Fabrizio Moretti facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Fabrizio Moretti
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Moretti performing with the Strokes in 2019
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| Background information | |
| Born | June 2, 1980 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| Origin | New York City, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1998–present |
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Fabrizio Moretti (born June 2, 1980), also known as Fab, is a Brazilian-American musician and artist. He is best known as the drummer for the American rock band The Strokes. With The Strokes, he has released six studio albums since 2001.
Fabrizio is also part of other music groups. These include the band Little Joy and the experimental group Machinegum. Besides music, Moretti creates art like drawings, sculptures, and art installations.
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Early life
Fabrizio Moretti was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. His father, Stefano, was an Italian engineer, and his mother, Ana, was Brazilian. He grew up with his older brother, Leo.
When Fabrizio was three years old, his family moved to New York City. They planned to stay for only three years but ended up living there for seventeen years. They later returned to Brazil. Fabrizio once said that he didn't feel fully Brazilian, Italian, or American while growing up in New York. He felt like he was trying to find his own identity in the city.
He started playing the drums at age five. He practiced in a soundproof closet in his family's apartment. He became more serious about drumming in high school. Fabrizio went to the Anglo American International School. There, he met his future bandmates Nick Valensi and Julian Casablancas. After high school, he studied sculpture in college. However, he left college to focus on his music career with The Strokes.
Career
The Strokes
Fabrizio Moretti, Julian Casablancas, and Nick Valensi started playing music together in high school. Later, Nikolai Fraiture joined as the bassist. The band was fully formed in 1998 when guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. joined. Their first show as The Strokes was in New York City in September 1999.
The band released their first EP, The Modern Age, in 2001. They then signed a five-album deal with RCA Records. The Strokes have released six albums, including Is This It and The New Abnormal. They have toured and played at festivals around the world. After their contract with RCA Records ended in 2013, they continued to release new music.
Moretti's drumming style is often described as clear and elegant. He aims to provide a steady beat for the band. He uses a simple four-piece drum kit with a hi-hat and ride cymbals. He uses Ludwig drums and Zildjian cymbals. Early in his career, he was known for hitting his drums very hard, often breaking his drum sticks.
Little Joy
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In 2007, Moretti formed a new band called Little Joy. He joined with Los Hermanos guitarist and singer Rodrigo Amarante and singer Binki Shapiro. They met at a music festival in Lisbon, Portugal, in 2006. They wanted to start a new music project together.
Little Joy signed with Rough Trade Records. Their first album, produced by Noah Georgeson, was released in 2008.
Machinegum
Since 2018, Moretti has led a New York-based band and art group called Machinegum. The group performs music and also creates art installations for galleries. Machinegum includes Moretti, Ian Devaney, Delicate Steve, Chris Egan, Martin Bonventre, and Erin Victoria Axtel. They have also worked with architect Joseph Vescio and actor Justin Bartha.
Machinegum released their first album, Conduit, in December 2019. It was released on Frenchkiss Records.
Other projects
Music collaborations
Moretti often mixes music with visual art and performance. He has worked with musicians like Devendra Banhart and Rodrigo Amarante. He has also collaborated with his bandmates from The Strokes. Fabrizio has written songs and created remixes for other artists. He also works as a DJ at events.
In 2008, Moretti was part of a project called Megapuss. He worked with Devendra Banhart, Gregory Rogove, and Noah Georgeson. They released one album called Surfing. He also played drums for Neon Neon and on Kesha's song "Only Wanna Dance With You". He co-wrote a song for Har Mar Superstar with Banhart and Amarante. Moretti also played in Banhart's touring band in 2013. He contributed to Amarante's first solo album in 2014.
In 2015, Moretti remixed Spoon's song "Inside Out". In 2016, he covered the song "I Love You All the Time" with Beck and Nick Valensi. This was for a campaign to help victims of the 2015 Paris attacks. Moretti has also played drums for The 8G Band, the house band for Late Night with Seth Meyers. In 2017, he played drums on the song "Indignities" by Nation of Language. He also filled in as a bassist for one of their tours. In 2018, Moretti created an instrumental song called "In Case of Separation" for an album by artist Sophie Calle.
Art projects
Moretti is a passionate visual artist. He enjoys making sculptures and drawings. He has been sharing his art since the mid-2000s. In 2013, he created an art installation for Rag + Bone. He also showed his drawings in New York. He worked on an art project called FUZLAB with French cartoonist Luz in 2012. They continued to work together and even shared a studio in Paris. In 2017, one of his sculptures was shown at an exhibit in New York City.
In December 2019, Moretti worked with Italian art dealer Fabrizio Moretti on an exhibit. It was called Fabrizio Moretti x Fabrizio Moretti In Passing at Sotheby's in New York City. The art dealer chose old paintings, and the musician Fabrizio Moretti designed the interactive exhibit.
In December 2021, Moretti designed and built a nine-foot-tall art piece called "Kube." It is made of one-way mirror, polished steel, and lights. He built it by hand in Brooklyn. Inside the Kube, there is a shiny disk by artist Anish Kapoor. Moretti explained that when you are inside the Kube, you become part of the artwork. You can see yourself reflected many times, which makes you think about your connection to the art.
Personal life
Fabrizio Moretti was born in Brazil and moved to the United States when he was young. He is now a citizen of the United States. He also holds citizenship in Italy, his father's home country. Moretti can speak English, Portuguese, Italian, and French.
From 2002 to 2007, Moretti was in a relationship with actress Drew Barrymore. He briefly dated actress Kirsten Dunst in 2007. He was also in a four-year relationship with his Little Joy bandmate Binki Shapiro. From late 2011 to 2013, he dated actress Kristen Wiig.
Moretti lives in New York City. He has an apartment near Union Square in the East Village, which he bought in 2003. For some time in the late 2010s, he lived in Paris.
Discography
Solo discography (as remix artist)
- "Inside Out" (2015) (originally by Spoon)
- "Oblivius" (2016) (originally by The Strokes)
The Strokes discography
- Is This It (2001)
- Room on Fire (2003)
- First Impressions of Earth (2005)
- Angles (2011)
- Comedown Machine (2013)
- The New Abnormal (2020)
Little Joy discography
- Little Joy (2008)
Other studio albums
- Megapuss (2008) (as part of Megapuss)
- Conduit (2019) (as part of machinegum)
