Dardust is Dario Faini, Italian pianist and one of the most awarded contemporary artists of the new generation. An exceptional songwriter and producer, he has crafted a distinctive and innovative style that redefines the boundaries of classical and contemporary music. His work transcends definitions, creating unconventional atmospheres with a perfect balance of piano and electronic elements. He has also penned numerous major Italian hits, boasting a remarkable tally of over 100 platinum records.
The artist has released a trilogy of albums: 7 in 2015, Birth in 2016, and S.A.D Storm and Drugs in January 2020. Since 2019, he has been behind several major productions, collaborating with artists like Mahmood, Elodie, Irama, Lazza, and Angelina Mango, including during various editions of the Sanremo Festival.
GLOBAL RECOGNITION
In 2020, Sturm I – Fear from the album S.A.D Storm and Drugs was selected by tech giant Apple Inc. for its annual keynote presentation to launch new products, streamed from the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, California. In 2021, he performed a unique under-the-stars concert in AlUla, Saudi Arabia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, during the AlUla Moments festival. That same year, he collaborated with international artists Benny Benassi and Sophie and The Giants, who joined him on stage at the Pala Olimpico in Turin during his performance at the 66th Eurovision Song Contest.
At the beginning of 2022, Dardust composed the soundtrack for the “flag handover” ceremony during the Olympic flag transition from Beijing 2022 to the upcoming Winter Olympics in Italy, Milan-Cortina 2026, featuring the tracks Forget To Be and Inno (Prologue). In the summer of that year, he served as Maestro Concertatore for the special 25th edition of the Notte della Taranta in Melpignano, Puglia. He was also among the artists invited to perform in support of Rome’s candidacy for Expo 2030 with Humanlands – Eternal Evolution. His music has also accompanied internationally renowned events such as the Superbowl and the NBA All Star Game.
CULTURAL MILESTONES
At the end of 2022, he released Duality, his latest international album for Sony Masterworks and Artist First, a double record that separates his two artistic personas—piano solo and electronic. This was followed in spring 2023 by the Duality Tour in Italian theaters and European clubs: a two-act show alternating between the intimate minimalism of solo piano and rave-like electronic atmospheres, presented across more than twenty dates during the summer leg. In September 2023, the release of his new single Outside marked the announcement of his return to theaters with Duality + Guests, starting in late November. This refined version of his tour featured five event-concerts with special guests, including Saturnino, Elodie, Franco126, Elisa, and Samuele Bersani.
DUALITY
Soundtracks and Cinematic Ventures
Following the success of the An Intimate Night tour with Elisa, Dardust accompanied her again during her event concerts in 2023 at the Verona Arena in summer and the Forum di Assago in winter (An Intimate Christmas). This collaboration inspired Elisa’s project Intimate – Recordings at Abbey Road, entirely recorded live at Abbey Road Studios in London. He also composed the soundtrack for Cover Story, a film created for the 20th anniversary of Vanity Fair, presented at the Teatro Lirico Giorgio Gaber in Milan during the Vanity Fair Stories 2023 festival and released in cinemas in early 2024. Currently, he is working on the score for Mauro Mancini’s feature film Mani Nude.
Awards and UPCOMING tOUR
In 2024, Dardust received an award in Bologna as Best Producer/Talent Scout at the CIAO – Rassegna Lucio Dalla event, recognized for his innovative approaches to music and creativity. On June 21, 2024, he released Mon cœur, Béton Brut, the first single from Urban Impressionism, a new artistic chapter set to debut on November 8 with Artist First and Sony Masterworks. This project features 13 piano impressions, where Dardust once again challenges neoclassical and contemporary music conventions, blending music, impressionist painting, and brutalist architecture.
To celebrate his 10-year career, Dardust performed 10 years. 1 night at Teatro Dal Verme, accompanied for the first time by the Orchestra I Pomeriggi Musicali. He also opened for Lana Del Rey at the I-Days Festival in Milan and Dua Lipa at the Nos Alive Festival in Lisbon. On March 12 and 14, 2025, he will host two special live events in Milan (Pirelli HangarBicocca) and Rome (La Nuvola), leading up to the European leg of the Urban Impressionism – Tour 2025, starting on March 18 and visiting cities like Barcelona, Madrid, Lisbon, Paris, Brussels, Hamburg, Berlin, Prague, Utrecht, and London.
