HinweiseThe Dining Rooms are Stefano Ghittoni and Cesare Malfatti. Stefano Ghittoni, resident DJ at Magazzini Generali in Milan, spurred the initial creative process behind the duo's musical direction in 1998. Cesare Malfatti, on the other hand, is a founding member of the post-blues project 'La Crus'. Both Stefano and Cesare come from the punk/new wave scene and they have played in several underground bands in earlier years. In early 1999, through the electronica label Milano2000, The Dining Rooms release their debut full-length album: "Subterranean Modern Volume 1". The record is characterized by hip hop/funk-inspired rhythms flowing alongside bluesy guitar textures and melancholic, minor-key atmospheric elements. As a side project to this record, Stefano Ghittoni works with videomaker Maria Arena on the 'Ambient Blues Caffe'' project, an ambient sonorization project for turntables and video performed all over Italy and Europe. The second Dining Rooms album, "Numero Deux", which features a multimedia section with videos by Maria Arena (one of which is dedicated to J.L.Godard), is released in January 2001 and picks up the stylistic streak of "Subterranean Modern Volume 1", enriching its sound with the addition of jazz atmospheres and introducing vocal parts performed by the minimal-soul duo "Sepiatone" (Hugo Race and Marta Collica). In summer 2001 "Numero Deux" was also released in the US, Japan and Germany through Guidance Recordings. To promote the new record, The Dining Rooms have developed and enriched the audio-visual experience of the 'Ambient Blues Caffe'', giving birth to the new set named 'FILM'. The new live performance includes DJ and live sets by Stefano Ghittoni and Cesare Malfatti (using computers, samplers and turntables) and the enhanced visual experience provided by Maria Arena. "Tre", was released in spring 2003 on Schema Records. The record delves further into the themes of the two preceding releases, adding faster rhythms and a more focused production. The record also features important vocal contributions by Anna Clementi and Sean Martin and production assistantship by Soulpatrol, among others. Like "Numero Deux", "Tre" was released in the US, Japan and Germany through Guidance Recordings . In early 2004, "Versioni Particolari" hits the shelves. It is an album of remixes previously released on 12" vinyls, new versions, and unreleased Dining Rooms goodies, and features work on Dining Rooms tracks done by heavyweight producers like Nicola Conte, Soulpatrol and The Cinematic Orchestra, among others. The Dining Rooms live show was then further developed into a full live set, taking advantage of a five-piece band and enriched, as always, by Maria Arena's evocative video work. The live experience and the idea to work on songwriting become the conceptual and stylistic basis for The Dining Rooms' fourth studio album. "(E.I.A.S.) Experiments In Ambient Soul" has been released through Schema in late spring 2005. E.I.A.S. is a journey into modern funk and jazz. It features a collection of inspired and soulful tracks with contributions by Don Freeman, Amraah 8, Sean Martin, Hugo Race and Marta Collica. Stefano Ghittoni and Cesare Malfatti are also involved in side projects. Stefano is half of afro-brazilian beat combo Vuca; Cesare proposes an abstract avant pop in Noorda. In early 2004, with the contrubution of Schema Records, Stefano created a new sub-label called Big Sur. Specialized in afro-house and funky beats, Big Sur is home to a growing number of artist, including another side project/collaboration of Stefano's - in this case with Marco Rigamonti, as Double Beat.
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