interview with Filippo Dall'Asta

Have you played in other bands? Yes I play in many different projects, but I have put together my new band this year to record my debut album “Mediterasian”. It’s an incredible band and I want to take it on tour next year.
How is it that you started playing music? I was drawn to music so much, my parents got me to start playing the piano when I was 5 years old. I then “discovered” the guitar when I was 13, as a friend gave me a guitar he found in his basement: I loved it so much, I was playing it up to 8 hours a day, and became obsessed with it. Since then I never left the instrument.
What are your names? / Who plays what? 
At the moment my quartet is:
Filippo Dall’Asta - Lead Guitar
Tim Ellis - Rhythm Guitar
Keval Joshi - Tabla
Umberto Calentini - Double Bass
My album “Mediterasian” features my big band:
Filippo Dall'Asta - Lead Guitar
Tim Ellis - Rhythm Guitar
Keval Joshi - Tabla
Umberto Calentini - Double Bass
Daniele Antenucci - Drums
Dominique Durner - Vocals
Mehboob Nadeem - Sitar & Vocals
Surjeet Singh Aulakh - Sarangi
Liza Bec - Bass Clarinet
Duncan Hemstock - Clarinet
Duncan Menzies - Violin
Laura Ayoub - Violin
Sarah Ayoub - Cello
Nazlı Erdogan - Viola
Andrew Jason Nash - Trumpet
Philip Entwistle - Bass Trombone
Sushma Zevari - Vocals
Ekta Rana - Vocals
Kintan Vohra - Vocals
How old are you? I am 31 years old
Did you make music even when you were young? Yes I have been writing my own music since I was 15 years old
Where are you from? I am Italian from origin
What's your style of genre? It’s Gypsy jazz influenced by Indian music
What inspires you? Some guitar players such as Django Reinhardt, Bireli Lagréne…it’s so inspiring to see the level of mastery that can be achieved on an instrument, whilst still being about playing Music and not feeding the ego.
How often do you rehearse? I rehearse with the band before shows, and I practice at least 3 hours a day on my own
Do you have other interests outside the band? Manga comics!
Are you looking for a booking agency, and what are your thoughts around that? Yes I would love working with a booking agency, it would give me more time to focus on my practice and on writing new material.
Are you looking for a label, and what are your thoughts around that? No I am not actually, or not for the moment at least. I think the music business has changed and as an artist a lot can be done nowadays even without a label. It’s a lot easier nowadays to “be your own label”.
What made you decide to make this music?
I was 16 years old. My father gave me a Django Reinhardt record as a gift, and the very first time I listened to it, I was hooked for life. There was something about Gypsy jazz music that spoke to me, and I knew that this was my calling in life. Since then, I have trained with Gypsy guitar masters in France and Holland, soaking up every lesson that I could. 
Their history rife with pain, repression, and persecution, the Gypsies play music that is reflective of both sadness and joy – that joy coming from the strength that they feel to keep moving forward. In that way, I believe that this music captures life in all its beauty, the happy and the sad together as they are. 
During a six-month backpacking excursion in India, I fell in love with classical Indian music. Its sounds resonated with me deeply, waking up something ancient inside me, telling me things that I had always known but perhaps forgotten. 
Traditionally connected to meditation, Indian music has been proven to have a restorative and calming effective on the mind and body. 
"Mediterasian" is my humble attempt at fusing Gypsy jazz and Indian music, in order to impact people’s bodies and souls positively. I want people to start healing through Indian music and to live their life with the passion of Gypsy music - to heal their wounds and then move forward with joy.
Who does the composing and writes the lyrics? I do
Do you start with the music or the lyrics? Well, my music is not very much lyrics based, there are not many lyrics at all in my songs. I always start with the music.
Do you compose in a certain enviroment? I write most of my music whilst I am on tour, or traveling. There is something very powerful about traveling and that always tickles my creativity.
Where do you plan to gig the comming year? I am planning to take my band on tour to France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and the USA
When did you start to sell merchandise, and what do you have for sale? I only just started to sell t-shirts related to my upcoming album “Mediterasian”. They look great!
Where can people buy your merchandise? From my website www.filippodallasta.com
What do you think about people downloading music instead of buying records now a days? That’s just how it works nowadays, and we have to develop with the times. We cannot stop change.
How do you think the music industry have changed because of this? I think it’s less revenue for artists, but also it’s easier for artists to publish and promote their music.
How do you think and know that this interview will help you in the music business? I hope people will read it and they will feel like checking out my music!
Is it easier to find inspiration from older bands, or bands that are more active today? Both. I find inspiration from bands and artists that write music that comes from their “higher self”, rather than trying to write music that “will sell”.
Do you have any new material?
Yes I am about to release my debut album “Mediterasian” with special guest Lollo Meier.
It’s a fusion of Gypsy Jazz and Indian Music. 
People can watch the promo here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBh1LgjNaLE
It’s available to pre-orders on here:
What are your websites?
https://www.filippodallasta.com/
https://www.facebook.com/filippodallastaguitarist/
How can people reach? Via my website or via my email: [email protected]
What are your plans for the future?
Make more albums, play more tours!
I plan to keep experimenting with music, let’s see where inspiration takes me.

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