bio
Riccardo Dillon Wanke (b. Genova, Italy 1977) established in Milan from 1982 until 2005, lives and works in Lisbon. multi-instrumentalist and composer. From 1995 active in arts (music, installations), his interest includes classical, improvised and exploratory music and it is focused on the diffusion of contemporary art. He is particularly interested in digital and analog manipulation of sound and its use into musical compositions. His work with guitars, keyboards (piano and rhodes) and electronics has started from pure radical improvisation and has drawn to the investigation of drones sounds, static music. Recently he explores sonic interactions, binaural beats and extreme microtonality.
He collaborates with musicians such as Giuseppe Ielasi, Rafael Toral, David Maranha, Manuel Mota among others. He set up a trio with Maranha and Mota, "Dru", and regularly collaborates with italian classical cellist Francesco Dillon with whom he co-founded 'Amuleto' collective. He published music for international labels such as Sedimental, Glistening Examples (USA), DieSchachtel (IT), Three:Four (CH), Headlights (PT), Apice (MX) among others.
He teaches Acoustic, Psychoacoustic of Music and Sound and Artistic Practices at the Departement of Musicology of NOVA University Lisbon and at ESAD.CR School of Arts and Design (Caldas da Rainha, PT).
He studied Chemistry, Piano, Sax, Music Harmony, Theory, Improvisation and worked as Musical Label Editor, Chemist, Musician and Musicologist and he’s currently investigating contemporary experimental music at Centre for the Study of the Sociology and Aesthetics of Music – CESEM, at the University ‘Nova’ of Lisbon.
In September 2021, his book "Sound in the Ecstatic-Materialist Perspective on Experimental Music is available!! by Routledge (Taylor & Francis)
"What does a one hour contemporary orchestral piece by Georg Friedrich Haas have in common with a series of glitch-noise electronic tracks by Pan Sonic? The ECSTATIC-MATERIALIST PERSPECTIVE. Check it out this book!!!! by Routledge (Taylor & Francis)
RDW's music was included in The Wire Tapper "Anthology Of Underground Music vol. 37".
The Wire Magazine, April 2015
"When he incorporates the acoustic or piano, his dense layers take on even more life. [...] I can’t get enough of this."
Mike Shiflet,
1st, playlist 2010
"Wanke's patient craft and superb use of space make 'Caves' one of the year's stongest
debuts."
Nick Cain, The Wire #295/sept08
"It's apparent throughout just how beautifully made and directly affecting these pieces are, and what a significant contribution 'Caves' makes to experimental music of a minimalist bent."
Max
Schaefer, squidco.com,
08/2008.
"'Caves' is an exceptional work of honesty, pain and beauty which will
have you seeing wonder and magic in every crack, chip and dis-colourment
that surrounds your existence- simply spellbinding stuff."
Roger
Batty, musiquemachine.com,
06/2008
