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Peter Dragotta

Peter Dragotta is a composer, wind synthesist, brass instrumentalist, producer, and leader of the electro/creative music ensemble pharmacopia. For over 20 years he has connected his jazz origins with ambient, house, electronica and break beats, as well as elements from hip hop, rock, pop, and classical music melding them into soundscapes of deep intensity.

Before being an active musician/composer, Dragotta started his career behind the scenes on the business side of the music industry starting in 1984 promoting artists and bands like Tina Turner, Duran Duran, Iron Maiden, and The Pet Shop Boys for Capitol-EMI. While there he also worked at Blue Note Records in college radio promotions during the 1985 re- launch of the label. He then moved over to Top 40 radio in 1986 as the Assistant Promotions Director and On-Air Personality at New York City's Z-100. There he took advantage of his on-air personality “Party Patrol Pete” and played trumpet and percussion at station sponsored events with artists such as Gloria Estefan, The Beach Boys, DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince, and Harry Bellefonte.

Wanting to focus more on playing and performing his own improv based music, in 1991 Dragotta left the radio industry and formed the band The James Quintet with rockers Robert Sharkey of Industrial Teepee on guitar and Claude Coleman Jr. of Ween on drums. Joining them was Steven Decker on bass, and his brother Chris Dragotta on alto sax. The James Quintet had a steady running Thursday night gig at the 55 Bar in New York City from 1992 to 1993. Dragotta's music is heavily influenced by the creative jazz spirit of Ornette Coleman, The Art Ensemble of Chicago and the 1970's electric period of Miles Davis with the DJ culture of electronic and ambient music.

Starting in 1995, Dragotta recorded what would be the first of many albums under the ensemble name pharmacopia. The following year he began distributing his music digitally as being one of the first artists to sign up on the legendary (now defunct) net label MP3.com. Currently, pharmacopia's music is distributed and licensed through the net label Jamendo.com.

In 1999 he founded the digital advertising/marketing company called ThingeeDigital. His company produces videos, animations, websites and most importantly to him, music. Peter has composed and produced the background music for various ad and promotional campaigns. Some of his current clients include Novartis, Johnson and Johnson, Astra-Zeneca, Ferring Pharmaceuticals, Hoffman La Roche, Wyeth, Grolsch, Wachovia, Intel, US-Army,Range Rover, and Ashoka.

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Take Five With...

Take Five With Peter Dragotta

Read "Take Five With Peter Dragotta" reviewed by AAJ Staff


Meet Peter Dragotta: Peter Dragotta is a trumpeter, wind synthesist, composer and producer who performs under the name pharmacopia. For over 20 years he has connected his jazz origins with ambient, house, electronica and break beats, as well as elements from hip hop, rock, pop, and classical music melding them into soundscapes of deep intensity.Peter's interest in both acoustic and electric music demonstrates his comfort in melding pop, rock and funk, alongside modern jazz. These distinctive sensibilities establish ...

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Recording

The Sound of Hulu Static and Salad

The Sound of Hulu Static and Salad

Source: Michael Ricci

For over 15 years Peter Dragotta's most innovative music has been branded under the name pharmacopia. During the last three years between two side experiments producing a whole album on a mobile app (Pornhub Remixes 1+2) and a follow up album playing mobile apps of grooveboxes and instruments on multiple iPhones and a iPad (Mobile Music Diversions) he has been revisiting the AI (Artificial Intelligence) world of music creation that began back in 1996-97 with his monumental releases In Real ...

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Music

Pierceface

From: Whiteboard Dinovisions
By Peter Dragotta

Coffee Cups

From: Hulu Static and Salad
By Peter Dragotta

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