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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 think it started when my mum asked why I wasn’t learning guitar. She offered to pay for some lessons. Pretty quickly I tried to find a band and started playing. I started writing songs and realized that’s what I liked best. The reason why I started Xeresa was because I wanted to do something more electronic but using lots of weird time signatures. I wanted to do instrumental stuff and release it as soon as it was recorded. That changed quickly, now it’s mostly me writing all the music and sending tracks to guests for them to put their vocals on. Kinda like The Postal Service.

Provide us with some info about your latest release…

The album II came out in June on Shore Dive Records. 14 tracks, 11 guests. I tried to make it a bit poppier but keep the key ingredients of the Xeresa sound.

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

The Postal Service for the mix of electronic stuff with real instruments and the use of guest vocalists, Steve Reich and American Football for the guitar approach. I’m a massive Smashing Pumpkins fan and some of the things Billy Corgan has said has helped me a lot, the idea that good artists have a filter. They can do anything they like, if they have a filter it will sound like them. That frees me to experiment because I believe I do have a filter, what I do, no matter the style always ends up sounding like 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?

I think it’s different from anything I ‘ve listened to . It’s shoegaze because of some guitar sounds but clearly nothing like My Bloody Valentine or Slowdive. It’s dreampop because of the arpeggiated guitars and vocals but doesn’t sound anything like Beach House or The Sundays.
It’s electronic but the only electronic stuff I listen to is Prodigy or Underworld and this is completely different. I can relate what I do to some genres but I think it’s on the margins of it all.

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

ALBUM Give up- The Postal Service FILM– Amelie- BOOK- The Long Hard Road Out Of Hell – Marilyn Manson.

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Do you prefer studio or performing live and why?

Studio because I prefer to create.

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

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

I would pick The Last Genesis ( Ft Nicollette Vaughn) , the reason is because it’s mixing all the elements of Xeresa, the guitars, the strings, the electronic beats, the epic, the driving bass lines, the amazing guests, it doesn’t sound like anyone else.

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

I’m recording tracks for album III. Got about 8 finished, 3 of which have no guests, I sing on them. There’s a song in Japanese. I’m waiting for some vocals back from a few people. Some have sadly dropped out. I did ask Rachel Goswell of Slowdive but she didn’t reply, guess she was busy 😉

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

Okay, name some dream guests you would like to collaborate with?

Mark Gardener and Andy Bell, Thom Yorke, Chelsea Wolfe, Bjork, Robert Plant, Ben Gibbard, Greg Dulli, Jenny Lewis, Chris Isaak, Brian Molko, Mutt Lange, Flood, Brian Eno, Mikael Akerfeldt, Billy Corgan, Max Cavalera.

Curated by: Christos Doukakis

Recommended listening:

Connect with Xeresa:

https://www.facebook.com/Xeresa-1916087371954468

https://xeresa.bandcamp.com/

https://shorediverecords.bandcamp.com/

https://soundcloud.com/xeresaband

https://twitter.com/xeresaband

https://www.instagram.com/xeresaband/