"I was born in 1981, but this is not important, at least not in this context. Instead it’s much more important to recall the year 1993, when I decided what would have been my future: guitar player! I don’t know how I have fallen in love with this beautiful instrument, the electric guitar, but one thing is certain: there’s not a day in which I don’t grab it and start playing something. You know, with my seven (yeah! I’ve got the seven string guitar) string guitar I want to express everything that’s inside my head, and to do this at my best, I’ve studied a lot of music genres and different techniques. However in this ever-changing world I always tried to build my personal style, a unique road to follow and evolve with. A year ago I also decided to transmit my knowledge, even if still limited, by teaching to other young players who harbour the same passion of mine. My present and past are inextricably related to the prog metal band Dynamic Lights, and I consider barracuda the only other project of relevance I had in my career.
My goal is to have my name and the one of Dynamic Lights forever linked together as something that will never accept compromises, something that will evolve and remain always updated (musically), something that will never shy away from letting emotions flow…all of this by taking advantage of music, challenging conventionality and rising from commonplace."

Marco uses:
• Ibanez RG 2027X 7-strings guitar
• Ibanez RG 1527RB 7-strings guitar
• Seymour Duncan Distortion pick-ups
• Ernie Ball Super Slinky strings - gauge 0.009-0.052
• ENGL Screamer 50 Head
• ENGL Z-5 Custom Footswitch
• Carvin C412T Legacy Top Cabinet 4x12
• Whammy Pedal
• Alesis Quadraverb
• Behringer Composer Pro MDX2200 Compressor
• George Dennis GD65 Parametric Wah-Volume pedal
• Proel MS16 MIDI footswitch
• Proel cables

Marco's gear photos

"My passion for the bass started when I was 14. I got bass lessons from various teachers, but I always preferred to experiment music and bass lines by myself. I founded a couple of bands, the first was called Warpigs and we played crossover music - the second band was Burning Daylight, a band featuring Filippo Berlini on drums and Marco on guitar... this band later evolved through various steps and musicians, into the current line-up of Dynamic Lights. I grew up listening to a lot of different styles of music, and this has been a huge help over my way of playing bass. I fell in love with Peter Gabriel's music for several years now, and this improved a lot my musical boundaries. This also led to the discovery of who I consider the best bass player around: Tony Levin. Undoubtely I achieved a lot of "feeling" with my instrument by listening through these years to what Tony was (and is still) doing."

Raffa is endorsed by:




Raffa uses:
• Manne custom handmade 6 strings bass
• Yamaha TRB-6II 6 strings bass
• Hartke Systems 3500 bass amplifier
• Hartke Systems 4.5XL cabinet
• Ritter Double Bass Bag Ritterrevolution RG9000DB-SK
• Shure E3 in-ear personal monitors
• MarkBass Bass Holder
• PlanetWaves Strap Shoulder Pad
• Yamaha H4070 strings - gauge 0.032-0.125
• Alesis MidiVerb4
• Alesis NanoCompressor
• SKB 4U Rack Case
• RakTrap Storage Systems DoubleDoor model
• Proel Die-Hard DH120 cables

Raffa's gear photos

"My approach to music started when I was 16 years old, playing the bass for a death metal band; after that I studied lyric vocals for two years, doing also some shows with my own city’ (Pesaro) chorus. In the last year I began studying as a jazz vocalist too, taking lessons at the Music Academy. You know, I’m trying to learn different styles and techniques, and the world of progressive clearly represents one of the major traits of my artistic personality. Well, after all these experiences I think I can finally state that I’ve found a vocal style that’s mine and that’s unique. So I’m very happy to be part of Dynamic Lights, because every member of the band is free to express his favourite music tastes and ideas while we compose the songs, and this is a great reason why we feel so united. I think that this particular aspect is also reflected in our music, thanks also to the great visual impact and fierce sounds that our live shows carry on with them. Even the lyrics represent the exuberance and freedom of the combo, because they don’t follow a precise metric, they only try to catch the sensations that our music holds…"

Matteo uses:
• Shure SM58 microphone
• Shure Beta58A microphone
• Digitech Quad4 multieffects processor

"I began studying the piano when I was five years old, and in September 2002 I got degrees at the Conservatorio “G. Rossini” of Pesaro, under the guidance of maestro Giovanni Valentini. In the same institute I actually attend to Elettronical Music with maestro Eugenio Giordani and in the past I made other related studies to the main activities and also Music Composition. I have a lot of experience as a non-classical musician too, as I’m also part (already four years) of a hard rock band called Crowned, in which I occupy the slots of vocalist, second guitarist and keyboardist. Actually I am also one of the three Keyboardists of “Gruppo Insieme”, a Theater Company that shows original Musicals. As I like Jazz, I play in a trio where we rearrange standards in a personal way. I was contacted by Dynamic Lights during April 2001, and I have officially entered the line-up around July. My first live show with the band has been the ‘Fanote’ exhibition, after only a few rehearsals. What else can I say? I really love progressive music, as it gives me new chills and new motivations (to improve) every day.
My favourite keyboard players are Derek Sherinian, Jordan Rudess, Kevin Moore, Keith Emerson, but I also listen a lot of Jazz Music and my favourite players are Keith Jarrett and Gonzalo Rubalcaba but also many others. In Classical Music I really love Scriabin and Debussy, but also Beethoven, Chopin and Liszt. I think my music style is really influenced by the aforementioned musicians but surely it comprises everything I studied, listened, loved in all of my life."

Giovanni uses:
• Kurzweil K2600X keyboard
• Kawai KG-3E Grand Piano

"When the gene ‘music’ is carved in your DNA, and your early days are centered around rehearsal rooms, live gigs and music shows, it’s almost impossible to not fall in love with this extraordinary art form! After three years of studying the piano and one trying to learn the guitar (I should say that both instruments didn’t fit my personality), in 1994 I began to devote my attention to that bundle of percussive instruments that soon would have been my passion: the drums. Receiving the basic rudiments from my father Anteo, a jazz drummer, I continued my music education as a self-thought student, approaching at first funk, then latin vibes, and in the end jazz, but not forgetting rock as well. All those music languages were absorbed by me from listening directly to CDs, transcribing patterns and trying to grab hold of the different characteristics of each style in all its possible interpretations; all was done with the hope of finding a new and original way of playing that could encompass all the diverse influences that formed my music background.My first real band was called Tenebra, a death metal combo with which I played for nearly three years; in the meantime I also took part at the Barracuda project, an instrumental fusion trio where I could unleash all my creativity. Following the break-up of Tenebra, barracuda became my main band. But things changed shortly thereafter, and following a separation among the core of the prog ensemble named Dynamic Lights, I was asked to join the band as their new drummer."

Simone uses:
• Yamaha 9000 drums (22" bass drum, 10"-12"-13" tom-toms, 16" floor tom)
• Yamaha Maple Custom 5,5" snare drum
• 23,5"-21"-18,5"-17,5" Tama Octobans
• Tama Iron Cobra HP900FTW Flexi Glide twin pedal
• Cymbals: Zildjian K 13" Hi-hat, Zildjian K 16" Ride, Zildjian A custom 16" Crash, Ufip Experience series 18"Crash,
Ufip Experience series 16" Crash, Ufip Rough series 16" China, Ufip Experience series 10" Splash,
Ufip Experience series 6" Splash, custom hand-made cymbals
• LP Rock Ridge Rider Cowbell, LP Hi-hat Tambourine
• Gibraltar rack