Over a Synthwave retro 80s electronic production, the recording starts with a powerful electric guitar solo to create contrast. The vocal line has 4 different melodic sections including a very catchy chorus accentuated thanks to the production work of the producer. The melody is very original and is based on improvisations on the piano. The vocal production includes a choir for strength. The lyrics are inspirational and motivational. The song wants to encourage the listener to enjoy working in an office environment and celebrate work and being employed.
Dario Margeli a serious musician and songwriter whose songwriting process takes weeks because he works hard to create original vocal melodies. These melodies are discovered by working on the piano or guitar. He investigates musical scales and does everything to make sure the melodies are original. This is in contrast with many people releasing material today where the song is basically a nursery rhyme or a tune that is just a rehash of the song they’ve heard before.
Musicians participating in the recording:
Guitars: Nikola Cucukovic + Hugh Williams
Synthesizers: Francisco Villafuerte
Producers: Francisco Villafuerte & Dario Margeli
Songwriter (Music & Lyrics): Dario Margeli
Biography:
Dario Margeli started with music theory lessons in the 1980s. His music instructor was a famous musician who at the time was releasing albums for WEA. Dario taught himself songwriting by studying music scores from artists such as Prince or studying the musical structures of songs by funk bands, such as Chic (Nile Rodgers) or Brass Construction. During the next two decades, Dario distanced himself from music. This changed when around 2010 a website he had created for rare vinyl records got him a gig writing album liner notes for a pair of albums on NowAgain records, a subsidiary of Stones Throw records. This got him excited about being a musician again. He taught himself Pro-tools and music production. In 2011 his first single came out with amazing guitars played by Hugh Williams, a studio musician from Florida. A music video was made with a professional photographer and a female model. The following year one of his songs became a viral hit in Italy. Often the public was impressed with the female models in the video. The best session musicians have been used. I have worked with producers who later had hits with major labels with 1M+ streams on Spotify. In the second half of the decade, Dario became interested in Buddhism and other spiritual and inspirational teachings. This meant that from then on, his songs all have positive and encouraging messages. They draw from self-improvement teachings. The music also reflects that by not being aggressive or dark. Musically, each of Dario’s songs has at least 4 different melodic parts. There is always a strong sing-along chorus in there too.
Social:
http://instagram.com/dariointernet2
http://facebook.com/margelimusic
http://dariomargeli.wordpress.com
https://www.youtube.com/user/dariomargeli/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/7mxNhEknpLj1TyWByXLrlt
Interview by Tim Brown
When and why did you start playing?
Play? I don’t play. I investigate and come up with new melodies. I find creative ways to write songs about life lessons I have learned. Usually, out there songs are about love and relationships. I go beyond that.
Could you briefly describe the music-making process?
I am a unique songwriter. This is the value I bring to the world. No one else writes like me. That is why my music is unique. For this reason, I don’t like sharing all my songwriting secrets with the world. But some of it, I sure can share. Usually, I am reading a psychology or self-help book. There I find concepts I would like to apply to my own life. From there I get the idea of what the song is going to be about. On the music side, I listen to musical scale improvisations of Persian music. I improvise with that scale on any musical instrument until something sounds new and has never been heard before. The next step is to throw the lyrics at the improvised melodies. I have to change the lyrics or the melody to make it work.
Why should people check out your music?
I am a serious musician and songwriter. My songwriting process takes weeks because I work hard to create original vocal melodies. These melodies are discovered by working on the piano or guitar. I investigate musical scales and do everything to make sure my melodies are original. This is in contrast with many people releasing material today where the song is basically a nursery rhyme or a tune that is just a rehash of the song they’ve heard before.
How would you describe your music?
My style and personality is in the vocal melody, not the arrangements. So at first you might find that I have a song played with rock instruments then another one full of synthesizers. What people are guaranteed to find is a very original singing melody. They will always find at least five different melody sections including a bridge and a rising chorus. The songs always have self-healing and self-improvement advice that the listener can apply to their lives.
Which famous musicians do you admire? Why?
My music-making is not based on artists I admire. My music is created from a process that I follow. It is like a job. For example, I like a musician called Larry Heard (A.K.A Mr. Fingers), but honestly, my music has nothing to do with his. Similarly, I listen a lot to this French disco music pioneer, Alec R Costandinos, whose records had entire string sections and orchestras. The budget for a 50-piece orchestra is not available to me, so I make a different type of music.
Were you influenced by old records & tapes? Which ones?
The most important thing I take away from records I listened to when I was younger was young, was that they made me want to be a musician. Maybe that music has nothing to do with the music I ended up doing, but those records were “in the zone”. I didn’t know as a kid what “being in the zone” meant, but now I know that even as a teen I noticed something was going on with those records. The performer and songwriter were able to reach “full presence” and “full truth” at some moment of the song.
Some recordings with those qualities are:
Sylvester – “Be with you”
Lucio Battisti – “Ancora Tu”
The Smiths (Morrissey) – “Last night I dreamt somebody loved me”
Supertramp – “School”
Do you perform in public? Describe those occasions? Concerts, radio, TV.
No never. If you are a solo artist like me, for a live performance I would have to hire musicians and pay their travel and rehearsal expenses. That is something only artists who attract large audiences can afford.
What makes you kind of music “good” to you?
My music is good because it brings value and consciousness into this world. First and foremost, my music is original. I am not doing the same thing everyone else is doing. That is one reason it should be considered good. There are too many songs out there by other artists all sounding the same with nothing new to offer. Also, my message is positive and can be applied in anyone’s day-to-day life. You will be a better person after hearing my tunes. I work with great musicians with amazing ideas for arrangements. That is also something I bring into this world.
Let’s Talk about your latest work…
My latest work is a song called Sacred Mandala. It is in the Synthwave retro 80s electronic style. Think, The Weeknd, Tinashe, or Kavinsky. The recording starts with a powerful electric guitar solo to create contrast. The vocal line has 4 different melodic sections including a very catchy chorus accentuated thanks to the production work of the producer. The melody is very original and is based on improvisations on the piano. The vocal production includes a choir for strength. The lyrics are inspirational and motivational. The song wants to encourage the listener to enjoy working in an office environment and celebrate work and being employed.
How do you feel about the internet in the music business?
I am old enough to know how it was before the internet and how it is now. On the good side, the internet has made it possible for a lot of musicians to make high quality music and put it out in the world. In the 80s that was very hard and expensive to do. So many musicians were unable to put anything out.
The bad side of the internet is that music has been devalued. The public doesn’t want to pay for music and so musicians don’t make an income. This makes it difficult to have the sort of investment that would create new music stars. There is also more competition now. The real hero in this scenario would be the tastemaker who discovers and promotes a new talent.
What are the plans for the future?
I make one song a year and promote it, all while I keep my day job. I have accepted this is where I fit in the world and have no other plans.
M.T.V.rock 