Meet Rome’s Human Drum Machine
Imagine stepping out onto the streets of Rome during your vacation and hearing what sounds like the percussion from your favorite house track echoing from the nearby plaza. But as you step closer, you realize it’s not just somebody throwing an impromptu rave in the streets. It’s a guy sitting on the cobblestones, banging perfect beats out on buckets, pots, pans, and pipes. That’s Dario Rossi, Europe’s own human drum machine, a professionally trained musician who took his music to the streets to reach the ears of everyday people. Through his mechanical rhythms, he takes music you can usually hear only in the club and brings them out into the light of the world.
We had a chance to talk to Dario about his music, playing in the streets, and his origins in the world of music. He even put together an improvised set for us—which he played in his kitchen—exclusively for this interview. Check it out while you read.
From what I’ve read, you’ve been learning, playing, and teaching music most of your life. Can you walk me through that and where it has taken you?
I started studying percussion at the age of 10, in 1998, and then I started on a drum set the following year. But I was already playing instruments for fun, even before I started studying music. In the years between 2000 and 2008, I played in several bands—mostly pop and rock music. They were all good experiences, but I have never reached the point where I was totally expressing myself the way I wanted. I decided around that time to go back to playing music more experimentally—the way I did when I was a kid.
What were you like as a kid?
I was a very particular child. I was quite shy but lively. In my classroom, I was always playing loud on the desk or with my pencil case. My teachers from that time still remember me being like that. I considered myself a genius and a loser at the same time. I felt like people didn’t understand me at all, but probably, I was simply not sure of myself and I looked different from all the other kids.
What first got you interested in music?
My parents’ tapes from the ‘80s were my introduction to music. I really liked disco, synth-pop, and new wave from the ‘80s, and Euro house, techno, and Italodance from the ‘90s. The first album I ever listened to was Crises by Mike Oldfield, but there are three songs in particular that I still carry with me. Specifically, “Rio” by Duran Duran, “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” by Simple Minds, and “She Drives Me Crazy” by Fine Young Cannibals. When I was 3 or 4 years old, I was impressed by the electronic snare drum introducing that track. After that, I was always playing everywhere around the house, sometimes even on my chest, to emulate the sounds I liked.
So, that’s where you got your penchant for playing anywhere on anything! And what about your time spent in classical training?
I studied a lot of the classical rudiments and paradiddle, and they’ve helped me become an independent player. But now, I’m just taking everything I studied and I’m applying it to my own music. I think everything we did in the past is still there for us, and we can use it in a creative way to build something that can really belong to us. This is true even for techno or electronic music—not just for rock, jazz or fusion. I think that technique is important only if we consider it as a vehicle to express ourselves at our best. Otherwise, it’s totally useless.
Is that something you try to impart on the musicians you teach? What’s being a teacher like, compared to playing?
One of the biggest things I learned from teaching was that being a good musician doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll make a good teacher. But having said that, the most important thing about teaching is being completely available to the student you have in front of you, to understand what they really like, and to loosen their soul.
Coming from the world of classical music and street performance, how do you feel about digital music? Is natural music or digital music ever more pure than the other?
They are both good, and I don’t think that one is necessarily better than the other. They are simply different, and I think the decision about the way a person plays simply depends on the kind of music and sounds that person wants to obtain. There are unlimited possibilities!
Mechanical Sea
When did you first get started playing music in the streets?
The first time was in London in 2011, and then I started playing in some small street festivals and even at a few patron saint festivals. I only just started doing it seriously in 2014, when I decided to go to play every weekend in the Piazza del Popolo in Rome. I was teaching drums at a school, and the salary wasn’t very good. So at first, I was just doing it for some extra cash. But then, I noticed that people really liked the “product,” and I liked it too, so I decided to just go for it. In the summer of 2014, I went to Berlin and began performing. Pretty quickly, I started to gain some exposure! In fact, there was a boy who made a video of me playing in Alexanderplatz [a public square], and it quickly got millions of views on YouTube.
When you go to set up for the day, do you have a checklist for what you want to bring? I mean, it’s a lot of stuff. Do you have any favorites instruments?
I just make a selection surrounding the sound and choose the instruments—or items—I want to use. I do have my favorites, and they are, for sure, my yellow bucket and metal pipes.
Garage Session #1
What are some covers you’ve performed live?
One of my favorite tracks from the ‘90s is “20 Hz” by Capricorn, and I sometimes cover the intro. I also used to cover “Played-a-Live (The Bongo Song)” by Safri Duo!
What’s it like coming up with a set on the spot when you are on the street?
When I start playing, I always feel a mixture of things. It’s both random and exciting, because every time is different, even if I’m playing a set I’ve done a few times! Anything and everything can happen on the street—that’s the most amazing thing about my job. You never know who you’re going to meet, and people can react to your performance in so many different ways. It depends on how you play and the people’s reaction to it, because together we’re really sharing an “energy” on the streets.
Is it different now that you’ve become sort of a street sensation?
When I play in the street, I always feel like it’s the first time, every time. Obviously, I know many people know me now, but it’s just the same for me. It’s not because I’m viral on the web that I consider myself “cool.” I think I’m here to leave a message for the world, especially to young people: The answers to our questions are inside us, much more than outside! You don’t need to be a genius to impress people. Just do what you feel inside, even if you think the world doesn’t understand you. If you choose to be yourself, one day you will be recognized as “YOU.” It’s that easy, so go for it!
Have you ever played live as percussion for a DJ?
I’ve done it a few times, but mostly using classic percussion instruments like timbales, bongos, cowbells, and rototom.
Do you DJ at all yourself?
I do DJ, but I mix different music from the styles that I play as a drummer. I sometimes work as a DJ in some small alternative gigs in Rome, and I usually play EBM, synth-pop, Italo disco, and new wave from the ‘80s. I have a lot of fun doing it!
What DJs got you interested in playing that kind of music, or is it just the culture?
I don’t exactly know how I got to the music I’m playing now, so I think it just had to happen! I would say what I do and what I am is just the result of everything I was.
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