Информация об исполнителе
Riccardo Campa was born in Mantova on 4th May 1967. Now he lives and works in Cracow, Poland. In addition to playing music and singing, he also writes books and teaches sociology at the Jagiellonian University of Cracow. He started his musical career as a teenager in the early 1980s. In that period, Mantova was one of the capital cities of italo disco, so it was difficult not to be influenced by this style. Ken Laszlo, Robert Bravo, Dave Rodgers, Domino, Tony Caranci, Dee Dee, Spagna and many others artists and producers were from Mantova or its surroundings and were supported by specialized labels like Memory and A Beat C. These were fantastic years for new wavers and italo disco fans...
In spite of the fact that Riccardo was more oriented to new wave, elettronica and prog rock, he ended up writing and performing dance songs and collaborating with some italo disco artists. For a long time before starting his solo career, he was a band musician and a session man, playing guitar and bass with different groups and artists; in the eighties, he was the guitarist and songwriter for the pop-rock band Charisma, the bass player of the new wave band - The Nightfall, and the guitarist of a cover band called Psicofarmaci. With his bands he opened the concerts of Robert Bravo, Ciao Fellini and other famous artists in Northen Italy discoteques or open air concerts. As a session man, he also played guitar and keyboards in Dee Dee’s concerts.
After a couple of years, he became more rock oriented. He was recruited as lead guitarist and songwriter by the heavy metal band Messerschmitt 109 – particularly influenced by Iron Maiden, Metallica, and Manowar which went on to win the 1996 Maratona Rock competition in Mantova. At that time, he worked mainly as a journalist and writer so his playing was more a passion than a career.
In 1996 he left both the HM band and Italy to take up a post as a lecturer at the University of Torun, Poland. However, he never lost his passion for music and became the frontman (vocalist and guitarist) of a swing-jazz band called La Banda, recording a single in 1998 (Al Capone/Mia – Suoneria Studios) which was massively downloaded by the lovers of retro swing, especially in USA. He later embarked on a solo singing career in Poland with a return to dance music, new wave, italo disco, elettronica, and the like. In spite of his eclecticism, the most influential artists on his soloist production are stars of the 1980s like John Foxx, Ultravox, Devo, Simple Minds, New Order, Rockets, Kraftwerk, Eurythmics, Gary Numan, and David Bowie. In addition, he also loves rock bands like Le Orme, PFM, Yes, Queen, Faith No More, and genial artists like Frank Zappa and Franco Battiato. His favourite female voices are Tiziana Rivale and Annie Lennox. His favourite italo disco singers are Ken Laszlo (especially his recent work) and Tom Hooker/Den Harrow. Generally speaking, his music project can be described as an attempt to merge rock, elettronica and melody.
He has been playing for years in Eastern Europe (but also in Holland, Great Britain, and Italy) with his repertuar including his own songs plus italo disco and hi-nrg hits like „Self control” by RAF, „You spin me round” by Dead or Alive, and „Relax” by Frankie Goes to Hollywood. In 2001, he released his debut solo album, Nessunluogo (Lubomski Agencja & Radio Pik), with songs ranging from eurobeat to italodance. Two songs from the album („Comunicazione” and „Ciao bella ciao”) were then used for the soundtrack of the movie „Non sono io” by the film director Gabriele Iacovone, who then became one of his best friends. In that film, Riccardo Campa also starred as „figurante speciale” playing himself, that is an Italian singer in Poland. He never had a real hit, remaining always a rather „underground” artist, but since he is quite known as an intellectual, he received considerable attention by the media, appearing often in the Italian and Polish press and sometimes also in TV (see his official website: www.riccardocampa.com). Riccardo Campa has also worked as a dj at Radio Krakow, but then he had to leave the due lack of time (he has only one life!).
He recently started a collaboration with Flashback Records and King-O. In the 1980s he composed and recorded many italo disco tracks that remain unreleased; when he started performing live – in 1986 – italo disco was already experiencing its downfall and the market was getting more difficult. All those tracks were sometimes performed live or broadcast on the radio, but never actually released. In the 1980s one of his fans and very good friends was dj Maurizio Ferrari who was playing these songs in local radio stations. Italo disco is now experiencing a renaissance, so it is time to start spinning those old demos once more!
In spite of the fact that Riccardo was more oriented to new wave, elettronica and prog rock, he ended up writing and performing dance songs and collaborating with some italo disco artists. For a long time before starting his solo career, he was a band musician and a session man, playing guitar and bass with different groups and artists; in the eighties, he was the guitarist and songwriter for the pop-rock band Charisma, the bass player of the new wave band - The Nightfall, and the guitarist of a cover band called Psicofarmaci. With his bands he opened the concerts of Robert Bravo, Ciao Fellini and other famous artists in Northen Italy discoteques or open air concerts. As a session man, he also played guitar and keyboards in Dee Dee’s concerts.
After a couple of years, he became more rock oriented. He was recruited as lead guitarist and songwriter by the heavy metal band Messerschmitt 109 – particularly influenced by Iron Maiden, Metallica, and Manowar which went on to win the 1996 Maratona Rock competition in Mantova. At that time, he worked mainly as a journalist and writer so his playing was more a passion than a career.
In 1996 he left both the HM band and Italy to take up a post as a lecturer at the University of Torun, Poland. However, he never lost his passion for music and became the frontman (vocalist and guitarist) of a swing-jazz band called La Banda, recording a single in 1998 (Al Capone/Mia – Suoneria Studios) which was massively downloaded by the lovers of retro swing, especially in USA. He later embarked on a solo singing career in Poland with a return to dance music, new wave, italo disco, elettronica, and the like. In spite of his eclecticism, the most influential artists on his soloist production are stars of the 1980s like John Foxx, Ultravox, Devo, Simple Minds, New Order, Rockets, Kraftwerk, Eurythmics, Gary Numan, and David Bowie. In addition, he also loves rock bands like Le Orme, PFM, Yes, Queen, Faith No More, and genial artists like Frank Zappa and Franco Battiato. His favourite female voices are Tiziana Rivale and Annie Lennox. His favourite italo disco singers are Ken Laszlo (especially his recent work) and Tom Hooker/Den Harrow. Generally speaking, his music project can be described as an attempt to merge rock, elettronica and melody.
He has been playing for years in Eastern Europe (but also in Holland, Great Britain, and Italy) with his repertuar including his own songs plus italo disco and hi-nrg hits like „Self control” by RAF, „You spin me round” by Dead or Alive, and „Relax” by Frankie Goes to Hollywood. In 2001, he released his debut solo album, Nessunluogo (Lubomski Agencja & Radio Pik), with songs ranging from eurobeat to italodance. Two songs from the album („Comunicazione” and „Ciao bella ciao”) were then used for the soundtrack of the movie „Non sono io” by the film director Gabriele Iacovone, who then became one of his best friends. In that film, Riccardo Campa also starred as „figurante speciale” playing himself, that is an Italian singer in Poland. He never had a real hit, remaining always a rather „underground” artist, but since he is quite known as an intellectual, he received considerable attention by the media, appearing often in the Italian and Polish press and sometimes also in TV (see his official website: www.riccardocampa.com). Riccardo Campa has also worked as a dj at Radio Krakow, but then he had to leave the due lack of time (he has only one life!).
He recently started a collaboration with Flashback Records and King-O. In the 1980s he composed and recorded many italo disco tracks that remain unreleased; when he started performing live – in 1986 – italo disco was already experiencing its downfall and the market was getting more difficult. All those tracks were sometimes performed live or broadcast on the radio, but never actually released. In the 1980s one of his fans and very good friends was dj Maurizio Ferrari who was playing these songs in local radio stations. Italo disco is now experiencing a renaissance, so it is time to start spinning those old demos once more!
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