Franco Battiato | Artist

Francesco "Franco" Battiato is an Italian singer-songwriter, composer, filmmaker and painter, born 1945 in Riposto, Italy. Starting out with electronic progressive rock with some emphasis on vocals, his music became increasingly experimental, gradually moving into the realms of musique concrète and minimalism. Battiato is one of the most popular singer-songwriters in Italy, his songs contain esoteric, philosophical and religious themes. Battiato devoted much of his early efforts to experimental electronic music, producing a series of albums, including Fetus (1972) and Pollution (1972), that remained almost unknown at the time, but are now much sought after by collectors. His third album Sulle corde di Aries (1973) is regarded by many as his masterpiece, blending Italian prog rock with folk and ambient electronic styles. To-date Battiato has released 38 studio albums, standouts include Fetus, Pollution, Sulle corde di Aries, L'era del cinghiale bianco, La voce del padrone and Gommalacca. His work also includes songwriting and joint production efforts with several Italian and international musicians and pop singers, including the long-lasting professional relationship with Italian singer Carla Bissi aka Alice. Together with Alice, Battiato represented Italy at the 1984 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "I trenti di Tozeur".

Artist Website: battiato.it

Featured Albums: Franco Battiato

Related Artists: Alice