While in “Rockerilla”

A stunning review written by Mirco Salvadori:

Francis Gri è quel raro musicista che riesce ad esprimere il proprio sentire mantenendo sempre alta la soglia dell’emozione in chi lo ascolta. La sua scelta nell’osservare da sempre totale libertà e indipendenza, lo colloca nell’oscuro per molti Olimpo dei puri, un luogo in realtà assai frequentato per chi di queste caratteristiche ha bisogno, lasciandosi andare in un ascolto parimenti unico e libero. Eno e Budd alle basi del suo gesto sonoro che in While assume le sembianze del diario, oggetto intimo e liberatorio, capace di tenere lontane l’ansia e l’angoscia degli accadimenti che segnano il nostro percorso, mantenedo aperta la connessione con il SOGNO.

Lull

I’m happy to share this little sound miniature called “Lull”

“Lull” is the first in a series of micro-albums that I will release in the future. The main characteristic of these works is to focus the essence of an album into the duration of an EP. Each track will be conceived as small musical haiku, compositional sketches aimed at the search for purity and poetry. I like the idea of ​​working by enhancing the small, the little, and spontaneity, in a world where instead the exact opposite is desperately sought. “Lull” is a dedication to my daughter and her first months of life, when sleeping was still her primary activity. Thanks to anyone who desires to be lulled by this first sound miniature.

News 2024 #1

Dear followers, I am happy to share some news with you. 
In the coming months, I will be releasing a new collaboration on my personal page. This project marks my first work with Anthony Elfort (aka Toàn), and I couldn’t be prouder of the result. The mix is nearly complete; we’re just finalizing the mastering and artwork. My goal is to launch it in April—fingers crossed!
Additionally, I have a couple of smaller projects lined up for release before my new album, which I am currently composing. These include a little EP and a collection of tracks that have never found a home on any previous albums.
Lastly, there are only two copies remaining of my album “While.” If you enjoyed it, consider grabbing a physical copy of this limited edition:  francisgri.bandcamp.com/album/while

Thank you for your continued support!

Francis

SOUNDstories

Often, listening to voices that come from afar, I find myself thinking that human life is nothing but a continuous intersection of stories. Each person a tale, the planet a large container. An immense jar overflowing with stories that intertwine like shades of colors that, observed from afar, trace a defined sense. If in the past I associated poems with some albums, I would like instead in the next works to include short stories, little tales that can give three-dimensionality to the new compositions. I would like to give a voice to the notes with poetic narrations that can regenerate my creativity in one of my greatest passions after music. If this is my story, I want to see myself writing music and playing words, and I would like those few dreamers like me, crushed in a materialistic world, to be moved and continue my story in their own way in an endless trail of indissoluble poetry.

Spesso, ascoltando le voci che vengono da lontano mi trovo a pensare che la vita umana non sia altro che un incrocio continuo di storie. La persona un racconto, il pianeta un grosso contenitore. Una immensa giara che trabocca storie che si intrecciano come sfumature di colori che osservati da lontano tracciano un senso definito.
Se in passato per alcuni album ho associato delle poesie, mi piacerebbe invece nei prossimi lavori inserire brevi racconti, piccole storie che possano regalare tridimensionalità alle nuove composizioni.
Vorrei dare una voce alle note con narrazioni poetiche che possano rigenerare la mia creatività in una delle mie passioni più grandi dopo la musica.
Se questo è il mio racconto voglio vedermi scrivere musica e suonare parole e vorrei che quei pochi sognatori come me schiacciati in un mondo materialista possano emozionarsi e proseguire il mio racconto a modo loro in una infinita scia di indissolubile poesia.

The art of disappearing

Very likely, it is quite common for those engaged in an unusual activity to feel out of place in social contexts. Every day for years, it has been a tough challenge for me to interact with ordinary people and approach daily life. It’s not a matter of presumption, as many might think, but simply a fact that I constantly feel out of place. When I was younger, I thought that at least I could feel comfortable with those who make music, but unfortunately, I had to quickly reconsider. Being a musician or composer does not mean having a common language for everyone in the field; on the contrary, it is often easier to find common ground with people who do completely different things.
In fact, I have reached the point where I understand that it’s not the “outer appearance” that matters, but rather the way one approaches life that truly counts. As for me, I have always found an endless list of things trivial, which later led me to discover minimalism, both in music and in life. During the period of the label’s activity, I dealt with many musicians, and in reality, I felt truly in tune with only a few. Again, it’s not a matter of presumption, but of emotional language that then carries over into the small things of everyday life and one’s talents.
I have realized that a part of me, increasingly important, is inevitably isolating itself from the world. I have less and less interest in following what others do, and very often, I have great difficulty even understanding the meaning of what I see them do. The only thing that truly matters to me now as a musician is to continue making music, exploring new worlds in what is my most natural way to communicate with others.
Some time ago, I had a story in mind to write, which I never did. The main character was a musician who lived only for music, and slowly his body began to disappear until the point where he vanished completely, becoming music in the air. Who knows if I never wrote this story because it would have become my destiny.

Molto probabilmente è piuttosto comune, per chi svolge un’attività inconsueta, sentirsi fuori luogo nel contesto sociale.
Ogni giorno da anni per me è una dura sfida riuscire a confrontarmi con le persone comuni e approcciarmi alla vita quotidiana. Non è un discorso di presunzione, come molti potrebbero pensare, ma semplicemente è un fatto che io mi senta costantemente fuori luogo. Quando ero più giovane pensavo almeno che avrei potuto trovarmi a mio agio con chi fa musica ma purtroppo mi sono dovuto ricredere velocemente. Essere musicista o compositore non significa avere un linguaggio comune per tutti gli addetti del settore, anzi molto spesso è più facile trovare più punti di incontro con persone che fanno tutt’altro.
Infatti sono arrivato al punto in cui ho capito che non è il “vestito” la chiave di tutto ma il modo in cui ci si approccia alla vita che realmente conta.
Per quanto mi riguarda, ho sempre trovato futili un innumerevole elenco di cose che mi hanno poi fatto scoprire il minimalismo, sia nella musica che nella vita. Durante il periodo di attività dell’etichetta ho avuto a che fare con parecchi musicisti e con pochi in realtà mi sono sentito veramente in sintonia. Ripeto, non è un discorso di presunzione, ma di linguaggio animico che poi si trasporta nelle piccole cose della vita quotidiana e nei propri talenti.
Mi sono accorto che una parte di me, sempre più importante, si sta inevitabilmente isolando dal mondo. Ho sempre meno interesse nel seguire quello che fanno gli altri e molto spesso ho grosse difficoltà a capirne addirittura il senso di quello che vedo fare.  L’unica cosa che per me davvero conta adesso come musicista è continuare a fare musica, esplorando nuovi mondi in quello che è il mio modo più naturale per comunicare con gli altri.
Tempo fa avevo in testa una storia da scrivere che poi non ho più fatto. Il protagonista era un musicista che viveva solo per la musica, e lentamente il suo corpo cominciava a scomparire fino al punto in cui svaniva definitivamente, trasformandosi in musica nell’aria. Chissà se non ho mai scritto questo racconto perchè sarebbe diventato il mio destino.

While:::::the concept

Often, when I work on a new album, I reach a point, usually well past the halfway mark, where I manage to give an identity to the new project. In this case, probably due to a series of events that occurred throughout the year, I was able to find meaning only in the end. “While” is an album that encapsulates black and white in equal measure. On one hand, there is life (the white) represented by the birth of my daughter, and on the other hand, there is death (the black) represented by the death of both of my parents within a span of two months. It’s difficult to forget such a particular year, and it’s hard not to hold a special place in my heart for this work that accompanied me over these twelve months. Sometimes it even served as a crutch, keeping me balanced in the most challenging moments.
As already mentioned in the press release, “While” is also the first album I recorded without the use of a computer, which brought me particular pleasure in the process of composition. I could work in a more abstract manner, following instinct and knowing that I wouldn’t have great possibilities for modifications later.
Being in love with Japanese art for years, I was able for the first time to transport this style into my music, drawing small sound sketches and leaving the interpretation of the created images to the listener.
For this reason, I wanted the artwork to be something indefinite, like a sumi-e that tells, in black and white, an experience of instinct and purity. Perhaps with “While,” I have finally found the right path after years of searching for my own personal sonic language.

While ::: NEW ALBUM 2023

I’m happy to present my new album called ‘While’. Available now in digital format and for pre-order in physical format.

Release date: December 31, 2023 

Press release:

After ‘Lieve’ and ‘Argine,’ I am happy to present my new album ‘While,’ a collection of tracks produced in a year that I will hardly forget, both for better and for worse. It often happens to me when I conclude a new album to have the (ephemeral, to tell the truth) feeling of having produced the best work up to that specific moment. For various reasons, this was not the case for ‘While.’ It probably won’t be my best work, but for a long time, it will remain my favourite because it helped me in moments of vulnerability and gave me the opportunity to escape from heavy thoughts and remain in balance without falling. 
Recorded almost entirely without the use of a computer, I consider ‘While’ the most intimate album produced so far. 
Continuing the sonic language started with the last two albums and the ‘Drop Series,’ it continues my search for a dreamlike and poetic musical form through the usual fusion of acoustic and electronic instruments. 
In the physical format, you will also find images and words that, along with the music, represent the concept in its entirety. 
‘While’ is the first self-produced album and is exclusively released on my personal Bandcamp page. Thanks to anyone who has the desire to listen.

Credits:

– All music by Francis Gri 
– Composed, mixed and mastered in 2023 
– Cover artwork by FG 

Sound equipment: acoustic/electric/ebow guitar, electric piano, sansula, kalimba, melodica, harp, OP1, plastic cello, analogue gears and pedal effects

While… and new music

After closing the chapter on Krysalisound, I am happy to share some news for those who are interested in my new musical productions. My second collaboration with Wil Bolton, titled “In still water,” has just been released by Shimmering Moods. Below, you will find the link and a few physical copies still available.
https://shimmeringmoodsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/in-the-still-water

Next year, two more new collaborations will be released. The first one, already completed and ready for publication in mid-2024 by a foreign label, will be with Nicola Fornasari (aka Xu), while the second one is still in progress with Anthony Elfort (aka Toàn) and will most likely be self-published as soon as it’s ready. These are two very different collaborations that, as always, allow me to expand my musical horizons.

In 2024, my new solo album, temporarily titled “While,” will also be released. It’s a unique project, much more expansive than “Argine,” which probably felt the pressure of a complicated 2023 from the beginning, a year I’m unlikely to forget, both for the good and the bad. The album was recorded almost entirely in dawless mode, and then completed on a computer. It will be self-published on my new Bandcamp page, likely in early 2024, in both physical and digital formats

Chiuso il capitolo Krysalisound sono felice di darvi alcune news, per chi fosse interessato, riguardo le mie nuove produzioni musicali.
E’ appena uscito per Shimmering Moods la mia seconda collaborazione con Wil Bolton intitolato “In still water”. Qui sotto trovate il link e ancora poche copie delle fisiche.

https://shimmeringmoodsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/in-the-still-water

Il prossimo anno usciranno invece altre due nuove collaborazioni: la prima già conclusa e pronta per essere pubblicata a metà 2024 da una label straniera con Nicola Fornasari (aka Xu) mentre la seconda ancora in corso d’opera con Anthony Elfort (aka Toàn) che verrà molto probabilmente pubblicato come autoproduzione appena pronto. Due collaborazioni molto differenti tra di loro ma che mi permettono come sempre di aprire gli orizzonti musicali.
Il 2024 vedrà la luce anche il mio nuovo album solista che ho temporaneamente intitolato “ While”.
Si tratta di un lavoro particolare, molto più dilatato rispetto ad “Argine”, che probabilmente sentiva già dall’inizio la pressione di un 2023 complicato che difficilmente dimenticherò nel bene e nel male. Registrato quasi interamente in dawless e poi finalizzato al computer sarà pubblicato come autoproduzione nella mia nuova pagina Bandcamp probabilmente a inizio 2024 in formato fisico e digitale.