Alessandro Cortini (born 24 May 1976) is an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

musician A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who wri ...

best known for being the

keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

, guitar, and bass player in the

industrial Industrial may refer to: Industry * Industrial archaeology, the study of the history of the industry * Industrial engineering, engineering dealing with the optimization of complex industrial processes or systems * Industrial city, a city dominate ...

band

Nine Inch Nails Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN and stylized as NIИ, is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland in 1988. Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Trent Reznor was the only permanent member of the band ...

. Cortini is also the frontman for the Los Angeles-based

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

alternative Alternative or alternate may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki'' * ''The Alternative'' (film), a 1978 Australian television film * ''The Alternative ...

band

SONOIO SONOIO is a solo project of Italian musician Alessandro Cortini, best known as the keyboardist for Nine Inch Nails' touring lineup and as a member of Modwheelmood. The name of the alternative rock/electronic project comes from the Italian phrase ...

. He was a touring member of The Mayfield Four from 2000 to 2002. He was also a founding member of

Modwheelmood Modwheelmood (also typeset as ModWheelMood or modwheelmood and abbreviated as MWM) is an American Electronic-Alternative band from Los Angeles, California formed by Alessandro Cortini (who is also part of the Nine Inch Nails live lineup from 20 ...

, an

band from

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, with former Abandoned Pools guitarist

Pelle Hillström Pelle Sebastian Hillstrom is a Swedish music artist and songwriter from Jarbo, Gävleborg County. He is known for his work with Alessandro Cortini of Nine Inch Nails in Modwheelmood, Early life His pursuit of music began early, playing saxophon ...

. He completed a small Canadian tour with his solo project,

blindoldfreak Blindoldfreak (Officially: blindoldfreak) is the Electronic-Alternative solo project of Alessandro Cortini (best known as part of the Nine Inch Nails touring lineup from 2005 to 2008 and again since 2013). Cortini uses primarily the Buchla 200e w ...

Background

Cortini was born in

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...

, and raised in

Forlì Forlì ( , ; rgn, Furlè ; la, Forum Livii) is a ''comune'' (municipality) and city in Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy, and is the capital of the province of Forlì-Cesena. It is the central city of Romagna. The city is situated along the Via E ...

. Cortini moved from Italy to the United States to study guitar at the

Musicians Institute Musicians Institute (MI) is a private for-profit music school in Los Angeles, California. MI students can earn Certificates and – with transfer of coursework taken at Los Angeles City College – Associate of Arts Degrees, as well as Bachelor ...

. After graduating, and straying away from the guitar, he decided to focus on keyboards and synths. From 2001 to 2002, Cortini acted as touring guitarist for The Mayfield Four in support of their album '' Second Skin''. While briefly teaching at the Musicians Institute, he saw an ad for open auditions for Nine Inch Nails. Reznor stated that Alessandro Cortini "fit in immediately." Reznor also stated that: Cortini toured with Nine Inch Nails from 2005 to 2008, during the band's "Live: With Teeth", "Performance 2007" and "Lights In The Sky Over North/South America" tours. His primary role was that of touring keyboard player, although he also played guitar and bass guitar on some songs. Besides touring with the band, Cortini also contributed to the instrumental album ''

Ghosts I-IV A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to rea ...

'' (receiving co-writing credits on a number of tracks) and the 2008 album '' The Slip''. A Modwheelmood remix of "The Great Destroyer" was also released on the ''

Year Zero A year zero does not exist in the Anno Domini (AD) calendar year system commonly used to number years in the Gregorian calendar (nor in its predecessor, the Julian calendar); in this system, the year is followed directly by year . However, the ...

'' remix album ''

Year Zero Remixed ''Year Zero Remixed'' (stylized as ''Y34RZ3R0R3M1X3D'') is the third remix album by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released in the United States on November 20, 2007, and in the United Kingdom six days later. It features remixed v ...

'', and Cortini features in the live DVD '' Beside You In Time'', as well as the music videos for ''

The Hand That Feeds "The Hand That Feeds" is a song by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released as the lead single from their fourth studio album, ''With Teeth'' (2005). The single is the highest-charting Nine Inch Nails song on all charts except for ...

'' and ''

Survivalism Survivalism is a social movement of individuals or groups (called survivalists or preppers) who proactively prepare for emergencies, such as natural disasters, as well as other disasters causing disruption to social order (that is, civil disor ...

''. He left the band at the end of 2008, citing a desire to pursue other projects. Cortini was also the frontman of

band

, which he led with former

Abandoned Pools Thomas Edward Walter (born October 30, 1970) is an American musician and songwriter, best known for his alternative rock band, Abandoned Pools, as well as being the former bassist and one of the founding members of Eels. Early years and the E ...

guitarist Pelle Hillstrom. Together they have released two EPs, '' ?'' (2003) and ''

Enemies & Immigrants ''Enemies & Immigrants'' is an EP by American rock band Modwheelmood released in 2006 on Buddyhead Records ''Buddyhead'' is a music website and independent record label created by Travis Keller in the summer of 1998, located in Hollywood, Cali ...

'' (2006). In 2007, they released ''

Things Will Change ''Things Will Change'' is the companion remix disc to ''Enemies & Immigrants'' by American rock band Modwheelmood released in 2007. The proceeds from the sale of this album are given to the Los Angeles-based charity Create Now, a charity that d ...

'', the companion

remix A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...

disc for ''Enemies & Immigrants'', and they released the first part of their new album '' Pearls to Pigs, Vol. 1'' on 25 December 2007 exclusively as a digital release. In fall 2006, Cortini contributed to the Musicians Institute's Recording Artist Program by acting as advisor for one-on-one training with students. In 2009, he filled in for

Morgan Nicholls Morgan Daniel Nicholls (born 18 March 1971) is an English musician, member of English pop band Senseless Things and best known for performing with Muse, Gorillaz, The Streets and Lily Allen. He has released one solo album under the mononym Morg ...

(touring member of

Muse In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the ...

) while Nicholls took a leave of absence to be with his newborn son. Alessandro Cortini worked with

Ladytron Ladytron are a largely British electronic band formed in Liverpool in 1999. The group consists of Helen Marnie (lead vocals, synthesizers), Mira Aroyo (vocals, synthesizers), Daniel Hunt (synthesizers, guitar, vocals), and Reuben Wu (synthesize ...

in the production of two of their albums, ''

Velocifero ''Velocifero'' is the fourth studio album by English electronic music band Ladytron and their first to be released by Nettwerk. The album was first released digitally on 19 May 2008, followed by a physical release on 2 June in the United Kingdo ...

'' (2008) and ''

Gravity the Seducer ''Gravity the Seducer'' is the fifth studio album by English electronic music band Ladytron. It was released on 12 September 2011 by Nettwerk. Recorded in Kent, England, the album has been described as "haunted, evocative, romantic", and having ...

'' (2011). He also co-produced the second track, "We Are the Sea", from the debut album ''

Crystal World ''Crystal World'' is the debut studio album by Scottish musician Marnie, self-released on 11 June 2013 through the site PledgeMusic. The album was produced in 2012 in Reykjavík, Iceland, by her Ladytron band-mate Daniel Hunt in collaboration w ...

'' (2013) of Ladytron's main singer,

Marnie ''Marnie'' is an English crime novel, written by Winston Graham and first published in 1961. It has been adapted as a film, a stage play and an opera. Plot ''Marnie'' is about a young woman who makes a living by embezzling her employers' funds, ...

. In 2010, he contributed electronic production to a song called "Birds of Prey" by pop artist

Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice of ...

, produced by

. The song is featured on the deluxe edition of her fourth studio album ''

Bionic Bionics or biologically inspired engineering is the application of biological methods and systems found in nature to the study and design of engineering systems and modern technology. The word ''bionic'', coined by Jack E. Steele in August 1 ...

''. In summer 2010, Cortini formed the project

. The band name SONOIO comes from the Italian phrase "sono io", which means "it's me", as it is a solo project consisting solely of Alessandro Cortini. In July 2010 SONOIO released the album ''SONOIO Blue'' which was followed up by a remix album in December 2010 ''NON SONOIO''. In June 2011 SONOIO released the album ''SONOIO Red''. Cortini joined How To Destroy Angels, a project consisting of Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Rob Sheridan and Mariqueen Maandig, as a touring member. He performs multiple instruments onstage and in addition remixed under his SONOIO moniker their single "The Spaces In-Between", which was used as the show finale for the majority of the tour. In 2013, Cortini returned to Nine Inch Nails as their touring member, and co-wrote the opening track of

Hesitation Marks ''Hesitation Marks'' is the eighth studio album by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released on August 30, 2013, by The Null Corporation and distributed by Columbia Records in the United States and Polydor Records elsewhere. It wa ...

with Trent Reznor. In March 2017, Nine Inch Nails' official Twitter account announced Cortini would be part of the 2017 summer performance lineup.

Discography

;As himself *2013: '' Forse 1'' (LP, released July 2013) *2013: '' Forse 2'' (LP, released November 2013) *2014: '' Sonno'' (LP) *2015: ''Forse 3'' (LP) *2015: ''Risveglio'' (LP, released July 2015) *2016: ''SPIE'' (EP, released 22 September 2016) *2017: ''Avanti'' (LP, released 6 October 2017) *2019: ''VOLUME MASSIMO'' (LP, released 27 September 2019) *2021: ''SCURO CHIARO'' (LP, released 11 June 2021) ;

*2010: ''

'' (Blue, Album, September 2010) *2011: ''

'' (Red, Album, June 2011) *2018: ''Fine'' (Album, July 2018) ;

Blindoldfreak Blindoldfreak (Officially: blindoldfreak) is the Electronic-Alternative solo project of Alessandro Cortini (best known as part of the Nine Inch Nails touring lineup from 2005 to 2008 and again since 2013). Cortini uses primarily the Buchla 200e w ...

*2009: ''1'' ( EP, 2009) ;

*2003: '' ?'' (EP, 2003) *2006: ''

'' (EP, released May 2006) *2007: ''

'' (The companion remix disc to ''Enemies & Immigrants'', released digitally in October 2007.) *2007: '' Pearls to Pigs, Vol. 1'' (EP, released on 25 December 2007) *2008: '' Pearls to Pigs, Vol. 2'' (EP, released on 26 February 2008) *2008: ''

Pearls to Pigs, Vol. 3 ''Pearls to Pigs, Vol. 3'' is an Extended Play, EP and the 6th release by American Electronic music, Electronic-Alternative rock, Alternative Rock band Modwheelmood. It was released digitally via iTunes and Amazon.com, Amazon on July 17, 2008. Th ...

'' (EP, released on 16 July 2008) *2009: ''

Pearls to Pigs ''Pearls to Pigs'' is an LP and the seventh release by American electronic-alternative rock band Modwheelmood. The LP was released as an amalgam of the first three ''Pearls to Pigs'' EPs with a new track, "Happily Delayed", on June 2, 2009 at the ...

'' (Album, released on 2 June 2009) ;With

*2007: '' Beside You in Time'' (live

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

HD DVD HD DVD (short for High Definition Digital Versatile Disc) is an obsolete high-density optical disc format for storing data and playback of high-definition video. Supported principally by Toshiba, HD DVD was envisioned to be the successor to th ...

Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of sto ...

, 2007) *2007: ''

'' - "The Great Destroyer" (remixed by Modwheelmood) *2008: ''

'' *2008: '' The Slip'' *2013: ''

'' ;With

Jovanotti Lorenzo Cherubini (; born 27 September 1966), better known as Jovanotti (), is an Italian singer-songwriter, rapper and disc jockey. The name Jovanotti derives from ''giovanotti'', the plural form of the Italian word ''giovanotto'' ("young man") ...

*2008: ''

Safari A safari (; ) is an overland journey to observe wild animals, especially in eastern or southern Africa. The so-called "Big Five" game animals of Africa – lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and Cape buffalo – particularly form an importa ...

'' ;With

*2008: ''

'' (Collaboration & production. Album, June 2008) *2008: ''

Ghosts A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to rea ...

'' single (modwheelmood remix, May 2008) *2011: ''

'' (Collaboration & Production. Album, September 2011) ;With

*2013: " We Are the Sea" (Collaboration & Production. Album track, June 2013) ;With

Yoav Joab (Hebrew Modern: ''Yōʼav'', Tiberian: ''Yōʼāḇ'') the son of Zeruiah, was the nephew of King David and the commander of his army, according to the Hebrew Bible. Name The name Joab is, like many other Hebrew names, theophoric - deri ...

*2008: Adore Adore (modwheelmood remix, 2008) *2008: Beautiful Lie (modwheelmood remix 2008) ;With The Mayfield Four *2001: Second Skin ;With

Puscifer Puscifer () is an American rock group formed in Los Angeles by Maynard James Keenan, known as the lead singer of the bands Tool and A Perfect Circle. Initially, Keenan was the only permanent member, and as such he considered the project to be h ...

*2007: ''

V is for Vagina V, or v, is the twenty-second and fifth-to-last letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''vee'' (pronounced ), plural ...

'' (Synthesizer. Album, October 2007) *2011: ''

Conditions of My Parole ''Conditions of My Parole'' is the second studio album by Puscifer. The album was produced by Maynard James Keenan, Mat Mitchell and Josh Eustis. Contributing musicians for the album include the aforementioned Keenan, Mitchell, and Eustis as wel ...

'' (Collaboration & Production. Album, October 2011) - "Oceans" ;With

Lawrence English Lawrence English (born 1975/76) is an Australian composer, artist, and curator from Brisbane. His work is broadly concerned with the politics of perception, specifically he is interested in the nature of listening, and sounds' capability to occ ...

*2018: ''Immediate Horizon'' (Album, November 2018) ;With Daniel Avery *2020: ''Illusion of time (Illusion de la tiempo)'' (LP, released 27 March 2020)

References

External links

SONOIO Official websiteBlindoldfreak Official websiteBlindoldfreak Official MySpaceModwheelmood Official websiteModwheelmood Official MySpaceWho Is Blind Old Freak?
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cortini, Alessandro 1976 births Living people Italian male singers Italian keyboardists Industrial musicians Important Records artists Italian guitarists Italian male guitarists Italian emigrants to the United States Nine Inch Nails members People from Forlì Musicians Institute alumni