Music and Photography with Giannis Gogos

We recently released 'Linger' by North-Eastern Greece based artist and photographer Giannis Gogos. We asked him to send us some of his photography and followed with a few interview questions. Below you can see photos and videos, as well as Giannis' thoughts:

HT: So you had many years working as a photographer. What sort of work did you do? Was it for clients, or as an artist, or both? Do you still work as a photographer now?

GG: "I am a ‘dedicated amateur’ photographer, in 2008 I had to buy for my main profession a digital camera and a macro lens. This is how I got into photography…Having been and still remaining an amateur photographer in this field gives me the luxury to set aside its commercial use. It allows me to take risks, to have no fear of failure and reconsider my relation to photography and art."

HT: Talk us through these photo tryptics (above) - where were they taken and what was the inspiration behind them? Is there anything you can tell us about these images?

GG: "These photos were taken outdoors. For some reason every time I go for a walk in nature I love focusing on details and patterns. The rustle of leaves, the water flow, a flickering light in the woods. I have been wandering for many years in nature with my camera. I have witnessed of glorious sunsets, stunning mountain clearings and so many more…however those little moments I described above seem to connect me deeply with nature."

HT: You created the visuals for your new album ‘linger’, combining tape and leaves. How did you achieve this effect and how does it link to your album concept?

GG: "I was trying to create a relationship, a visual dialog between music and nature. I was also looking for something to reminding of Spring for two main reasons. The first one was that the album’s release was on May. The second one was that I wanted somehow to connect metaphorically spring’s fertility with art inspiration (oestrus)…Anyway, I was meshing around with cutting tapes trying to create cassette loops. Seeing the shapes that were formed reminded me of a young fern! A few leaves were added into the tapes and this is how I created my ’tape plants’. The visuals are a combination of moving images created on Photoshop, blended together with still photos and videos on Final cut Pro."

HT: You’ve created some beautiful live ‘Ambient Jam’ sessions on your YouTube. How much of ‘Linger’ was recorded live? When creating albums, do you tend to do more studio-based work or is it more of a live/performance approach?

GG: "My YouTube ‘Ambient Jams’ helped me a lot. Through them I learned to be spontaneous and open to my music creative instinct. I also gained a deeper understanding of my equipment. Linger’s soundscapes are formed from an array of organic instruments through various effect pedals, mostly recorded on cassettes. Every time I was happy with an idea, those recorded files were imported into my DAW adding more textures from various software synth patches. This is my usual composing approach."

HT: What are your plans for the future in music and art?

GG: "The last two years were very productive in terms of music creation. There are a few more unreleased albums that are worth my attention. My main plan, as always, is to remain connected with my inner truth and leave my senses open to my daily impressions. I have done some live audiovisual performances which is a project I have called 'Flow'. It is inspired by nature and combines ambient soundscapes and organic melodies with abstract, creative visuals of the natural world. I'm hoping to perform at more live events of this kind in the future."

You can follow Giannis' work in the following places:
Bandcamp
YouTube
Instagram

'Linger' is available now in a highly limited run of 100 marble vinyl effect CDrs inside record wallet sleeves, as well as various high-quality digital formats. You can order your physical copy (whilst stocks last) or a digital version now by clicking HERE!