INTERVIEW TO MEAN FLOW
https://meanflow.bandcamp.com/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjahvcpiqNtnuPuEutPv72w
https://www.facebook.com/MeanFlow
https://www.reverbnation.com/meanflow/
First say welcome to this written interview for Cian
Orbe blog. Today we did an interview to the great experimental, noise composer Mean Flow.
- What is the meaning of Mean Flow name?
It is just a scientific term. I was looking for something in two words and I considered it "nice to hear" as a name.
- Do you release music only under Mean Flow name? do you have other active or past music projects or monikers?
Yes, I release solo music last years (since January 2014) as Mean Flow. Of course I also had many collaboration projects using our solo project names. But I also had some collaboration projects with specific project names such as "Pineal Neuron Trauma" with Tim Van der Schraelen (Antwerp, Belgium) as the main member and some other persons (Mattia P. (Italy) and BroodingSideOfMadness (Athens, Greece)) having an album release with 24 tracks with me being in 20 of these tracks.
Also there are 2 more "Pineal Neuron Trauma"rejected tracks with Tim and me released as bonus tracks in Mean Flow albums as bonus tracks with project name "Drowned In The Sewers". "Spiral Flow" is another collaboration project with Will Middlemiss from Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A. making 6 full albums. We released our first 4 albums as "Mean Flow & Will Middlemiss" with the title of 4th album as "Spiral Flow" which we use it as our project name for our next two albums. Another great collaboration album is this with Federico Bixert from France with 6 tracks using our projects names "Mean Flow & MUWN - Where The Spirits Dance".
- Which are the concept behind your music, how you categorize your own work?
As I mention on my "Mean Flow" facebook page : "I have many influences from almost all types of rock and not only rock (post punk, darkwave, minimal synth, industrial, psychedelia, folk rock, neo folk, ambient, dark ambient, drone, noise, harsh noise wall, no wave, punk, progressive rock, krautrock, electronic music, electro, pop, post rock, ethnic, ethereal, etc). Almost every kind of music that excite almost all feelings and senses." So I would describe my music as a mix of experimental, (dark) ambient, drone, noise, minimal, atmospheric and including all the influences I have mentioned before.
- Favorite music genres?
Many as I mentioned like post punk, darkwave, folk rock, psychedelia, (dark) ambient, progressive rock, krautrock, etc.
- In what year did you start making music? which was your first band/project?
I used to be in kinda post punk/dark wave bands "Life In Cage" and "Delirium" in middle 80's, starting 1984. We recorded a song in middle 90's with my friend and guitarist of these bands with our names as "Chris Skordylis featuring Theofil Tsiolakakis" that released in a various digital compilation with Greek bands on 2013 and since January 2014, I release music with my solo project Mean Flow but with many collaborations with musicians all over the world.
- Which inspiration you have from the place where you live? There's some inspiration from your country in your music?
Although it seems not to be any inspiration from Greek music in my own music, I believe that because we all grow up in a country listening it's music (even sometimes we don't want to do so), we have on our mind some of this music even though we don't realise it. I also think very often, in the future to cover a song of my country (maybe a traditional one) in a very different way, to experiment with it. Of course there are many other bands/musicians in rock, indie, experimental, etc style that they inspired me as they inspired every band/musician from all over the world.
- Which are your favorite music projects and visual/plastic artists who inspire your work?
It's very difficult to answer. Because I used to listen to many many bands / musicians with full orchestration (guitar, bass, drums, etc) and I only make music in my home, with a keyboard, rarely some field recordings and a few effects from free recording music software. But I think many of the bands/musicians I like, inspired me in various parts in my music, often without realising it. But I also have some of my tracks that I know that inspired from specific musicians, for example, a track of mine called "Savage Protest" is inspired mostly by band "Savage Republic" and my track called "Velvet Trip" inspired by Nico and so on.
- How do you see the current Experimental / Noise / music scene?
I think I'm a part of this music scene. So many many people make music and publish it mostly through internet platforms/sites, like bandcamp, soundcloud, internet archive and so on. There is a plenty of musicians all over the world and so much quantity , quality and variety in this music scene with many of them wanted more to express themselves by writing music and less to take care of earning money. There is also a big need to these people to collaborate one each other.
- Favorite noise and electronic composers?
So difficult for me to choose from so many favorite composers. As I said there so many of them.
- Do you make live performances?
No!
- We have always seen that you love collaborations, which have been your favorites?
Honestly and without wanting to seem polite, but I really enjoy almost all of my collaborations. I think that they expose my music boundaries and give me more ideas to my music. There are almost all type of collaborations. Making a new track with another musician, or me remixing/reworking another musician's track(s) or some of my tracks remixed/covered by other musicians. I like all these types of collaborations.
There are musicians that we had collaborated in one track but there are others that we had collaborated (and still collaborate) in more or many more as example Marco Lucchi from Italy, whom I reworked/remixed almost 70 of his tracks till now and I will continue for more. Another project I have remixed many tracks, about 35 tracks, is IDTAL from Germany. Generally I have collaborated in one or other way with almost more than 80 projects/musicians from all over the world till now.
- Which is your favorite song or composition and album created by yourself?
Again I have to say that it's so difficult for me to choose. I love all of my albums and almost all of my tracks.
-
Tell us about the concept & the creation process of one of your latest
works " "Obscure Details" self-released. link: https://meanflow.bandcamp.com/album/obscure-details
This is the album with the most tracks included till now, 46 tracks. In fact in most of every new album there are more tracks than the previous one. There are few tracks, only 7, that are completely made by me and too many collaboration tracks, 39 tracks, in fact almost all tracks are by other composers reworked by Mean Flow. It's a period that I like to listen and search other people's music and to work upon some of them. Because I have not in my mind to release albums that they would be easy listened by people and not thinking of earning money, I like every music idea of me to be included in them.
- Tell us about the underground music scene in Greece or in your zone, and which are your favorite artists from your country?
It's a long story to say in just a question. There are too many favorite greek artists from the past especially from 80's or early 90's such as Yell-O-Yell, Villa 21, South Of No North, Ypogia Trohia (only to name very few) and many many more but there was and there is also good music continuously till our days.
There are also many people in Greece from experimental/noisy scene too and with some of them I have collaborated such as Saint De L'Abime, Adarcah, Anosia, After The Pulse, Azargled, Unsample, Astrofaros/Aktina/Bard's Tales, ABroodingSideOfMadness, Asymmetroi Faroi, and many more.
- Any anecdote that you want to share with us in the creation of some track?
About song "American Politics". I used some samples from American politicians and after some days someone who tried to listen it through youtube she told me that there are problems with copyright and she could't listened to it. Finally I see it was because I used a sample from the very famous "I Have a Dream" speech by Martin Luther King .Jr". So I removed this sample and I reupload it in youtube without it.
- Any news for 2021 in your music project or future collaborations?
I have no special plans about my music for the new year to come. I will keep making music as I use to do and I will make new collaborations with people that I have already collaborated and people with whom it would be the first time to do so. And I will always try to add new sounds and ideas to my music.
- Any other thing that you want to say to your listeners?
Something that I always mention in the end of the notes of my each release :
"Many thanx to all people who like and support my music."
MEAN FLOW CIAN ORBE COMPILATIONS APPEARANCES:
