Episode 3: Sounds from the stratosphere

Welcome to Flight Sessions a four part mini guide to the contemporary Greek music scene. The show is broadcast every Wednesday at 7.30pm on Resonance FM.

The third edition of the series is entitled Sounds from the stratosphere.

TRACKLIST

Reverse Mouth - Black Moth (Ballades pour un patriote CDR, tanzprocesz, 2007)
Sonologik - Fonienda (Unreleased, 2008)
Nokalypse - Neverrest (Axiac Infinity, Echomusic, 2005)
Spyweirdos - Third (Ten Numbers, Creative Space, 2008)
Stavros Gasparatos - Fall (Rehearsals, To be released on Creative Space, 2008)

ARTIST PROFILES

Reverse Mouth

Bio


Reverse mouth is an Athenian noise duo of Panagiotis Spoulos and Sofia Zoitu. With more than 19 releases on their agenda, reverse mouth offer an unusual alternative to the mainstream music dialect in Greece. Numerous albums with outrageously and deliberately provocative titles compose their distorted, grainy but always captivating sound frame. Hand made art work and limited edition cassette albums make Reverse Mouth a unique and genuine art project

Discography
- 2006
A Child, A Dwarf, A Sickness CDR (Phase!)
The Bible-Eater C20 (Phase!)
Black Trance C20 (Rumor)
We Rub Our Hands With A Tendency To Start Fires CDR (Phase!)

- 2007
Black Bimbo C30 (Rumor)
Ballades Pour Un Patriote CDR (Tanzprocesz)
Lard Bum CDR (Rumor)
Reverse Mouth / Slasher Risk Split C40 (Phase!)
Gay Control Icon 3''CDR (Phase!)
Taking Good Care Of The States CDR (Rumor)
Reverse Mouth / Fossils Split C60 (Middle James Co)
Royal Sleep CDR (Sycophanticide)
Blastocyst / Reverse Mouth Split LP (Heat Retention / Phase!)
Texan Zona 1-Sided C60 (Kourlyk Records)
Black On Pussy 3''CDR tour only (Rumor)

- 2008
Harsher Fist CDR (Kiddieriot)
Backboner C30 (I Just Live Here)
Texan Zona Recut CDR (Rumor)
Wizard Of The Porks / Garbage Empress C20 (Deep Fried Tapes)
Placenta Popeye / Reverse Mouth Split 7'' (Absurd / Phase! / Tanzprocesz)
Pearl Hidden In Pigslot CDR (Phase!)
V/A - Nous Déjouons Vos Machinations CS (Tanzprocesz)

http://www.geocities.com/reversemouth/

http://www.myspace.com/reversemouth


(7 -1 QUESTIONS)

Name one album that was very influential for the creation of your sound/project

We can't say there was a specific album that was a major influence because we are constantly listening to many different stuff. If we had to name a few, that would be recordings from Pengo, Fat Worm Of Error, Christina Carter, Sword Heaven, Caroliner, Lou Barlow, Emil Beaulieu, Lee Ranaldo, Cakes Of Light, Butthole Surfers, Wipers, Dead Machines, Big Blood. It's not all about music though. We are influenced by other forms of art as well.

Name an influential gig

September 24 2006, Uncle Paulies, Brooklyn - Sword Heaven. It was one of the most intimate and intense sets we've ever seen. Actually, they played twice that night.
What do you think you can offer/change in the Greek music scene/reality ?

Unfortunately there is not much of an experimental scene - there has always been just a small group of people actively participating - here in greece. There is no ground for genuine evolution yet, even though we're beginning to think that some people are occasionaly touched by our folk tunes.

Have you collaborated/will you collaborate with artists from abroad?

We've already had split releases with Slasher Risk (New York), Fossils (Ontario), Blastocyst (New York), Placenta Popeye (France).

Name an artist with whom you would like to perform

Panagiotis wishes REVERSE MOUTH could open for Aerosmith. "Aerosmith is like the best mega group ever. Like totally. Steven is so cool, wish we could hung out backstage with a loaded six-pack and a bunch of telltales."

any plans for the future?

We just finished recording our first full length studio album. There will be various upcoming cdr and tape releases and a couple of gigs - you can check www. myspace. com/reversemouth.

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SONOLOGIK


Bio

Luc Messinezis, also known as Sonologik, is a sound artist from Piraeus, Greece. Coming from a scientific academinc background he studied in parallel music composition. He was also intrigued by sound, its attributes and the potential it provides for exploration and expression. He was a keyboardist and singer in various bands until 2007 when he decided to engage with the sound arts. He is involved in a variety of creative projects composing music and sound design for films, producing electro-acoustic and audiovisual work. He is currently working on a multispeaker installation piece entitled wunderkammer - The sound cabinet of curiosities.

In his own words:

"It started in a womb, Where I was hearing things and I could not see anything. It continued with birth, When I heard something that made me cry. Then I made a sound and I heard laughter. I'll make another, Just before I die... and then go silent... ... maybe for the first time... Sound is the first contact of a human being with the world. The infant, eyes shut, receives the sounds and dreams of a world awaiting. Realizing the importance and using the medium of sound, SoNoLogiK is an attempt to explore the boundaries between reality and imagination. Sound Composition, phonography, sound design, installation art and audiovisual works are some of the ways to trigger feelings, messages and sensations. Waves and particles, harmonies and noises, objects and metamorphoses, are starting materials for a journey of exploration aiming to unfold stories yet to be told about a world that is changing and the shift of the position the individual occupies within it".

http://www.myspace.com/sonologik

http://sonologik.com/ (under construction)

http://soundcabinetofcuriosities.blogspot.com/

(7-1 QUESTIONS)

Name one album that was very influential for the creation of your sound/project

It would be impossible to name just one album. The character of each work is a result of the experiences, emotional condition, planned concepts and the sum of influences at the given time. Terms like realism, surrealism or chaos and algorythm have shaped the identity of my practice. I could only mention artists and works that I like but I could not say if these influenced my music as composing for me is balancing process between logic and the unconcious.

Lilipoupoli (Lena Platonos), If I die Idie (Virgin prunes), Portishead (Portishead) and contemporary classical Composers is what comes first to my mind.

Name an influential gig

Just because I watched her recently... Bjork

What do you think you can offer/change in the Greek music scene/reality ?


Greek music should open up and extend its ears. The composers should stop being afraid of the unknown and start experimenting more. This has happened in the past but the modern greek way of living has caused the majority of Greek composers to repeat a so called successful recipy. Such a behaviour maybe derives from the fact that the Greek market is rather small and therefore the artists should start looking to extend their practice outside the borders.

It is hard to accept the excuse that foreign music is not easily accepted in other countries when we have the recent example of Iceland introducing artists like Sigur Ros, Bjork and mum. How could I contribute? Just keep Composing I guess...

Have you collaborated/will you collaborate with artists from abroad?

Collaborations and Art do not understand borders.

Name an artist with whom you would like to perform

Massive attack

any plans for the future?

At the moment I am developing a Sound art installation called 'Wunderkammer; The Sound Cabinet of Curiosities' which is an attempt to treat sounds as objects and create a spatial composition by discarding the factor of time. This field is something that will need more exploration and I intend to develop it further in the future. Nevertheless conventional experimental composition, collaborations and performances are activities that will always appeal to me.

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Nokalypse

Bio

Nokalypse is Themis Pantelopoulos (b. 1982) from Athens, Greece. Making music since the summer of 2000 and having a deep dive into ambient and heavy beat electronica until early 2003, he was already attracted by sound collage and drone ambient music and therefore passed on to experimentation with electroacoustic and noise music in 2004. He has already released three solo albums on cd-r: Axiac Infinity(May2005, echomusic), Between trouble and desire (October 2005, phase records), Ocean of Inexistence (December 2006, triple bath) and one split album with Novasak from Denver (December 2007, swamp of pus). He has also participated in the debut album of the greek band Night on Earth. He has founded the recording label Triple Bath in September 2006.

www.myspace.com/nokalypse

nokalypse@yahoo.gr

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Spyweirdos

Bio

Name : Spyros Polychronopoulos

(spyweirdos)


Generally :

He was born in Athens at 1980 and started making music at 1993.
He has been part of many projects for sounds scapes , mastering and composing music.
He is post graduate of physics and now working on his phd on acoustics (noise reduction / noise control)

Cooperation’s :

Alva Noto (Germany/Raster Noton) , Murcof (Mexico/the Leaf records) , Panacea (Germany/Ad Noiseam) , John Mourjopoulos (Greece/Ano Kato Records), Funckarma (Holland/Delicatessen records,On records) , Ollie Olsen (Australia/PsyHarmonics,Creative Space) , Floros Floridis (Greece/Ano Kato Records), B. Fleischmann (Germany/morr music) , Horchata (USA/ Ad Noiseam) , Traject (Iceland/ Special Material) , Hecq (Germany/Hymen Records,Metropolis) , Mad EP (USA/ Ad Noiseam) , Wilt (USA/Ad Noiseam) , Larvae (USA/Ad Noiseam) , Snog (Australia/ Metropolis Records) , Nam Shub Of Enki (Australia/Weird Music Society, Creative Space) , Metropol (Spain/Hymen, Creative Space) , ADJ (UK/Touchin bass ,AI recs , Pyramid Transmissions)


Releases :

albums (lp):

2008 Spyweirdos, John Mourjopoulos & Floros Floridis- epistrophy at
Utopia
2008 Spyweirdos- ten numbers
2006 Spyweirdos- wetsound orchestra
2005 Spyweirdos–for children to play
2003 Spyweirdos–fairytale
2000 Weird Alchemy–wired alchemy
1999 Weird Alchemy–turtle rocket


albums (ep):

2006 Spyweirdos - loftcase limited vinyl
mastering by Bola (Skam records)
2007 Spyweirdos & Larvae 2 * 3inch cds
mastering by Murcof (Leaf records)


Tracks on compilations :
2007 Spyweirdos-the key(Funckarma rmx)
2006 Snog-king of hate
(Spyweirdos remix)
2003 Weird Alchemy–f system
2003 Spyweirdos-lost in the woods
2003 Spyweirdos-everything
2002 Weird Alchemy-aftertouch
2002 Spyweirdos-soryps
2001 Weird Alchemy-digital love with
fine automation
2000 Weird Alchemy–red is like green


Coming soon :

• October 2008 Spyweirdos – ten letters album (audio cd + video dvd) • Spyweirdos & Funckarma album • Spyweirdos & Floridis album


contact: spyweirdos@yahoo.gr / www.spyweirdos.com / http://www.myspace.com/spyweirdos /


(7-1 questions)

Name an influential gig

I would have to say that I like any live set that it's not based on the

show part of it but in the music. If a live set has other things, like video, dancing or any other kind of performance, to help the musician communicate better to the audience it’s fine. But music has to be strong enough to stand on it’s own. So I like any live set that has strong music.

spyweirdos live

I nowadays play with audio cubes as long as I’m playing alone as Spyweirdos. But when I play with Mourjopoulos & Floridis I use more than that.

What do you think you can offer/change in the Greek music scene/reality ?

Nothing. The music is already put there for everybody. Most of the people worldwide listen to pop music. Nowadays almost all the mainstream music is pop music, there is no mainstream Greek music there is pop music with Greek vocals on it, that’s all. What are we (musicians like me) dealing here is that a small amount of people would like to hear something deferent than pop music. I make music for this very small amount of people so I really do not believe that I can change something, massive mainstream music is very strong. It’s more or less like government, religion, class, fashion and any other thing that makes us all one mass, passively accepting anything no critical thinking.

Have you collaborated/will you collaborate with artists from abroad?

Sure this is global music so that’s how we should deal with it. I have already worked with Alva Noto (Germany/Raster Noton), Murcof (Mexico/the Leaf records), John Mourjopoulos (Greece/Ano Kato Records), Funckarma (Holland/Delicatessen records,On records), Ollie Olsen (Australia/PsyHarmonics,Creative Space), Floros Floridis (Greece/Ano Kato Records), B. Fleischmann (Germany/morr music), Horchata (USA/ Ad Noiseam), Traject (Iceland/ Special Material), Hecq (Germany/Hymen Records,Metropolis), Mad EP (USA/ Ad Noiseam), Larvae (USA/Ad Noiseam), Snog (Australia/ Metropolis Records), Nam Shub Of Enki (Australia/Weird Music Society, Creative Space), Metropol (Spain/Hymen, Creative Space).

Name an artist with whom you would like to perform

I already played with a few I really like.

Any plans for the future?

I now focus on these two releases on Creative Space records. The first release will be “ten letters” album, an audio cd & video dvd like “ten numbers” (previous release on the same label), the second release will be the album with Floros Floridis on Creative space as well. Both pf them will be out in 2008. As for 2009 I have some plans but nothing is 100% sure yet so I’d rather not say.

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Stavros Gasparatos

Bio

Stavros Gasparatos was born in Patras in 1975. He studied classical and jazz guitar at the “Fillipos Nakas” music conservatory. He also has a degree in mechanical engineering from the technological university of Patras. Since 1997, Stavros Gasparatos has been working as a music composer, arranger, producer and sound engineer. In 1998, together with Alexandros Tsilfidis, they founded the music group “gyro gyro” releasing tree albums featuring musicians like B.L. Reiniger, N. Kypourgos and others. The last seven years Stavros Gasparatos is composing music for theater and dance performances, working with many directors, choreographers and theater groups (Viky Georgiadou – Amore, Chris Lyngas – Protes Yles. Nikaiti Kountouri – Theater Roes, Giannis Parskevopoulos – Nasional Theater, www.amorphy.org - Theatro tou neou kosmou and dock 11 Berlin, Takis Tzamarias - Theater politia, Thodoris Abazis – Thiseio, Lili Meleme – National Theater, Stathis Livathinos –Hellenic Festival, Vangelis Theodoropoulos – Theatro tou neou kosmou and Hellenic Festival, Konstantinos Arvanitakis – National Theater, Diagoras Chronopoulos – Art Theater and others) as well as for cinema (A Bright Shining Sun / Vassilis Loules, Oxygen / Repas-Papathanasiou, Utopia / X. Karipides, working with NKypourgos, Destroy all brains / D. Emmanouilides, Lebestod / Stahis). In 2006 he participated as a member of the dance ensemble Amorphy.org (as music composer and sound designer) in the E.U. program i-map (Integration of Media, Arts and Performance), working with: De Waag institute (Amsterdam), Interspace Media Center (Sofia), Interaktionslabor (Gotelsbork)

http://www.myspace.com/stavrosgasparatos

(7-2 questions)

Name one album that was very influential for the creation of your sound/project

It is impossible to think of just an album. I am influent from completely different albums. From really classical once (Bach is my favorite) to staff like Schnittke, Xenakis or alva noto, ikenta, venetian snares or really pop things. I think that it is important to be open and take things from different stiles of music.

Name an influential gig

I have been to a lot of concerts but if I had to choose one it would be the concert of B. L. Raininger and Steven Brown in Rodon (ex tuxedomoon) i think in 1997. I don t know why...

What do you think you can offer/change in the Greek music scene/reality ?

I don’ t believe I can change anything. What one could do (and I hope I am), is to be honest with oneself, and to try to write music by being always true to one's vision and to what gives him/her pleasure rather than to what the others expect to hear.

Have you collaborated/will you collaborate with artists from abroad?

As it obvious from my the title of my album “Rehearsals” I write a lot of music for theater and dance. So really soon I will be traveling with some of the companies ( I' ll fly to Honk Kong in October and to London in January, with “seeking Oedipus”), and I am discussing about a collaboration with a dance company in London but lets see..

any plans for the future?

Now I am working on the soundtrack for three plays in Greece and I am also setting up a live set with two more musicians (Violin- chelo) for playing “Rehearsals” live.

What I would really want is to have the time to really work on my live performances and to be able to play more gigs and to tour.

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Tune in next week for Episode 4: 5 flights revisited on Wednesday the 8th of October 2008 at 7.30pm on Resonance FM, London.