Underground Talent | Musicoleptik Interview
Who Is Musicoleptik?
Musicoleptik is an underground electronic music artist with over a decade’s experience in the industry. He has scored short films and installations that have been displayed in Miami, New York and Los Angeles, mixed and produced other artist’s projects and has taught Music Technology.
After years of being involved in the dance scene and a number of releases under his belt, he decided to start a new project, which allowed him to explore a different approach to making music.
His early years found him playing in bands of different styles, and the live element is something that was always missing in his time making techno under a different name.
Musicoleptik takes a different approach, fusing organic and electronic elements in a downtempo manner with the aim to eventually be able to transfer that on stage.
Image: Musikoleptik in the studio.
Image: Musikoleptik in the studio.INTERVIEW WITH MUSICOLEPTIK
What made you begin DJing and production?
I was more of a heavy metal guy growing up, to be fair I still am. They said I’d grow out of it, but I guess I didn’t want to do that! I’d listen to electronic music too but mostly jungle and drum n bass back then.
Somewhere around 16-17, my mates took me to a club where I first experienced house music. The energy in the room was just unreal and it got me interested in the scene. About a month later I started mixing on two portable hi-fi cd players and soon after I bought my first turntables and eventually started playing at events.
Production came a bit later. Back home in Greece, National Service is mandatory, and I was 20 years old when I joined the army. Naturally, I had to stop djing on account of being away for a while, but I found another output through producing.
My father was a very talented musician and sound engineer and he’d set up a small studio in our flat, and every time I went back on leave, I’d spend hours in there learning how to produce.
Where do your inspirations come from?
It’s safe to say that most of my inspiration comes from other musicians, usually, friends of mine. I’ve had the pleasure of spending a lot of time in the studio with some of the guys from Electric Litany, I used to work out of their studio and eventually ended up sharing it with them.
At one point I even lived there, and I mean that literally – slept, bathed and ate there for about 6 months. I find their music and stance on social issues truly inspiring. Another huge inspiration would be Cretan music, I just love it. I had my first experience when I was around 20, it was the first time I held a Cretan lute.
But it wasn’t until I came to London that I really got into it, and again through some friends of mine. I guess you can find inspiration anywhere really, maybe it’s just down to your mood at any given moment. It’s always there in front of us, we’re just too distracted to see it.
There you go, bit of Greek philosophy for you.
What release are you most proud of so far?
I made a track a while back called Fool Me Once. I wanted to approach beat-making like a five-piece rock band. What I mean by that is that I didn’t want to have more than 15-18 channels running.
No crazy build-ups and effects, just good quality sounds implemented in an effective way and a focus on creative mixing. It ended up getting signed to a good label, Parquet Recordings and performed very well.
What projects are you currently working on?
Ok so, there are a few things going on. Production-wise, I’m working on some boom bap style beats on the MPC, once I have enough, I’ll probably put them out there. Might look to get some MCs involved. I’m also writing some songs which I guess you’d call New Wave(ish). They definitely have that vibe to them, but the beats are programmed. I play guitar and bass on these and I’m loving it.
No idea if this will ever develop into a full project but it’s happening in the background. While I’m writing these, I improvise a lot on the guitar, and sometimes I’ll play something that’s not quite right for the song but I still like it.
That kept happening so I started recording those parts separately and I’m close to having an album which is just me playing the guitar – think Marisa Anderson but with Cretan elements thrown in there. I’ve stepped back from producing techno, I guess melodic techno is more accurate these days to be fair. Nothing against it, I just felt like I did that already and it was time for something different.
However, I still DJ for London based crew Minimal Force Records. There will also be a new night coming to Werkhaus/1001 by Yellow Tulip which I’m really looking forward to. We’ll be exploring the more melodic side of techno and house.
What is your favorite part of being an artist? Playing live? Creating music? Parties?
I prefer writing music than playing out at events, I enjoy being in the studio. But it’s also the sense of belonging. Feeling like you are part of something.
I remember growing up, raves were like our sanctuary.
No matter what had gone on in our lives during the week, the moment we’d step on the dancefloor it was like hitting the reset button.
Read: You Wonder How to DJ at A Rave? This Is How…
What do you think about the underground electronic music scene in London?
I don’t know how underground anything can be these days, with all the social media and constant documentation of everything that is happening around us. Especially in London, it feels like you’re always in someone’s Instagram story.
That being said, underground or not, there are a lot of good events happening in town with a lot of talent. I read of one a while back called Dark Room, which is by far the most interesting concept I’ve come across in recent years.
Only one had been done at the time but hopefully, more will come. It was something along the lines of no phones allowed and DJs played anonymously behind a screen. They also paid a lot for top tier sound engineers and sound systems.
The music scene here is very diverse too. We’re not restricted to techno, there are all sorts of scenes from experimental, avant-garde to good old funky beats and everything in between.
Any plans for the future? What do you have coming up?
I have an EP coming out towards the end of February, the date is TBC. It’s a special one for numerous reasons. Firstly, it’s coming out on a good friend’s record label called Inside Out Records who have been putting out quality music for a decade.
They’re rebranding the label to mark the decade and my EP will be the one to kick things off for them which means a lot both professionally but also on a personal level. It is also, in my opinion, my best work to date from both a composition and production perspective.
The EP is called Asteria, and it’s a fusion of electronic and organic elements. I’ve played traditional Greek instruments on it and have sampled polyphonic singing from various parts of Greece. Its theme is about migration and loss.
What advise would you give to aspiring artists beginning their journey in the industry?
I wouldn’t offer any professional advice. I’d be the least equipped person to do so. But I will say this. Be nice, be respectful to one another. There is no room for racism, sexism or any sort
of discrimination in our scene. I’ll leave you with a little story. It was about 8 years ago, and I was about to get behind the decks for a closing slot.
The person playing before me was Tim Sheridan, a great DJ and musician whom I have a lot of respect for regardless of only ever meeting him that one time. It was a shitty little booth, hardly any room to set up and I was already nervous and then I realize I don’t have my jack adapter with me.
So now, I have to ask Tim to borrow his and I’m embarrassed because he’ll think I’m an idiot! So, I ask him, and he turns around like a legend, hands me an adapter and says, “We’re all in it together brother”. That sentence pretty much sums it up for me. I then went on to completely fuck up the transition, so he probably did think I’m an idiot in the end. Oh well.
Read: 5 Analog Compressors On A Budget – Build Your Studio Properly.
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