Cristiano Crisci, commonly known by stage name Clap! Clap!, is an Italian producer and DJ. He is a long time jazz musician and previously worked under the alias Digi G'Alessio.
Career
Crisci's first release on Origami Sound in 2013 entitled ''Gwidingwi Dema'' marked his arrival onto the electronic music scene as Clap! Clap! Since then he has had numerous critically acclaimed releases on Bristol-based label Black Acre. His inaugural Album ''Tayi Bebba'', supported by Gilles Peterson, was hailed as one of Okay Africa's 'Best Albums of 2014', and was on Bleep.com's 'End of Year Roundup 2014'. The track "Viarejo" was featured on the soundtrack of ''
Grand Theft Auto V'' for
Microsoft Windows and current-gen consoles.
Crisci's musical style is eclectic and draws from many influences. His productions feature his own field recordings mixed with West African percussions and Latin soca influences, but also draw on contemporary electronic music movements, with his use of
staccato found in
Chicago 'Footwork', and Italian folk rhythms and melodies.
Clap! Clap! provided additional production on 3 of the tracks in
Paul Simon's album ''
Stranger to Stranger
''Stranger to Stranger'' is the thirteenth solo studio album by American folk rock singer-songwriter Paul Simon. Produced by Paul Simon and Roy Halee, it was released on June 3, 2016 through Concord Records. Simon wrote the material over a period ...
''. "The Werewolf", "Street Angel" and "
Wristband
Wristbands are encircling strips worn on the wrist or lower forearm. The term can be used to refer to a bracelet-like band, similar to that of a wristwatch, to the cuff or other part of a sleeve that covers the wrist, or decorative or function ...
" include 'Beats by Clap! Clap!' and use African sounds with a modern electronic dance twist, providing both fans of Paul Simon and Clap! Clap! with an entirely new listening experience. In an interview with NPR's
All Songs Considered
''All Songs Considered'' is a weekly online multimedia program started in January 2000 by NPR's ''All Things Considered'' director Bob Boilen. At first, the show featured information and streaming audio about the songs used as bumper music on ...
, Simon called Clap! Clap!'s album
Tayi Bebba a masterpiece.
Following on from ''Tayi Bebba'', Crisci's second album ''A Thousand Skies'' was released on Black Acre in February 2017, marks the artist's progression sonically and visually. Compared to previous releases, ''A Thousand skies'' is softer, with the new record serving as an eclectic mix of Crisci's career to date by combining samples and live instrumentation with collaborators such as South African folk singer Bongeziwe Mabandla, John Wizards, and ØY. As with his debut, the album is anchored by a story — this time of a young girl's journey through the stars — which completes the work. "I like to write what the music gives me when I listen to it," Crisci explains. ''Nguwe'', featuring Bongeziwe Mabandla, to date has been featured i
Okay Africa with an album announcement i
Resident Advisorand fellow Italian animator Jonathan Calugi providing a whimsical visual accompaniment for
Hope'. 'Ar-Raqis' was featured on the 2019 Pro Evo Soccer Soundtrack.
In 2017, Clap! Clap! contributed to the soundtrack for the award-winning film
Liyana based in Eswatini, which went on to win several awards. He then went to collaborate with the Italian composter
Vittorio Cosma
Vittorio Cosma (born 11 March 1965) is an Italian pianist, record producer, conductor, and arranger.
Life and career
Born in Varese, Cosma studied piano at the Milan Conservatory and later jazz piano under Patrizio Fariselli and Franco D'Andr ...
, on the soundtrack for the feature length documentary 'I Am The Revolution', directed by
Benedetta Argentieri Benedetta is a feminine given name of Italian origin, the feminine equivalent of the masculine name Benedetto, a cognate of Benedict. Persons having the name include:
*Benedetta Barzini (contemporary), Italian actress and model
*Benedetta Bianchi P ...
.
Discography
* ''Tayi Bebba'' (2014)
* ''A Thousand Skies'' (2016)
* ''Liquid Portraits'' (2020)
[https://www.allmusic.com/artist/clap%21-clap%21-mn0000322847#discography]
References
{{reflist
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
Place of birth missing (living people)
Italian record producers
Italian jazz musicians