Living the ‘Dream’ for musician Antonio Roman

For Ecuador’s Antonio Roman, being a professional musician is not simply a job, it is far more than that; it is a lifestyle; it is a religion; and in Roman’s particular case, it is a constantly gratifying process of creating and performing for the masses. 

“There’s not an acceptable scenario in my brain where life spent as anything other than a professional musician is even conceivable. As the one and only Friedrich Nietzsche once said, ‘Without music, life would be a mistake.’ If I dare to take that previous thought one step further, I’d say that without a professional music career, life wouldn’t make any sense to me,” said Roman

Roman is known around the world for his outstanding keyboard and piano talents, but also his moving song writing process, which he says is where the real magic occurs. This is evident on his first album “Essential Madness” and the newest EP “Limbo Fugitives” by electro/rock power duo band Voltagram, comprised of Roman on vocals/keys and Kevin Lambertucci on bass. Roman is the sole songwriter of all the songs (both lyrics and music) as well as being in charge of all the arrangements and programming on the recently dropped EP. 

For more of Roman’s solo work, fans around the world are now able to listen to his second album “Dream Maze”, released on August 3^rd, 2020. Wanting to follow up on his first album, Roman decided the obvious path was to combine that same creative process and add all the new ideas he’d been wanting to explore for many years. The inspiration sparked right from the start and was truly a smooth enjoyable process for the musician. The result is a mix of Roman’s deep devotion for classical music, specific to the romantic era, as well as the impressionist movement, with a touch of experimental piano rock. “Dream Maze” offers a musical journey like no other. It goes one step beyond what a solo piano album can sound like.

“The moment just felt right to deliver another solo album. There’s something uniquely special about piano music, it has a universal appeal and it was inevitable to go back to my piano and write new songs. It was always part of my plan to create a project of this magnitude and it was the right time to do so,” said Roman.

“Dream Maze” is an elegant combination of multiple layers of piano music. Mainly it has a neoclassical fingerprint but it goes beyond the conventional and it explores genres like instrumental rock, new age and even jazz. Roman believes it can be thought as a concept album that dives into themes like isolation, an appropriate topic for the current state of the world, without a single word being said. Each song has its own distinctive mark and has something to offer for everyone

“This project was one of the most exciting experiences in my professional musical career. All the songs came to me by sitting on the piano with a piece of paper and a pen. It was a completely fluent experience and a great opportunity to experiment and explore different aspects of my musical taste that I haven’t necessarily tried before. Recording on an acoustic piano is one of my favorite things to do because of all the unexpected magic that occurs,” he described

“Dream Maze” beautifully portrays Roman as a musician. It is a complete honest artistic expression in its purest form, and Roman is incredibly happy with its international reach and impact. The album came out on August 3rd and fans are very pleased with the end result. It is available on all major music platforms, including Spotify, iTunes, Amazon, YouTube and many more. 

“This album was a truly enjoyable experience from start to finish. The thing that I probably liked the most about working on this project was the complete freedom to improvise new songs on the spot. It was a truly unique adventure and the end result went beyond all expectations,” said Roman

Roman is proud to announce that more projects like “Dream Maze” are on the horizon. To stay up-to-date with his impressive career and enchanting sound, visit his official Instagram page @antonio.roman.12

Photo by Julen Murguia