.  improvisational  :  studied  :  motific  :  ecstatic  .

“…robby aceto creates that rarest of birds; atmospheric music with an edge…” –Michael Ross; Guitar Player Magazine 

“…one of the world’s great guitarists…” –Anil Prasad; Innerviews

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musician, composer, musical collaborator, composer for documentary and narrative film

known for his work as guitarist/multi instrumentalist with
david sylvian, the heads, tom tom club, jansen/barbieri/karn, alice visconti, douglas september, birds through fire, stefano panunzi, and many others. prolific, eclectic, & multi-faceted, robby writes genre-bending art song, chamber music, compositions for solo piano, small orchestra, ethnic instruments, and electronica.
he is most at home combining stark acoustic pianos with raspy, unbridled electric guitars, unique textures derived from improvisations on these and inventive prepared instruments, chopped up and used as atmospheric backgrounds, compositional motifs, and featured solo voices. Robby is also increasingly known for the lush, mesmerizing, atmospheric film scores he composes for a widening list of emerging indie filmmakers. he is a founding member of the improvisational trio cloud chamber orchestra which exists to create live soundscapes for silent film since 2008.

his guitar-driven solo debut code (produced by david torn; alchemy records, 1996) met with unanimous praise upon its release, and is considered a classic of experimental guitar and ambient song craft. he has recently completed work with australia-based electronica, chamber music & art collective birds through fire on their second full length album project the sting of everything for Sydney-Melbourne based label, Trench Editions.  It is a wide-ranging meditation on existence, love, peril, and metaphysics, presented within a constantly shifting musical perspective, planned for release in early Spring of 2023 and will be made available of BandCamp. Their first album letters to thurza was released on trench editions in 2015 and can also be found there. 

 

recent projects include:

Birds Through Fire ; The Sting of Everything_ (album project; Trench Editions, Australia, 2023)

Stefano Panunzi ; Pages from the Sea_ (album project, SP Music, Italy; 2023)

Elizabeth Bishop and the Art of Losing_ (documentary film, dir John Scott, 2020)

Hidden Books II_ (multimedia performance; as music director and instrumentalist; dir Kumi Korf, 2021)

12 Ingredients over the Generations_ (documentary film, dir Sam Hampton, 2019)

Change in the Family_ (documentary film, dir Sam Hampton, 2017)

Passfire_(feature documentary, dir; Jesse Veverka,2016)

Freak the Language_ (documentary film, dir Sam Hampton, 2015)

Patient 001_ (indie drama, dir; Jason Deitz, 2014)

Transcending Surgeon_ (documentary film, dir; Sam Hampton, 2014)

Jungle Warfare College_ (documentary short, dir; Jesse Veverka, 2013)

Food for 9 Billion_ (NPR, 2012)

Mr. Stokes’ Mission_ (documentary film, dir; Sam Hampton, 2012)

Inside_ (dramatic short; dir Erika Street, 2010)

Jolly Black Slaves_ (documentary short; dir Jeremy Levine, 2009)

Hidden Books_ (documentary film, dir; Sam Hampton, 2011)

Walking the Line_ (feature documentary; dir Jeremy Levine & Landon VanSoest, 2008)

The Closure Myth (feature documentary; dir Erika Street, 2006)

Saved By Deportation_ (feature documentary; dir Slawomir Grunberg & Robert Podgursky, 2006)

Cloud Chamber Orchestra_ (improvising trio for silent film)

Birds Through Fire ; Letters to Thurza_ (album project. Trench Editions, Australia, 2015)