Mario Guarnieri

About Mario Guarnieri

Mario Guarnieri is a London-based drummer/percussionist, interested in playing across and in-between the lines of free improvisation, experimental and groove.

He is involved with large and small ensemble playing both in workshop and performance spaces, including: London Improvisers Orchestra, Eddie Prèvost London Improvisation Workshops, Stuart Wilding’s Lo Fi Ensemble, Phil Morton’s 50:50 System, Tony Hardie-Bick’s Virtual London Improvisation Workshops, David Leahy’s Music & Dance Underscore Practice at Trinity Laban Conservatoire.

Within small ensemble playing Mario has collaborated with many free improvising players, including: Sue Lynch, Julia Doyle, N.O.Moore, Ross Lambert, Tilly Coulton, Iris Colomb, Benedict Taylor, Douglas Benford, Ivor Kalin and Andrea Bolzoni. He has performed at many venues, including: Iklectik, Hundred Years Gallery, The Horse Improv Club, Konsztrukting Soundz Series, Sound Bureau, Charles Hayward’s Lewisham Arthouse Series and Adam Bohman’s Improvised Music Concert Series. Some of these live performances have been broadcast on Resonance FM (‘The Ambrosia Rasputin Show’ and ‘Late Lunch With Out To Lunch’) and Soho Radio (The OTL Show).

Under the Patasonus moniker, Mario has released four albums of experimental, ambient, electronic soundscapes suitable for film and video, art installations and theatre and dance performance. These are found on Bandcamp and Soundcloud. Tracks from these albums have been aired on Resonance FM.

During the 90’s and 00’s Mario Guarnieri was the drummer with The Positively Testcard, known mainly for their live performances of upbeat and very danceable Kwela tunes. Live performances included the Left Field stage at Glastonbury 2007, and live sessions for BBC Radio programmes (Andy Kershaw, Charlie Gillett), plus appearances on Loose Ends, The Arts Hour, Mel and Sue, Phil Jupitus and more. The Positively Testcard also released 4 cd’s: ‘The Indestructible Beat Of South Norwood’; ‘Gas Up My Hotrod Stoker’; ‘Let’s Do The Kwela’ and ‘World Cup Kwela’. They also contributed tracks to two compilation cd’s: ‘Dark Was The Night’ a tribute to Blind Willie Johnson (also includes contributions from Martin Simpson, 3 Mustaphas 3) and ‘Music Minds’ (Musicians Helping Mental Health, which included contributions from Phil Manzanera, Phillip Rambow, and Glenn Tilbrook amongst others).