed!

Wonderful pics and amazing images! VLVODAAHF's setlist seemed to be different from the real one!

Coldplayzone is very pleased and honoured to present the exclusive interview by Coldplayzone' Staff to Nikki Rosetti, producer of the first releases of Coldplay, Safety EP and The Blue Room EP. Artist, musician and painter, Nikki was very kind and told us about the past times with the band with delight and a bit of nostalgia: 'I told everyone, 'watch out for this band, they're going to be huge', she said. We would really like to thank Nikky for her kindness and the time she spent with us for this exclusive interview. _________________________________________ Hello Nikki! Thank you for giving Coldplayzone the opportunity to meet you. It’s an honour to have the privilege of making a little talk with you. How are you? Very well, thank you and thank you for inviting me. You’ve been the producer of the two Coldplay opening musical publications, that is Safety EP and The Blue Room EP. That was the moment of the band birth and baptism. And you were there. How did you meet Chris, Jon, Guy and Will? We were recommended to the band by friends of theirs. Most of the bands who came to us, did so by word of mouth or from record labels developing bands. So you set to work at once. Was it hard? Was there enough material to work on or was everything under definition? The songs were all written, although I recall all the band members trying out keyboard parts or harmonies and so forth. We recorded the basic tracks pretty much live, then overdubs that worked, were added, but very few. Some keyboard parts, vocals and harmonies, maybe some guitar. Getting Jonny's guitar effects set up right took some time. Just out of curiosity: who had the idea of placing microphones on the wet road in front of the recording studios to record “Easy to please”? That I can't answer as I was not involved in that track! Which is the best song you produced for Coldplay, according to you? Difficult. If you listen to 'Safety', which is what most people are familiar with from our sessions, I would have to say 'Such A Rush'. However, as many people are aware, I was not happy with the amount of reverb swamping everything and subsequently re-mixed all the session tracks. They now sound like completely different songs, the sound is fatter, warmer and more intimate and Chris's voice sounds twenty times better than the original, having taken the reverb off (and it was was pretty good already!). From the re-mixes, I'd have to say my favourite is 'Panic', bits of which went on to become 'Don't Panic'. Could you say something about Ken Nelson and Chris Allison, the other two producers at that time? All the tracks we produced were in isolation at different studios, so I never met tKen and Chris. The two sessions we recorded, were done at our own studios, Sync City. Is there any funny anecdote, any particular event or remarkable quote that characterized and distinguished the moments of the two produced-by-you EPs creation? Well, the thing that always sticks out in my mind is Chris and his 'sorries'. Chris was a genuinely nice, well mannered, inoffensive guy as well as being a perfectionist. If he felt he hadn't sung a phrase particularly well, he would keep saying saying 'Sorry Nikki', and we'd stop take it again. After some hours I had to stop and tell Chris to stop apologising all the time. The tape is littered with 'sorry Nikki'. Perhaps that should have been the name of the e.p! We think the material which you worked on was not huge, but anyway conspicuous. We know that certain tracks were discarded and that Chris wanted to record everything with the reverb effect. Shall we, one day, listen to those “whimpers” seen by many Coldplay fans as a “Holy Grail”? I think this has been documented elsewhere, but here's the official track listing from our sessions: Safety EP 1. High Speed 2. * Such A Rush 3. Ode To Deodorant 4. If All Else Fails 5. * Bigger Stronger 6. Panic 7. * No More Keeping My Feet On The Ground There is one futher track, I believe completely unknown, so maybe a first for you. Right at the end of the session when we were winding down, Chris got me to do one more recording with just him, his acoustic guitar and vocal, called' Vitamins'. A very intimate recording and a great song, never heard by anyone I believe. I'm not so sure that even the band had a copy.The second session saw the whole time devoted to just two tracks, 'Brothers And Sisters' and another version of 'Ode To Deodorant' with a much harsher guitar part. 'Brothers and Sisters' opens with an Indian instrument with metal prongs like a music box, but played with the fingers. I forget the name of it, but I remember Chris not being amused when I kept referring to it as it a 'banjo'. Of course the three 'safety' tracks were included on subsequent releases, up to 'Yellow' which also has 'No More Keeping My Feet on The Ground' on it. Now we ask you to answer sincerely: did you expect, after launching their music, that the “Fab 4” would become applauded, later famous and now among the most appreciated musicians in the whole world? How much of this prestige and charisma do you feel like belonging to you? Well, if you were to ask anyone around the studios at the time, I never shut up about the band. I told everyone, 'watch out for this band, they're going to be huge'. I knew they were to be the band they are as soon as Chris started to sing and Jon started to play. How much can be attributed to me? Well, I think it would have been difficult for anyone to not come up with a good recording of this band, they were that good. Having said that, Phil Harvey the manager rang me during the recording of the 'Parachutes' album for EMI to say that they were almost out of time and could not get the sound they wanted. We seemed to have captured the sound of the band that they had in their heads. Phil asked if we could fit them in to finish the album in our studios. Well, they must have sorted out the problems because they completed the album where they were. Do you have any regret about associated to that period? None at all. That period saw us fortunate enough to record bands such as Coldplay and Keane and you can't ask for a better work day than that. We were one of the first fully digital studios from 1996 and bands loved it. it was all pretty new stuff this copy and paste, nudging the odd bass note or kick drum into place. And I have my own personal mixes of all the tracks to listen to! Have you ever seen again the band in the last years? They must see you like a second “mum”… Well, Jonny came back in with a band he was working with called 'The Betina Motive'. We recorded two sessions with them. I think he jammed in the studio with my partner Ron Niblett, a bass player. Outside of that, the band have move on to bigger and better things.Their second mum? Well I think I must be. They never write, they never phone...........!! Let’s talk about you, now. You didn’t leave the music world, on the contrary you integrated it with the Art one, another great passion of yours. Thinking about everything now, at this time of you existence, are you completely in love with you artist life? I do love painting and the creative process, whatever it may be. I will always be a musician first and although we are no longer active in the professional music world (we sold Sync City Studios in 2005 and move out of London) our house becomes more like a studio every week and we enjoy jamming with local musicians and I have been writing and recording some acoustic material. Even where we are living, there are some great musicians and young talent who I like to promote such as Gracie Neal (here comes the plug) http://www.myspace.com/gracieneal, who is apparently very popular with the Italian men! Your surname sounds familiar to Italian people. Any descent from our country? Not in the recent past, but it surely has Italian origins. You birthday has just passed. Happy birthday from Coldplayzone! How did you celebrate? Thank you. On the same note, supporting local talent, we went to watch the local drama group put on their cabaret and stayed for the after show party, much wine drunk. I have never seen anyone snort Sambuca before! Finally, we ask you to say something to all Coldplay Italian fans and to all the users and friends of Coldplayzone. Here in Italy many of us miss that period of the band which is over (by now), and thinking that you took us back for few seconds to it make us feel very glad… Well, thanks for remembering that far back!. Of course for me, that was the definitive Coldplay sound and I hope it has given some pleasure to you. If you keep it alive here, maybe it will be remembered fondly in the future. Thank you, Nikki!

Apart from every crazy theory, i think now about this e-mail address as a sort of a new newsletter subscription, as an invite to send a message to it in order to receive a new type of message in the next future...

Tons of beer!

Here there's Fix You (worst) rendition of all the time! [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxfg1UjWwxk]YouTube - London-Dublin Castle 17/09/09 Coldplayzoners on the road... Fix you[/ame]

I'm a guy, it's normal to prefer a kiss from a girl instead from a guy!!!

Hmmm, much better from Chavi indeed! :)

Voted for the great Chavi! But i want a kiss from her as a change! :)

Maybe it was an auto-reply message... Maybe it's a collector for every fan message!

There's an unreleased song, but it's called 'Before I Lose'...

Me neither... How it works, according to you?

[email protected] - any reply message from there?

During the second gig, there were several glowsticks' light. I was in the back and i could see them clearly!

I'm too far but i wish to be there!

Awesome videos! There's my hug to Ian in the last one! :)

Great review Anna! Danke!:)

Here Swallowed! A new video from that night (thanks to Samo) [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQRW1T07kXU&feature=player_embedded]YouTube - Samo e gli amici di Coldplayzone -[/ame]

A new video from that night (thanks to Samo) [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQRW1T07kXU&feature=player_embedded]YouTube - Samo e gli amici di Coldplayzone -[/ame]

LP5: The tracks Coldplay are working on Coldplay are going to start working on their fifth album in the near future. There are no hypothesis or certainties on release dates or album's title. However we can refer to some statements about the titles of the tracks to be included in LP5. The main source we can draw on regarding these songs - almost completed - is South Bank Show, broadcasted by ITV on 20th September. We can clearly spot during the episode entirely focused on Coldplay (and available on YouTube) the titles of the new tracks. Here below is the complete list, that also includes those tracks revelaed in Tv program 60 Minutes, focused on the band and broadcasted some months ago: 1000-1 (Ballad Of …) Aiko Alien Radio Alive Day Arabesque Boyfriend Buzz Car Kids Cartoon Head Cartoon Heart Christmas Lights Drunks And Guns Famous Old Painters Gardeners On The Frontline Great Expectations Harbingers Of Doom Harmony Hook Up If I Ever Fall In Love Again It Was A Wonderful Day Love In A Lethal Dose Lucky Sevens Sex Violence Space Symphony Spanish Rain Wedding Bells Wilderness Wondering Star As you can see, it seems that Famous Old Painters (the song that was due to be included in Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends but then discarded) was not discarded at all. Wedding Bells can be listened to during South Bank Show. Who knows if some of the abovementioned songs will be part of next Coldplay's album... Source: http://www.coldplayzone.it/_articolo.asp?id=2886