What inspired you to first start making music? And how did you come to be in your current incarnation? Or if you prefer, a brief bio about you.

I was an introverted, reserved, and anxious kid. At a young age, I found relief, peace, and excitement through art. No matter how hard the day had been at school, when I closed the door of my room, an infinite world of possibilities unfolded in front of my eyes! I was drawing and creating different stories all the time. When I became a teenager, I started listening to metal music, especially Metallica, Iron Maiden, Testament… The power emerging from the music was so liberating for me, I felt empowered to face all my biggest fears and doubts! That’s how I started to learn to play guitar.

It’s my encounter with Alex, the frontman from Alex Henry Foster & The Long Shadows, that opened my mind to different music genres. I was a quite stubborn and closed-minded dude, so It was good to realize there was something other than metal. Alex made me discovere shoegaze, post-punk, post-rock, punk rock, experimental, noise, psychedelic. Discovering all this music opened my mind to the vast array of what you can do with a guitar and effect pedals!

Provide us with some info about your latest release…

The new music video is the second single from my new album titled Modulation. The video clip translates the interconnection between the emotional state I live in and what I feed my heart with. I’m the only one who can stop generating the cycle of confusion and distress I am immersed in.

Which ones would you consider your main influences both music-wise & non-music-wise?

Nels Cline from Wilco, Lee Ranaldo from Sonic Youth, and Ed O’Brien from Radiohead have inspired me to push the boundaries of what you can sonically do with a guitar. Trent Reznor from Nine Inch Nails and Atticus Ross opened my mind to electronic music and how I could express my passion for sound with synths and modular systems. The implementation of these has expanded my musical language and it inspired me to have new approaches with my guitar! The sensation of creating movement in the sound is something crucial for me.

In what way does your sound differ from the rest genre-related artists/bands and why should we listen to your music? In other words, how would you describe your sound?

For me, what is specific and interesting with Modulation is the fact that everything was recorded live, with me as only musician. The limitations of being alone pushed me in orchestrating all the different ideas together, challenged my knowledge of what I thought I could do with my gear, so I could build all those musical moments and have them interact with each other to give life to a song! I guess my music is a mix of post-rock, noise rock, IDM, psychedelic.

Please name your 3 desert islands albums, movies & books…

– Radiohead live at From The Basement for the album In Rainbows
– Nine Inch Nails live at the Austin City Limits
– Not to Disappear from Daughter

– Inception
– Fight Club
– Trilogy of Lord of the Rings (The extended version!!!)

– The Bible
– No Compromise: The Life story of Keith Green
– The Vampire Lestat from Anne Rice

Do you prefer studio or performing live and why?

Performing live always brings up the unexpected. If you have an open door to people’s hearts, a simple moment can turn into something magical and can become a turning point in one’s personal story! Playing my solo project live is stressful for me, as I cannot rely on anybody and I need to be super focused without losing sight of the essential. I know I can easily lose myself in the technical aspect of the performance but I need to remind myself of the precious gift people offer me to partake in the moment.

Is there any funny-unique story you would like to share with us, always in relation to your music ‘career’?

We were playing in Taiwan for a festival with a crowd of 90,000 people! That was insane!!! At one point, during the concert, I tried to avoid Alex (the singer of the band) while he was walking in my direction, and I don’t know how I did this but I fell in a grandiose way (the more I tried to keep my balance the worst the fall was!)! The concert was filmed and broadcasted live on national television and worldwide on YouTube, so I just told myself “Dude… I hope the guy at the camera didn’t catch the scene”. When we watched the video from the festival, you can clearly see a big hairy dude with a guitar falling down in slow-motion. Truth be told, Alex, who I was trying to avoid, was still very far away from me when I started falling…

Which track of your own would you point out as the most unique and why?

For me, the song Courtage from my album Modulation is a beautiful voyage. There’s a short passage starting at 5:25 that evolves into something unexpected at 6:42… It’s like a little glimpse of what it could be if I’d allow myself to be amazed again despite the evidence of my darkness.

Would you like to share with our readers your future plans?

In 2022, I will be touring Europe with Alex Henry Foster & The Long Shadows. It will be good to be back on the road to see all our friends, fans and new people!

Free question!!! (Ask yourself a question) you wish to answer and haven’t been given the opportunity…

Question: As you’re a huge fan of music gear, what’s the latest acquisition you used for Modulation?

My latest gear acquisition is the Subharmonicon from MOOG, the latest product from their semi-modular series. This little beast was my open door to the world of modular systems and because of its internal structure (polyrhythmic and the two main oscillators have two sub oscillators that are a subdivision of its main pitch), it allows me to unfold new complex chords and harmonies in unusual ways!

Curated by: Christos Doukakis

Recommended listening:

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