Marco Selvaggio – Drummer
Marco Selvaggio was born in Catania, on 7th October 1983 and since he was a child he approached the world of music and percussion in particular. Versatile percussionist, Marco, skillfully uses many percussion instruments, in a constant creative search that leads him to experience the sound in all its nuances. Once he obtained a law degree, he took part in some inter-cultural projects related to African traditional music and percussions in kindergartens, primary and secondary school. He worked in theatres and performed in live concerts. He began to study African traditional music in 2000 with master Senegalese Alù Djeng graduated from the Music Academy in Dakar. Since 2004 he worked with some DJs aiming to take with the djembe and house music in all its shades during the nights and event in the house discos. He participated “Nuit Blanche” in Paris in 2004, after a stage with Djan Camarà original drummer of Conakry in Guinea and descendant of a family of griots Peul ethnic group and a founding member of the Ensemle National de Guinee. In 2005, he learnt a deeper knowledge of new African musical instruments in Catania following a course taught by master musician Sourakhatà Diabaté recognized as a skilled and versatile virtuoso specializing in performances with the djembe and bass drums (sangban, doundunbà and kenkenì) and with all the tools of traditional sub- Saharan Africa as the bolon, balafon, gongomà, krina, assiko, goni, calabas in water. Over the years he continued to study African traditional music and he also had the opportunity to play in Australia, Sydney, in particular in the Side Bar and Cargo, and also in the Byron Bay Beach Hotel. In 2009 he participated in a course taught by internationally renowned master Famoudou Konate in Palermo since 1996 who was given the title of Honorary Professor of Music Education of African Art at the University of Berlin in Germany, where he still resides and teaches. In 2009 he played in Italy in Rome to the Shangò, in 2010 in Pisa at Bellavita. He has played and continues to play at Mercati Generali, Banacher, Giara and Septimo in Taormina, Afrobar, Music & Art, the ZOO, UNA Hotel Palace, Golf Club, Cafe de Mar, Majazé, Faro, Vola, Seventheen, 4 / 20, Capannine as a percussionist on house music, using different instruments (djembe, bass drums, krins and hang drum for the first time ever on the house music) working with many discos and foreign DJs. Finally he became part of the Cultural Association “The United Artists theater Cine-Factory” and edited the music section of the show Shakespeare Experiment conducted by the director and actor Claudio Mazzenga. His passion for music led him to play various African traditional musical instruments like dkembè and bass drums (KenKen, sangban, doundunbà) krin and traditional music such as the Australian didgeridoo, and finally a very special instrument of Swiss origin of which there are only slightly more than 5000 units around the world called the hang drum. The hang drum is composed of two convex metal parts joined together: the side “DING” and side “GU”. DING side is composed of 8 tonal areas in the outer part of the body. In the center there is a sort of dome (hence the nice sound of DING) that produces a percussion sound like a gong. GU hand side is mainly designed as a resonant box. It has a hole in the center that can also serve to modulate the sound of the DING side. Marco Selvaggio has also edited the music of a dance performance at the Metropolitan in Catania for the dance school Aire of the teacher Fia Di Stefano played traditional African music first and then a solo with the hang drum. On July 23rd, 2010 Marco was invited to join as a guest solist in Canicattì Bagni for “contemporary ethnic music festival” and today he continues to play in many places in Italy teaching basic courses of African traditional music and percussions. On September 11th, 2010 he was invited to the headquarters of Radio Flash in Adrano to be interviewed and he played live with the collaboration of Ciaudà and on September 12th, 2010 he performed as a guest at the music festival “Soundpeace” in the amphitheater Ciminiere of Catania. On September 14 2010, he was invited to perform as a guest in the TV show “Under the Spotlight” with the hang drum. In October 2010 he released his first album called “Into the Ocean” in which many artists have worked. Marco Selvaggio now is the only one in Italy and Europe to offer a complete set using percussion djembe, krins, bass drums, bongos and especially the hang drum!! Hang Drum on house music is something that only him in the world probably does. This is an International exclusive that makes him play in a lot of famous clubs. On November 18th, 2010 he made a public show-case at Scenario Pubblico in Catania (repeated two times in a row for the presence of many people) preceded by a press conference. On November 29th, 2010 he took part in a charity event organized by the team Calcio Catania to C & G with Vincenzo Spampinato, Giuseppe Castiglia and other famous TV and music CELEBRITIES in Sicily. On January 6th, 2011 he played in the inauguration of Artime whose artistic director is Fioretta Mari (National actress), all presented by Salvo La Rosa, collaborating with a school dance with the Master Walter Pilo. Megamind did an interview to Marco and after this a loto f nationals journals and Tvs (telecolor, antenna sicilia, la sicilia, il giornale di sicilia, ritmi, universitinforma, deejayplace, housemusicitalia, distorsioni sonore, sound 36, italian style magazine, dj mag italia, chair and many others). On april 2011 Marco registered the first official video Hang Drum & House Music with the video maker Marco Pirrello. On 22 May 2011 Marco played for a concert in one of the best theatre of Italy, and Europe too, Teatro Massimo Bellini. Now Marco plays in a lot of clubs and he is the only one in the world to use a lot of instruments on house music live!
