Antònia Font
Encyclopedia
Antònia Font is a Majorcan band, formed in 1997. They are characterized by their festive music and their humorous and fantastic lyrics. The group's creative universe includes elements such as outer space and astronautics, combined with themes from everyday life. Their lyrics are written in the Catalan variant spoken in Mallorca.
They are generally classified as a pop group, though they have stated that they do not have any "stylistic prejudices" when composing songs.
Joan Miquel Oliver
, the group's guitarist, composes the songs. Oliver has also recorded solo albums and written for other groups, including Fora des Sembrat.
.
In 1999 they recorded their eponymous first album, Antònia Font, at TJ So studios in Bunyola with producer Tomeu Janer.
Two years later, on 17 February 2001, they presented their second album in Barcelona: A Rússia. According to Pau Debon, the group's vocalist, the band opted for stylistic continuity with their first album because the style adopted had worked well and they were pleased with it. The album received the 2001 Disc català de l'any (Catalan album of the year) prize awarded by Ràdio 4.
Their subsequent album, Alegria, appeared one year later. Without abandoning their style, the tone and rhythm of the songs underwent a much greater change between the second album and this one than between the first and second albums.
Taxi, Antònia Font's fourth album, came out in 2004. The CD was released with an accompanying DVD and text. Taxi was named album of the year at the Mercat de Música Viva de Vic and by the Catalan music magazines Enderrock and Rock'n'clàssic.
In 2006 Batiscafo Katiuscas was released. This album saw the group incorporate sounds and rhythms inspired by music from the 1980s.
On the 2007 album Coser i cantar, Antònia Font reinterpreted twenty of their songs with orchestral accompaniment. The album was recorded in Bratislava
, Slovakia
at Studio 2 of Slovak National Radio, with fifty string
and wind
musicians from the Bratislava Symphony Orchestra performing arrangements by the Majorcan composer Miquel Àngel Aguiló. For this work they received the 2008 Academia de la Música award for "Best Pop Album", becoming the first artist to win a general category (one open to work performed in any language) at the Premios de la Música with a Catalan-language
album. In July 2008, Antònia Font were awarded the annual Premi Nacional de Música from the Generalitat de Catalunya for Coser i cantar.
In April 2011, the group released their seventh album, Lamparetes, on their own label, Robot Innocent Companyia Discogràfica. It debuted at number three on the Spanish albums chart, becoming the band's highest-charting album to date.
On August 2010, during the music festival of Cardedeu, some fans made a libdub with their song "Extraterrestres".
They are generally classified as a pop group, though they have stated that they do not have any "stylistic prejudices" when composing songs.
Joan Miquel Oliver
Joan Miquel Oliver
Joan Miquel Oliver Ripoll is a Majorcan musician who sings and writes songs in the Catalan language. As well as being the songwriter and guitarist of the group Antònia Font, he has also embarked on a solo musical career and has published a novel and a book of poetry.- With Antònia Font :* Antònia...
, the group's guitarist, composes the songs. Oliver has also recorded solo albums and written for other groups, including Fora des Sembrat.
Origin of the name
The group have a friend named Antònia Font and liked the idea of giving a band composed of five men a woman's name. 'Font' is a common surname and 'Antònia' a common female given name in Catalan.Trajectory
In 1997 Antònia Font recorded a demo with the tracks Cibernauta Joan, l'Univers és una festa, Rumba and Es xifon és un aparato. Their first concert took place the same year in BunyolaBunyola
Bunyola is a municipality of the island of Mallorca, Spain, located in the spurs of the Serra de Tramuntana, at a distance of from Palma. The municipality has an area of and a population of 5,475 inhabitants, and the Ferrocarril de Sóller passes through it on the way to Palma....
.
In 1999 they recorded their eponymous first album, Antònia Font, at TJ So studios in Bunyola with producer Tomeu Janer.
Two years later, on 17 February 2001, they presented their second album in Barcelona: A Rússia. According to Pau Debon, the group's vocalist, the band opted for stylistic continuity with their first album because the style adopted had worked well and they were pleased with it. The album received the 2001 Disc català de l'any (Catalan album of the year) prize awarded by Ràdio 4.
Their subsequent album, Alegria, appeared one year later. Without abandoning their style, the tone and rhythm of the songs underwent a much greater change between the second album and this one than between the first and second albums.
Taxi, Antònia Font's fourth album, came out in 2004. The CD was released with an accompanying DVD and text. Taxi was named album of the year at the Mercat de Música Viva de Vic and by the Catalan music magazines Enderrock and Rock'n'clàssic.
In 2006 Batiscafo Katiuscas was released. This album saw the group incorporate sounds and rhythms inspired by music from the 1980s.
On the 2007 album Coser i cantar, Antònia Font reinterpreted twenty of their songs with orchestral accompaniment. The album was recorded in Bratislava
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
, Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
at Studio 2 of Slovak National Radio, with fifty string
String instrument
A string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
and wind
Wind instrument
A wind instrument is a musical instrument that contains some type of resonator , in which a column of air is set into vibration by the player blowing into a mouthpiece set at the end of the resonator. The pitch of the vibration is determined by the length of the tube and by manual modifications of...
musicians from the Bratislava Symphony Orchestra performing arrangements by the Majorcan composer Miquel Àngel Aguiló. For this work they received the 2008 Academia de la Música award for "Best Pop Album", becoming the first artist to win a general category (one open to work performed in any language) at the Premios de la Música with a Catalan-language
Catalan language
Catalan is a Romance language, the national and only official language of Andorra and a co-official language in the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencian Community, where it is known as Valencian , as well as in the city of Alghero, on the Italian island...
album. In July 2008, Antònia Font were awarded the annual Premi Nacional de Música from the Generalitat de Catalunya for Coser i cantar.
In April 2011, the group released their seventh album, Lamparetes, on their own label, Robot Innocent Companyia Discogràfica. It debuted at number three on the Spanish albums chart, becoming the band's highest-charting album to date.
On August 2010, during the music festival of Cardedeu, some fans made a libdub with their song "Extraterrestres".
Discography
- Antònia Font (1999)
- A Rússia (2001)
- Alegria (2002)
- Taxi (2004)
- Batiscafo Katiuscas (2006)
- Coser i Cantar (2007)
- Lamparetes (2011)