What made you decide to embark on a recording career, tell us a bit about your musical past ?

I always wanted to make music, it is a way for me to express my creativity and feelings. I started playing guitar when I was 12. I listened to different kinds of music starting from rock, heavy metal, and punk in early ages and hip-hop, funk, jazz and trip-hop later on.  I enjoy also electronic, brasilian, latin, arab and indian music. I was never a big fan of mainstream commercial pop.

2. Who or what are your influences?

 My biggest influences are Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, James Brown, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Air, Jamiroquai, Pink Floyd, Thievery Coproration.

3. What modern artists do you rate?

Jamiroquai, Air, Thievery Corporation.

4. If you could choose to record a song with any other artist/band alive or dead who would it be and why?

Even though it is not possible, I would love to record a song with Miles Davis because he had a great imagination and was always ahead of his time. I like experimenting and combining different instruments together to get something new and original because I believe there are no rules in music. The ideal song would be similar to the songs included in Miles early 70’s period albums like “In a silent way”, “Bitches Brew” and “On the corner” because there are many musicians and instruments involved.

5. What inspires you to write your music ?

Inspiration comes and goes, I don’t plan to get inspired I just feel it in the moment it happens. Sometimes it comes all at once and sometimes it doesn’t come for a long time. I learned to wait for the right moment. All the sensations I have inside contribute to get inspired, it can be love, anger, passion, happiness,sadness ecc…

6. Name your all time fave song ie: desert island disc ?

 “Blow your mind” by Jamiroquai

7. Is Dario Formica your real name ?

Of course it’s my real name! Why would I change my name into “Dario Formica”?. By the way “Formica” in Italian means “Ant” (the insect). You can call me “THE ANT” if you like!

8. What are your ambitions for your music ?

I would like my music to be appreciated worldwide. My dream is to travel the world and bring my music to the 6 continents. I am particularly attracted to Latin American countries J !

9. How would you describe your music and what genre do you think it fits into ?

Actually I think you described my music pretty well! I like the “dreamy, mysterious, pulp-fiction esq and eastern-tinged” part especially. I think this album is particularly fit for soundtracks of Quentin Tarantino style movies or chinese action movies like Bruce Lee and Chaka Khan. I would like one of my songs to be featured in the soundtrack of a movie and play a small part in that same movie. I define my music as somewhere between “garage-funk” and “trip-rock”, however, it could fit into pop, trip-hop, rock and soundtrack.

10. Your new album "A Million Stories" has a very well produced mysterious, experimental, eastern tinged, dreamy , Pulp Fiction-esq world pop sound. How did you get that sound ? Where was it recorded/produced ?

How did I get that sound?  I recorded the guitar, vocals, synthesizer, drum machine and arranged all other instruments and voices played by other artists that collaborated with me using an eight track digital recorder (Boss BR-8) and simply plugging in a microphone and instruments.

11. How is life in Rome, Italy and is there a good music scene ?

In Roman dialect when something or someone is outstanding you say “SPACCA”, therefore ROMA SPACCA! Rome is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, you must go there at least once! Life is great but the music scene is not that good. There is a good hip-hop scene with many new artists but local bars prefer cover bands to original music and I don’t like that.