Michelangelo Russo is a visual artist and a multi instrumentalist musician.

Michelangelo was born in 1962 in Campobasso, southern Italy.

He held his first solo exhibition in 1977 and in the same year he started playing and performing with few local bands.

 

In 1980 Michelangelo moved to Pescara were he held few solo and group exhibition. During this time he performed and recorded with a local punk band, Marilyn’s Corpse.

 

In 1990 he relocated to Berlin, where he soon felt a strong affinity with the cities artistic energy.

Michelangelo established a studio in the heart of East Berlin, which at this time, shortly after the collapse of the Berlin Wall, was fertile ground for young pioneering artists.

 

During the Berlin period Michelangelo had several solo and group exhibitions and performed and recorded with fellow English musician Paul Holmes and the English duo Anna Livia.

 

From 1994 (year of his arrival in Australia) Michelangelo started collaborating widely with musician/songwriter/producer Hugo Race and his band The True Spirit contributing to the recordings of over 10 albums as well as touring extensively with the band in Europe and Australia. Michelangelo co-wrote several songs with Hugo: Surfing the Alpha, Ducados, Keep it On’ and Can you Read Me.

 

In late 1990s Michelangelo collaborated and performed with The Sculpting Time (composers/musicians Wendy Morrison and Andrew Ogburn) appearing on their White Tree album and on Tribute to Fabrizio De Andre’.

 

In 2001 and again in 2004 Michelangelo collaborated with Italo/Australian band Sepiatone (Hugo Race and Marta Collica) appearing on 2 of their albums: In Sepiatone 2001 (Milano2000 Records) and Dark Summer (Desvelos Records) 2004. These albums were later combined by USA label Minty Fresh for the US release Introduction to Sepiatone.

During the first decade of 2000 Michelangelo performed live in duo with Hugo Race in his Transfargo and The Merola Metrix project, as well as with Sepiatone and Silver Ray.

In 2006 he was invited to play duo with Hugo Race at the Festival 'Waiting for Waits' in Palma de Majorca.

In 2007 he appeared on the Headquarter Delirium album by Italian musiciant Giovanni Ferrario’s (John Parish, P.J.Harvey).

 

In 2008 Michelangelo collaborated with The Hellhounds in recording their album eponymous debut album titled and continues to perform live with the band.

 

In 2009 he played on the soundtrack of Nude Studies, (Sydney Underground Films 2009).

In 2014 appeared on the Delone album by Italian band Sacri Cuori (Glitterbeat Record).

In 2016 appeared on 24 Hours to Nowhere by Hugo Race Fatalist.

In 2017 he collaborated with Hugo Race for their duo project John Lee Hooker’s The World Today.

In 2018 he collaborated with Hugo Race, Julitha Ryan and Andrew Hehir (Idge) for they electronic soundsacape Gemini 4.

In the same year he appeared on Taken by the Dream by Hugo Race Fatalists.

 

Michelangelo has toured Europe and Australia playing with Hugo Race + True Spirit, supporting band such as Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, Rowland S. Howard and Lydia Lunch, the Beast of Bourbon, The Dirty Three and Mark Lanegan amongst others.

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Discography

 

1995            Valley of Light                       (Hugo Race + True Spirit)           Glitterhouse Records (Germany)

1997            Wet Dream                             (Hugo Race + True Spirit)           Glitterhouse Records (Germany)

1998            Chemical Wedding               (Hugo Race + True Spirit)           Glitterhouse Records (Germany)

1999            Last Frontier                          (Hugo Race + True Spirit)           Glitterhouse Records (Germany)

2001            Long Time Ago                      (Hugo Race + True Spirit)           Glitterhouse Records (Germany)

                     In Sepiatone                          (Sepiatone)                                   Milano2000 Records (Italy)

2003            The Goldstreet Session       (Hugo Race + True Spirit)           Glitterhouse Records (Germany); Spooky Records (AUS)

2005            Dark Summer                        (Sepiatone)                                   Desvelos (Italy)

2005            Ambuscado                            (Hugo Race + True Spirit)           Glitterhouse Records (Germany);

2006            Taoist Priests                         (Hugo Race + True Spirit)           Glitterhouse Records (Germany); Spooky Records (AUS)                                 

2007            Headquarter Delirium        (Giovanni Ferrario)                      Pocket Heaven Records (Italy)

2008            53rd State                               (Hugo Race + True Spirit)           Glitterhouse Records(Germany); Spooky Records(AUS); Bang! Records(Spain)

                     Ready To Go (7”)                    (Hugo Race + True Spirit)           Bang! Records (Spain)

2008            Hellhounds                            (Hellhounds Brown)        

2014            Delone                                     (Sacri Cuori)                                 Glitterbeat Record (Germany)

                     Stackhouse                            (Stackhouse)

2015            The Spirit                                (Hugo Race + True Spirit)           Glitterhouse Record (Germany); Rough Velvet (AUS)

                     False Idols                              (Hugo Race + True Spirit)           Glitterhouse Record (Germany); Rough Velvet (AUS)

                     Snow Monkey                        (Sound Track for Snow Monkey movie by George Gittos)

2016            24 Hours to Nowhere          (Fatalists)                                      Gusstaff Records (Poland); Rough Velvet (AUS)

2017            John Lee Hooker’s The World Today (Hugo Race & Michelangelo Russo) Glitterhouse Record (Germany); Gustaff Record (Poland)

2019           Gemini 4                                  (Hugo Race, Michelangelo Russo, Julitha Ryan, Andrew Heir); Gusstaff Record (Poland)

                    Taken by the dream             (Fatalists).                                      Glitterhouse Records (Germany)

2020           Star Birth / Star Death         (Hugo Race + True Spirit)           Gusstaff Records (Poland)

2024           100 YEARS                                (Hugo Race & Michelangelo Russo) Gusstaff Record (Poland)