ArtistInfo

Tonj Acquaviva

dr, *1963 IT
World and Folk

Tonj founded, the Agricantus group which he is the Artistic Director and until now he created more than ten CD distributed in the World and with the Agricantus he was in international tournee, and won different musical prize. He got interested in music through the ethnic instruments of the Cordillera of the Andes moving from wind and string instruments to percussive instruments. At the end of the 1980s, his need to contaminate popular music blended with the study of dialects considered sonorities and writing, giving rise to singing, to the text and the first contamination from which derived the Agave Project-1987, the interact between different disciplines (music and writing)continues in Agricantus work and giving honour to Vincenso Consolo with the work on his written. He has collaborated in various works of theatrical companies developing an interest in percussion instruments together with composition and drums, (samplers, sequencers, guitar synth, wavedrum) in a direction aimed at the use of digital electronics to be integrated in acoustic sonorities. He has co-produced and arranged songs for various ,World-artists, widening his professionalism in the fields of advertising, cinema (Il bagno turco, Placido Rizzotto..) and television. He has done music for documentaries, CD-ROMs and video; he has collaborated with visual artists on the field of the modern arts. In 1994 start a very long collaboration with the visual artist Emilio Leofreddi that bring him to go deep in the interest on the multimedia artists productions as; 1994 IM-MEDIA, 1996 Caos (Palazzo delle Esposizioni di Roma-Exposition building), 1997 Mangiate Pieta', 2002 Aiuole Utopiche (Campus Galerie Bayreuth Germania-Oxford University England), 2006 Dreams. In 1998 he co-produces, with the Canadian photographer Sheila McKinnon, the CD-ROM "Under the Skull" a travel on the human brain manipulation from the mass media. In 1999, he was awarded the Prize (Taormina arti e Scienze) in recognition of his evolving artistic career. On 2000 he compose "Evento Tibet" sound track, featured in Milan, that belong also to Ethnosphere, Agricantus CD, 2001: several Weltlabyrinth track show the musical research started on 1994 with the visual collaboration of Emilio Leofreddi and Scheila Mckinnon, and the collaboration too the Rosie Wiederkehr lyric. In 2002 he attend to the (Notte della Taranta) of Melpignano whit a original project Ensemble Ifonissu, in ancient Greek language. In the same year he had a collaboration whit the France photographer Claire Angelini in the work, Reciprocites. In 2003, he edited the musical selections for the "Contesta Rockhair" compilation with songs of artists from the electronic world international scene. And made the track "Sanguemisto" in the CD "Home" with the group Fiamma Fumana In 2004, He made a musical performance for the inauguration of "Giardino di Groppoli" a special garden with sonor-metallic-sculpture in Pistoia, with the percussions musicians Laura Inserra and Giovanni Lo Cascio, blended visual and sound aspect of sculpture becoming musical intruments . In 2005 with Agricantus group made a Tournee with a DJ Ravin of Paris Buddha Bar ; start the collaboration with the extreme dance Kitonb, He compose music that it interact with their scenic actions. Within the context of the multimedia project Welt Labyrinth which involves the world of the visual arts, he is collaborating with the University (La Sapienza) of Rome and start a collaboration with the (Infomap) organization in charge for the ambient Mediterranean area salvation. In 2006 the director Marco Bellocchio give a protagonist place to his (Wave Drum) in the sound track of the movie (Il regista di matrimoni) . the project Weltlabyrinth has been invited in the "Wight Night" of Rome . In 2007, as Agricantus realizes the music of the film by Gianfranco Albano "Il figlio della luna" and the last CD Agricantus "Luna Khina". As Weltlabyrinth performs a soundtrack of the film by Francesco Miccichè "Liberi di giocare". The two films were selected for the "Rome fiction fest" 2007. In 2008 as Agricantus was invited to Hong Kong, and realizes the song "Para volver" for album of Teresa De Sio: Riddimm a Sud. Composed music for the work "Waiting for ligth" of the photographer Sheila McKinnon. In 2009 Tonj Acquaviva transforms the project Agricantus into the "AGRICANTUS by tonj ACQUAVIVA" with the participation of Rosie Wiederkehr, realizes the soundtrack for the Stefano Sollima Movie "Luce del Nord" - CRIMINI2 series RAI2 - ed.Warner Music. AND PUBLIC THE CD "MILLENNIUM KLIMA".

Instruments

• Drums
• Percussion
• Backing Vocals
• Cajón
• Triangle

Genres

• World
• Folk
• Electronic
• Dance
• Soundtrack

Plays With