Marco Selvaggio - Hang / HandPan Artist

Earlier this evening I received via e-mail a tip-off, alerting me to the work, and world of ‘Marco Selvaggio’. The Italian Hang/HandPan musician, video artist, performer, and more.

And so with nothing much on the television, I decided to go and check him out. And I have to say, I’m glad I did...

Becuase while rogue FBI agents fought mock battles across my television screen, living out the same tired , and repetitive scripts I’d seen a million times before. Just a click away, thanks to the magic of the Internet, hid the kind of audial, and visual extravaganza, that quickly made me forget all about the American agents, and their so far fruitless mission to apprehend a mad subway bomber.

A true HandPan player in its purest form, Marco Selvaggio, plays the Hang, Halo, Bells, and Caisa, embracing both the similarities, and the differences of each. And in addition to playing concerts all over Europe, Marco Selvaggio has, recently, been working on a new, and inspiring video project. That combining a wide variety of interests, and media, sets out to create an experience that is as much a treat for the eyes, as it is for the ears.

From the calm, and translucent ‘Painting My World’, to the spiritual, and journey-esq ‘Soul Sea’, (both of which I could happily stick on repeat on my MP3 player and drift away to). Through to an awe inspiring live performance at the Teatro Massimo Bellini, the theatrical 'Maschera di Cenere', and some phat, eclectic, House / Hang mashups. Marco Selvaggio, shows signs of something special. 

Watch the inlcuded videos, and enjoy. And if they leave you wanting more, you can check out Marco Selvaggio's 2010 released album: ‘Into the Ocean’: HERE. Which to my mind, is the perfect accompaniment to a sunny summers day, or indeed, the perfect audio pick-me-up, to fend off the miseries of the coldest winter blues. 

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Or alternatively, you can connect with Marco Selvaggio over at Facebook: HERE. Or Subscribe to his YouTube channel: HERE.  To keep up to date with his latest projects.

Sonic Fingers Dome Control MIDI Device - An Electric HandPan (?)

While it seems likely that the ‘Dome Control’ MIDI controller will fail to hit every note fluidly, in terms of successfully mimicking all of the sonic nuances of an acoustic HandPan, the unannounced (and unprecedented?) appearance of the Dome Control is still quite exciting news. Not least for the potential fun, and games that a device like this could open up for the HandPan admirer, but also because, quite literally, this is yet another first step along another distinct tangent, of the HandPan’s now fast moving, and fast mutating; evolutionary path.

Built by Argentina based company ‘Sonic Fingers’, the Dome Control is a Hang/HandPan shaped MIDI controller, that when mixed with something like ‘Soniccoutures Pan Drum Sample Pack’, can be used to create an electronic HandPan (of sorts). Constructed from stainless steel (possibly more for looks than anything else), this first attempt at an electronic HandPan offers several benefits over its acoustic brethren. The main of which are:

* No need to worry about loss of tuning.
* Play multiple scales, and instruments all from a single dome.
* Increased volume potential for live performances.
* Cheaper (than the majority of HandPan at time of writing).

All of which are great. But before you go rushing off to buy a Sonic Fingers Dome Control, ask yourself, am I buying this for what IT offers, or am I just buying this because I desperately want a Hang/HandPan, can’t get one, so am going to buy this instead because it looks like one. Because chance is, if it's the latter, this isn’t going to offer you the experience that you’ve been searching for. It will lack the wave of sonic vibrations that envelope the HandPan player, and those listening, and fall short on subtleties of play. But, for what the Dome Control offers under its own merits, and taking it for what it is, This HandPan shaped MIDI controller could, using the Hangs notoriously intuitive note layout, have serious practical uses within the studio, and most importantly (to us), be a whole heap of fun to play.

For more information, and/or to buy the Sonic Fingers Dome Control, you can visit their website: HERE.