Iridio

Iridio is a band formed by the Italian couple Valentina and Franz. Franz was already interested in music as a kid and had had piano lessons for 10 years. And Valentina learned to ply the acoustic guitar when she was 13. They both played in different bands and because of that the sometimes saw each other in 2001 they decided to work together.

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Interview with Iridio

- If you could live in an other time what time would that be?

We'd like to make a journey through time and see how it was in 1500. But we wouldn't like to live in a different era because we feel we belong to the XXI century.

- Where do you get your influences for your music?

We are influenced by artists like Loreena McKennit, Enya, Vangelis, Jean Michelle Jarre, Madonna, The Chieftains and other folk musicians and, of course, electronic and classical music in general. However the music we listen to can be considered as an indirect influence because we try hard to create our own sound. However our biggest inspiration comes from life itself and from our feelings and emotions.

- What does Iridio mean?

Iridio is a chemical element: it is heavy, brittle, white metal. The origin of the name comes from the Latin word iris, meaning rainbow, because its salts are highly coloured. We decided to call our project IRIDIO because it’s a very rare material brought down by meteorites and cosmic dusts that fall on earth and because of the meaning of the word it comes from. We think that this name can evocate a new dimension; something different from reality... a “magic world” (and that’s what we try to create with our music!)...

- Theres alot of fantasy aspects to your pics on the site and the music/lyrics, what draws you to fantasy?

We wanted to create a “new dimension” and a dreamlike atmosphere both with music, lyrics and artwork. Our songs speak about feelings and emotions and so we thought that a colourful artwork and dreamlike pictures could fit our music well: there’s a connection between colours and feelings, just like between music, words and feelings. That’s where fantasy comes from.

- Of which of your songs are you most proud and why???

Probably "The Windy Shore" because it's the first song that we wrote and it's the one that awoke the interest of Standing Stones (our record label). But also "Silent Song" because it's the one where there's the most balanced mix of electronic and acoustic sounds.