In 2011, Valeria Nicoletta, Luca Proietti, and Stefano Torossi recorded Vocal Emotions, a 16-track digital download of original compositions by vocalist-composer Nicoletta, musician-composer Proietti, and composer-producer Torossi from Italy’s Deneb Records that include an eclectic mix of world music from the Middle East, India, Ireland, Latin America, and Europe among other places.

Valeria Nicoletta, Luca Proietti, and Stefano Torossi – Vocal Emotions (2011) Deneb Records

Vocal Emotions, a project conceived by Stefano Torossi, was recorded in Luca Proietti’s home studio. The album includes “Spiritual Mission,” “Dance Tarantella,” the title track, “Ave Maria,” “Italian Lullaby,” “New Gothic,” “Monsoon,” two versions of “Exotic Sahara,” “Latin Funk,” “East Spice,” “Celtic Melody,” “Jet Set,” “Stroboscope,” “Pop Star,” and “Vogue.”

Various Artists – Capocolonna luce dell’anima (2014) Anna Cynthia Agostino

Valeria Nicoletta, Luca Proietti, and Stefano Torossi’s “Ave Maria,” the fourth track on Vocal Emotions, also appears on Capocolonna luce dell’anima (2014), a just-released compilation of traditional songs inspired by liturgical texts and traditions associated with the devotion to the Virgin Mary. The album also includes a previously unreleased Tina and Valeria Nicoletta song, “Mira il tuo popolo.” A promotional video for the composition, produced by Pino De Fazio and A. Cynthia Agostino, uses Valeria Nicoletta’s own photos and video. Click HERE.

Valeria Nicoletta, Luca Proietti, and Stefano Torossi’s “Exotic Sahara,” which has appeared on several compilations by ExtraBall Records in 2013 and 2014 including, with “East Spice,” on Oriental Groove: World Music from the Middle East (2014) and Ethnic Nights: Sensual World Music Atmospheres (2013) and Trip To Damascus: Arabian World Music (2013).

Various Artists – Oriental Groove: World Music from the Middle East (2014) ExtraBall Records

“Exotic Sahara” was also used in director Isaac Florentine’s Assassin’s Bullet (2012), a film starring Christian Slater, Donald Sutherland, Elika Portnoy, and Timothy Spall.

Assassin’s Bullet (2012)

A film clip using “Exotic Sahara” is on YouTube:

Another highlight on Vocal Emotions is “Monsoon.” Valeria Nicoletta recently explained: “‘Monsoon’ was a composition created as a challenge: to change an Italian song, a Western one, into an Indian one, about air. In fact, in the first verse of the song, you can clearly hear a Mediterranean melody yet with the addition of Indian instrumentation it has become completely different!”

Valeria Nicoletta performing in 2013 (photo by Erika Caruso)

When asked about the tribute to modern Bhangra music, Luca Proietti added: “I’ve always been fascinated by Middle Eastern music, so this song was born as an homage to the musical atmospheres of this amazing region. Of course there are Western musical elements in the song, too. I’ve always loved to mix different cultures.”

Various Artists – Trip To Damascus: Arabian World Music (2013) ExtraBall Records

More Music From Valeria Nicoletta, Luca Proietti, and Stefano Torossi

In addition to Vocal Emotions, Valeria Nicoletta joined Luca Proietti on World Windows (2007), an album produced  by Stefano Torossi. Unfortunately, this Rai Trade album is currently out of print and has yet to appear in digital format.

Luca Proietti – World Windows (2007) Rai Trade

Torossi also produced Fashionrama (2003), an album featuring Valeria Nicoletta and Claudio Passavanti. The same three artists made Spiritual Experience in 2001, a CD released by Rai Trade.

Valeria Nicoletta – Spiritual Experience (2001) Rai Trade

“Heart And Soul,” the ninth track on Spiritual Experience, performed by Valeria Nicoletta and Claudio Passavanti and produced by Stefano Torossi, is here:

Guitarist-keyboard player, arranger, and composer Luca Proietti and Stefano Torossi have worked on more than a dozen albums since 1992 including Fonit Cetra’s Commenti musicali: Young Music – Young Ideas (1993) and Musica per commenti sonori: Dreams (1994); RCA’s World Vibrations (1995), and Rai Trade’s Geoglot (1999), Urban World (2003), WM Global Music (2004), World Windows (2007) and Linea blu (2008).

Luca Proietti (photo from MySpace.com)

“V.U.E.” from Luca Proietti’s Geoglot: Universal Language, produced by Stefano Torossi, is on SoundCloud:

In addition, “Zafra” and “Amina,” a pair of tracks from Luca Proietti’s WM Global Music, produced by Stefano Torossi, is on MySpace. Click HERE.

In 2009, Luca Proietti released Electro Vox: Electronic Music And Vocal Melodies on Rai Trade, an album featuring the music of Proietti and the vocals of Valeria Nicoletta.

Luca Proietti – Electro Vox (2009) Rai Trade

“Fonema,” the opening track from Electro Vox, is on SoundCloud:

In 2013, Luca Proietti released Arcadia for Italy’s GDM Music. He recently explained the album’s genesis: “The project was conceived together with Isaac Cugini of GDM Music (the publisher). The idea was to mix together the influence of various parts of the world.”

Luca Proietti – Arcadia (2013) GDM

Arcadia is an example of what is often categorized as production or soundtrack music. Proietti added: “The project is meant to be used as an underscore for television shows talking about travel, nature, etc.”

The full Arcadia album is on SoundCloud:

A video introducing Capocolonna luce dell’anima that features “Ave Maria” from Vocal Emotions (2011), A.C. Agostino’s musical featuring vocalist Antonio Lumare, and “Mira il tuo Popolo,” a tune composed and performed by Tina Nicoletta and Valeria Nicoletta, arranged by Luca Proietti, has recently been uploaded to the Internet.

Valeria and Tina Nicoletta (photo from http://www.valerianicoletta.it)

A video introducing Capocolonna luce dell’anima (2014) is on YouTube:

Valeria Nicoletta

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Valeria Nicoletta’s website

Luca Proietti

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Valeria Nicoletta, Luca Proietti, and Stefano Torossi’s Vocal Emotions album is available in WAV and MP3 format at UBM Media.

And one final video for Natacha Atlas’ “Etheric Message (Maktub)” from Foretold in the Language of Dreams, a 2002 album by Natacha Atlas and Marc Eagleton in which Luca Proietti played keyboards and collaborated on arrangements, computer editing, and mixing: