Forrotronics

FORROTRONICS - established in 1983. Daniel Forró on keyboards, Midi Wind Controller, MIDI Guitar, midified six string bass guitar... Multi style music.

Daniel Forró - born as Karel Horký on 19.2.1958 in Jihlava, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic), M.A., Ph.D. He's been living in Jihlava until 1973, then he continued his study and has been living in Brno for the next 30 years until September 2003, when he moved to Japan. Studies 1965-73 - piano, flute and music theory, Art School, Jihlava 1973-79 - flute, pipe organ, music theory, composition, State Conservatory, Brno. He finished his studies cum laude by performing J. Zimmer's Concerto, J. S. Bach's Passacaglia C minor on pipe organ and dissertation work on "Electronics & Sound". 1975-79 - composition privately with Alois Pinos 1979-86 - with Pinos at JAMU - Janacek's Academy of Music, Brno, M.A. He finished study cum laude with "Concerto for synthesizers, computer and large orchestra" (25', he performed solo part himself) and thesis "Electronics & Music" (over 200 pages - later used as a base for his expert books). 1982 - Summer Composition Master Class at Academia Chigiana in Sienna, Italy, with Franco Donatoni 1996-99 - postgradual study of "Theory of music composition" at JAMU, Ph.D. Another Ph.D. study at Department of Musicology at Masaryk University was not finished due moving to Japan. Composition Daniel Forro started to compose in the age of 10, has been regularly composing since his 14 and has created more thousand works in various music genres. In his autonomous New Music works he often combines acoustic and electronic instruments and in each work he tries to use different principles and ideas, very often based on extra-musical material, complex mathematical structures or improvisation. He considers polystylistic electro-acoustic, computer and microtonal music to be his main stream. Since 1985 he has been a pioneer in the use of MIDI and computers in the New music in former Czechoslovakia. He wrote chansons, theatre, cabaret, pop, rock, folk, jazz and other songs (over 550 pieces), jazz, pop, rock and Latin works. He did a good number of functional music - 19 musicals and over 200 items of incidental music for theatre, ballet, TV and radio artistic or documentary programs, film, video, sports, groups of historical dancing and fencing, happenings and many other. He has authored Brno municipal fanfares. He is able to write music in the styles of composers of the past centuries as well as jazz, rock, pop, Latin, ethnic, fusion, microtonal, electronic, minimal and other music. He believes that only a composer of such wide and deep knowledge and ability deserves to be called "composer". He is both experimental and synthetic type of composer - he did experimental and unusual music, but he is able to write quite eclectically in historical or ethnic styles. He uses complex constructions as well as total improvisation. All his creative life he tries to find some balance between these extreme approaches and to make an organic synthesis by connecting the elements of the European music since the ancient times until now (time domain) with music from all the world (artificial or ethnic, space domain) - in full accordance with his own term "musical cosmopolitanism". Being admirer of Zen Buddhism he believes time and space are united, so for him is not difficult to connect the most distant things. He considers many composers of past to be his colleagues and friends like recently living persons. Concert performing Among D. Forro's other musical activities should be mentioned giving concerts on keyboards and other instruments since his 9 in the field of classical music and since about his 17 in other music styles (pop, rock, jazz, ethnic music, electronic music). He was a member of top Czech prog-rock group Progres 2 (compositional and arranging cooperation on the very first Czech rock opera "Dialogue with Space") and pop-rock Bronz - 1977-84. Since 1983 he started his solo electronic project Forrotronics, since 1997 he performed with Brno percussion ensemble DamaDama. During his concert carrier in Czechoslovakia (1967-2003) he cooperated with many artists, groups and orchestras. He is well known as an excellent creative improviser in any music style and incredible prima-vista player able to play on the first sight even rather difficult classical or contemporary music pieces in standard music notation or some unusual graphical notation as well as Baroque numbered bass or jazz leadsheets. Big help here is for him a deep knowledge of music theory and history, excellent playing skills, long-year experience in many styles, and perfect pitch. After moving to Japan in 2003 he continues successfully his concert carrier performing on different instruments and in many music styles. Besides his solo performing on piano, pipe organ, reed organ, Hammond organ, harpsichord and synthesizers he often cooperates with the other artists. Forro is an exceptional and outstanding synthesizer virtuoso, he always tried to use synthesizer as a real and expressive instrument with its own distinct character and identity. Besides his unique ability to imitate any acoustic instrument with all its nuances, articulation, voicing, expression and stylistic aspect, Forro as a player, composer and arranger can use creatively any electronic sound, be it simple old analog or very complex experimental digital one. Great advantage here is his deep knowledge of music theory and programming the synthesizers as well as many years of practical performing experience in many music styles. He is extraordinary and charismatic performer with astonishing power and drive, in narrow connection and symbiosis with his composing and arranging activities. In this connection it should be mentioned that thanks to his cooperation with Yamaha as a Product Specialist (1992-2002) Forro was one of the first musician in the world using physical modeling synthesizers VL1 (since 1994 until now - he is a proud owner of 4 pieces) and polyphonic VP1 - with a latter one he recorded a double CD of his improvisations in 1997 (VP1 Impressions), probably as the only musician in the world as this very special instrument exists only in few pieces. Recording artist and arranger Forro really loves to work in his studio, which he has been building since 1982 and where he recorded his pieces besides arranging and producing many other works of contemporary and historical composers. Despite the fact he had to sell a lot of rare instruments from his huge collection before moving to Japan still there's a significant number of equipment for creative work (actual list of gear you can find below). Other activities - Teaching work - private teaching since many years, courses at his own private school Forrotronics since 1990, teaching at Janacek's Academy of Music 1990-2003 (where he was a head of EA and Computer Music Department 1993-2003), post-gradual classes for music teachers 1993-1995, Summer Master Classes at JAMU 1996-2002, teacher at Summer Rock Academy 1998-2003. He taught: music theory, history, harmony, counterpoint, forms, analysis, solfeggio, composition, instrumentation, arranging, music styles, jazz, pop, rock, ethnic, minimal, microtonal music, creative improvisation, electronic and computer music theory, history, composition and production, computers in music - software, hardware, MIDI system, sound design, programming synthesizers, samplers and rhythmers, work in recording studio, playing all keyboard instruments, performing stylistics and many others... It's a pity that after moving to Japan he couldn't find similar teaching position as before - his deep knowledge of music theory and practical experience in many music styles is not fully used. - Expert and consulting work (1992-2002 narrow cooperation with Yamaha Europe as Product Specialist for synthesizers, keyboards, digital pianos, organs and other EMI, for studio, PA and music software for 22 countries, 2002-03 for Korg CZ and Technics). He did more hundreds public expert lectures, seminars, clinics, concerts, demonstrations at music fairs, in the shops, schools in about 10 European countries... - Writer's activities (editor and main contributor of Czech magazine Muzikus 1991-2002 - hundreds of educational articles and expert series on synthesizers, MIDI, music software, studio work, music stylistics, tests and reviews - thus he became "Doctor MIDI" by nickname, guru and pope of MIDI and synthesizers in his language region - Czech countries and Slovakia. He published 10 expert books on MIDI, recording studio, computers and music, electronic musical instruments, and he prepared radio educational programs on the same theme. - Interpreting, translating and teaching work in more languages (his native Czech, Slovak, Russian, Polish, English, German, Italian, Japanese...). - Organisational work (founder and chairman of Society for Microtonal Music in 1995-2003, organizer of Festival of Microtonal Music, founder and owner of the private Museum of Electro-acoustic Instruments 1989-2003, founder and chairman of Society for Creative Music Improvisation 2001-2003, co-owner of the firm Musitronica selling musical instruments 1997-2000). Daniel Forro represents with his incredible wide range of interests, knowledge, experience and versatility a real musician of 21st century. His tolerant, kind and all-embracing attitude to the life, people and music is rather unusual and difficult to understand to many narrow-minded and conservative people or to the average musicians - he can compose and arrange music, perform on more instruments, improvise, record, program synthesizers, do scientific research, teach, write and talk about music... this all in many music styles, on more instruments (and in more languages). Such ability is not so often to see in one person. But he really considers only such wide, deep and serious attitude has sense and is always honest to himself, to the music art and to the public with his perfectionist's approach.

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