Davide Van De Sfroos celebrates his career with “Van de Best”, a new project that goes beyond a simple collection: an emotional and creative journey in 49 songs that retrace his musical and personal history.
On the occasion of the release of the album and his upcoming concert at the Forum in Assago we interviewed him. Between anecdotes, reflections and details on the creation of a unique booklet, Van De Sfroos guides us to discover his world made of symbols, emotions and authenticity.
THE INTERVIEW
David, how are you? Where are you at the moment?
Fine thanks! I'm very busy. On the one hand I'm working on the presentation of the new album, and on the other I'm preparing for the rehearsals for the concert on the 23rd. In short, an intense period, but the commitments balance each other out and in the end they even manage to distract you from each other.
Let's talk about your latest project. “Van de Best” isn't just a collection of songs, is it? It's something more, like a diary or a journey through your career.
Exact! Technically it is a collection, 49 songs that retrace my musical history. But if you look deeper, it becomes a sort of travel totem. It's a personal assessment, a game with my past. It's as if these songs, in recent years, have knocked on my door, reminding me that they are still alive. Some are always on the set list at concerts, but others remained locked in the closet. Rediscovering them was like an invitation to bring them back to light.
You know, songs are different from clothes: the latter no longer fit over time, but the songs still fit me perfectly. And as the years pass, they become more precious, more seasoned. They don't have an expiration date, they talk about universal themes. This is why I feel the need to sing them again and resonate them today, with a fresh and modern approach.
You worked with many musicians to rearrange the pieces. What was this process like?
Beautiful, but also challenging. I sang for days on end, resonating each song with new energy.
It was like entering a space-time washing machine: each song brought back moments, stages, flashes of memories. This album didn't need a booklet with lyrics, so I created a personal graphic insert: 28 pages reminiscent of my collages, full of photos, feathers, and three-dimensional fragments. It's something genuine, made by me for the fans.
Your career began at a very young age. What was the moment you realized that music was your path?
We should go back to when I was 17, when my name was David Action and I played in a post-punk band, Potage. It was an unconventional group: we took songs by Caterina Caselli or the Clash and transformed them into punk versions.
I remember a spring concert near the lake. I was wearing a colorful tank top, striped knickers and orange shoes, singing “Anarchy in the UK” by the Sex Pistols in Italian. An elderly man in the audience asked his neighbor: “Isn't it Fernanda's son who is saying he is the Antichrist?” (laughs).
That performance freed me of all my fears. Stepping off stage, I felt that music was my place in the world.
Returning to the songs, is there a song in this collection that you feel is particularly current or prophetic?
Sure, some songs give me shivers because of how contemporary they seem. Goga and Magoga, for example, it talks about ecological and moral destruction, issues that are even more relevant today. It's as if I had cast a prophecy without knowing it.
In the album booklet, there are many symbols and special signs. Where does this passion of yours come from?
Not a simple booklet, but a collection of pages in the exact style of my notebooks, created exclusively with unpublished material, drawings and photos.
Since I was a boy I have always liked representing emotions or concepts with graphic signs, as if they were glyphs or runes.
Each symbol has a meaning: the white lightning represents openness, the black one represents depth, the red one represents emotion. They are an instinctive language, a connection with something inside and outside of me.
Last question. With this album you celebrate a long and intense journey. What relationship do you have with your music today?
The more time passes, the more I realize how much music has been an antidote for me. Each song is a dress that still fits me well, a symbol of who I was and who I am today. It's a continuous journey, and it's incredible how creativity allows you to always remain a little childlike.
LISTEN TO THE RECORD
INSTORE
Wednesday 20 November Milan @ Feltrinelli P.zza Piemonte at 6.30pm
Saturday 14 December Sondrio @ La Pianola 4pm
INFO & TICKETS
Next November 23rd DAVIDE VAN DE SFROOS will go on stage at the Unipol Forum in Assago (MI) but this time it will not be a simple concert but a unique show: a real party for Van De Sfroos and his fans who will have the opportunity to share with the singer-songwriter who has won the Tenco Award several times, the songs and the story of these 25 years of solo career.
23 November 2024 at the Unipol Forum in Assago (MI)
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