Italian-French Composer, Keyboardist Alex Carpani To Release Concept Album “Microcosm” Featuring Members Of King Crimson, Soft Machine, Van de Graaf Generator and Others!

Alex Carpani is an Italian-French composer, keyboardist, singer, producer, musicologist and artistic director. His forthcoming release “Microcosm” is a concept album about a world in miniature, opposed to macrocosm. Human beings can be viewed as an epitome of the universe, small-scale models of the universe, with all its variety and contradiction. When you think of microcosm, picture your home town inside a snow globe: the teeny tiny city is a microcosm of the one you live in. It is that place in miniature. All this is represented here with a series of slices of life, possible real-life experiences through the 12 songs of the album (11 original songs written by Alex, plus “Starless” by King Crimson, arranged by Alex).
“Microcosm” features guest appearances by David Cross (ex-King Crimson), Theo Travis (Soft Machine, Steven Wilson, David Gilmour), David Jackson (ex Van der Graaf Generator), Jon Davison (Yes), Bruno Farinelli (drums), Andrea Torresani (bass), Davide Rinaldi and Emiliano Fantuzzi (guitars).

Says Alex, “The album concept is philosophical and existential and concerns our life, our ‘personal universe’ regarded as encapsulating in miniature the characteristics of something much larger. Musically speaking I wanted to give this idea of a ‘human universe’ with its variety and contradictions, so Microcosm is very different from the 5 albums I previously released and has a richness and variety of instruments and artists on it: 9 musicians involved and as many parts including lead and backing vocals, various saxes, flute, lead synths, Mellotron, Hammond organ, piano, drums, bass, guitars, drum loops and electronics. Carlo Gnocchi, an Italian educator and writer, said that ‘Every human being is an unmistakable and autonomous microcosm’”.

Alex Carpani graduated in DAMS at the University of Bologna, Italy with a thesis on the music of Nino Rota in Fellini’s films that won the 1st prize of the Fellini Foundation. He graduated at CET, a famous Italian music school, in composition and arrangement of music for films with Stelvio Cipriani, an internationally known film music composer, after having won a European Union scholarship that allowed him to attend the school.

He has written and self-produced a great amount of instrumental music for more than 15 years in several music genres, including new age, electronic music, symphonic music, music mixed with poetry, drum ‘n’ bass, electro-jazz, music for  theatre shows and documentaries. He has won several National and International composition awards at that time.

From 2007 he has dedicated himself to rock, releasing 6 progressive rock albums with Italian and International labels which had positive feedbacks with both audience and critics, allowing him to collaborate in studio and on stage with some well-known artists of the International rock scene like David Jackson of  Van der Graaf Generator, David Cross of King Crimson, Theo Travis (Soft Machine, Steven Wilson), Jon Davison (Yes), Paul Whitehead, graphic designer of early Genesis, Aldo Tagliapietra of Le Orme, Bernardo Lanzetti, former singer of PFM.

He has performed about 130 concerts in 20 countries of 3 continents with his band, appearing in the most important live clubs and festivals of the International progressive rock scene. He has founded the band Aerostation with Gigi Cavalli Cocchi (former drummer of Ligabue, Clan Destino, C.S.I.) releasing in 2018 the homonymous debut album with Aerostella/Immaginifica label, performing concerts in Italy, France, Germany and Canada and opening for PFM at major events as well.

In support of his new album release, Alex says, “I really hope I can perform this album live because of its predisposition to jamming and interplay and also because it would be great to share the stage with such great musicians like the ones that played in the album. We’ll see what happens in the next few months. Some videos will follow: the album teaser and the single (‘Kiss And Fly’) lyric video.”

To purchase:

https://alexcarpani.bandcamp.com/