Time is on his side when making music
It’s a fast-moving high-tech world, but, in certain cases, embracing state-of-the-art gadgetry does not necessarily translate into total acceptance of contemporary ways. For instance, let’s consider the case of local fringe artist Mecha/Orga, whose recent release «From a Piner» on an Athens-based independent label, Lab for Electroacoustic Media, blends progressive and traditional values in music. Definitely connected with high-tech ways in musical production, on the one hand, the project’s material, minimal and highly ambient, develops at a snail’s pace, seemingly unperturbed by any sense of the pressure of time. «The album’s full of slow development. It’s a statement from me about the crucial question regarding the relationship between music and time. To put it more simply, I’m in no rush,» explained Mecha/Orga, or Giorgis Sakellariou. «I believe that we can slightly detach ourselves – in music at least – from the astonishing pressure applied by each and every second, where one thing comes right after the other in a pressured and anxious fashion.» The approach has had an affect on Mecha/Orga’s unconventional musical tastes. A multi-instrumentalist with advanced training in theory, guitar and oud, Mecha/Orga, who has been part of more commercial projects in the past, said it had been a while since he last bought CDs of streamlined work, or where the verse-chorus-verse structure acts as the material’s directive. As for the musical technology commonly available today – domestic recording sessions included – Mecha/Orga said he was interested but, ultimately, refuses to let it dominate. «Recording means trapping sound in a box and being able to go back and forth in terms of time, listening and correcting. This is of no interest to me, but doesn’t mean that I don’t use technology,» explained Mecha/Orga. «Recording alone doesn’t mean anything to me. I don’t record something unless it can be performed live. My work’s totally live. There’s no editing, sequencing, or automation. I record, listen, and if I like the result, I’ll keep it,» he added. The attitude reflects his love of performing, which Mecha/Orga said he felt was stronger than the joy of recording and releasing work. «I love releasing music on CD,» said Mecha/Orga. «But, really, performing it live is my main focus.» Mecha/Orcha performs this Thursday in Athens at the Small Music Theater (33 Veikou, Koukaki, tel 210.924.5644).
