ARCO

Lorenzo Di Maio guitar
Sam Gerstmans double bass
Antoine Pierre drums & FX

Ensemble UFO
Maritsa Ney violin I
Martin Lauwers violin II
Marie Ghitta alto violin
Marine Horbaczewski cello

About

After a first album as a quintet hailed by critics and rewarded with an "Octave de la Musique" in 2017 (the “Grammy’s“ of the music industry in Belgium), Lorenzo Di Maio decided to present a double bass-drums-guitar classic formula to which he joined a string quartet: the UFO ensemble (Ultra Foniiki Orchestra). The association of a guitar trio and strings gives Lorenzo's music a combination of immensely rich colors and sound textures, where the great variations of nuances force him to find a new balance between all the palettes offered by each string instrument.

After a first album as a quintet hailed by critics and rewarded with an Octave de la Musique in 2017 (the "Cesars" of the music industry in Belgium), Lorenzo Di Maio decided to present a double bass-drums-guitar classic formula to which he joined a string quartet: the UFO ensemble (Ultra Foniiki Orchestra).

For this new trip, he decided to rely on the groove and creativity of drummer Antoine Pierre (Urbex, Next.∆pe), as well as on the deep and virtuoso playing of double bass player Sam Gerstmans (Mohy-Liégeois-Gerstmans trio, Gregory Houben trio). They are both musicians with whom he shares a common vision of music: lyrical and energetic at the same time.

The music of the trio is inspired by the eclectic influences of Lorenzo Di Maio which range from blues to a certain idea of European jazz. As for the UFO ensemble, the quartet's arrangements are masterfully composed by pianist Fabian Fiorini, and give the pieces a melodic yet unpredictable character, while enriching the album with the influences of a second composer.

The band, embellished with the poetry of its performers, unveils a repertoire with contrasting atmospheres, which create a bridge between the acoustic purity of the strings and the electric atmospheres of the guitar.