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32 - Ghost In The Loop
Giannis Kampiotis
December 09, 2022
Hello music people đź‘‹
Today in the spotlight, Ghost In The Loop
Coming from France, he has been playing music live in bands for a long time.
The lockdowns forced him to stop so he tried his hand at electronic music which, as he says, completely shakes his way of thinking as a musician. He is now experimenting and performing music in remote locations.
Let’s see how he does it 🎶
Read Time: 9 minutes đź“°
Studio
Gear List
Synthstrom Audible - Deluge
Polyend - Medusa
62 HP Modular Synth
Monome Norns + Norns Shield + Grid
Tascam - Portastudio 424
Revox - A77
Roland - Space Echo RE-201
14 electric guitars / acoustic instruments / bass
a lot of effect pedals (probably 30)
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Interview
Who are you and what is your relationship with music?
My name is Aurélien (Ghost In The Loop). I live in France, a region called « Les Terres Froides » (the cold lands).
Since the beginning of the learning of my instruments, Bass and Guitar at the age of 14, I've been playing for a long time in bands.
I played in many projects with always very varied styles, released some albums (Altavilla in 2012 and The Conquest Of Gravity in 2017 with the band Altavilla), and made a lot of live shows.
It was during the lockdown in March 2020 that I decided to try my hand at electronic music and production. I gradually invested in machines and synthesizers, but also old tape or cassette machines to make Tape Loops (Tape Loops are loops of magnetic tape used to create repetitive and rhythmic musical patterns or dense layers of sound when played on a tape recorder).
It was during the many successive lockdowns and containments that I started to play more "electronica/ambient" oriented music in the wild.
What's the one thing in your studio you can't live without?
Being an artist who does a lot of outdoor performances in protected natural areas, and sometimes very difficult to access, the essential equipment for me are a good hiking backpack, my power banks and the specific power cables "Ripcords" by MyVolts.
These are cables with a USB plug that connects to a power bank, a laptop or a touch pad and allows you to power your machines anywhere.
What is the least expensive piece of gear that gave you the most results?
My last purchase was a Monome Norns + Grid. Really stimulating in terms of experimentation and generative music. A great tool to create samples that I can use later.
What's your process?
I like to improvise as much as possible for this kind of outdoor performance, and let myself be carried by the present moment and the surrounding landscape.
For my new project at the millimeter observatory of the Plateau de Bure (NOEMA) I wanted to push the concept a little further and mix generative or algorithmic music and improvisation.
These are compositions that are built live with the help of an open source device (Monome Norns) and scripts written in advance that condition what the machine is allowed to do from a musical point of view, type of sounds, scale, possibilities of evolution etc.
I improvise on the guitar over this little machine that plays by itself (sometimes I also take control and modify some parameters live to fit my improvisations) by recording loops and superimposing sound textures to build the music.
How would you explain your style?
I like to define myself as a soundscaper and sonic explorer.
My musical style is on the whole ambient, but each release is very different from the previous one. I like to experiment and not repeat myself.
For example my first EP "Absurd Plans Of Modern Life" (December 2020) is more electronic/electronica and was composed, arranged and played live on my Synthsrom Audible Deluge.
The second one "Fake Light Sun" (November 2021) is a collection of all my outdoor performances of the year and is definitely more experimental and ambient with still some electronic influences. Played and recorded live with my Synthstrom Deluge and my Polyend Medusa plus some effects pedals on orientation tables.
The 3rd release is a collaborative album "Music For Liminal Spaces" (March 2022), on which I used almost exclusively tape devices such as my Tascam Portatsudio 424, Roland Space Echo RE-201, Revox A77. This album is very ambient / experimental and tape loops are at the heart of the project.
My new project "Cold Space Symmetry" is much more oriented on an Atmospheric / Post Rock style with a lot of guitar.
What’s your biggest struggle?
My biggest struggles in music production are the technical issues during outdoor performances.
It is very difficult to find a solution and to face the unexpected when you are in the middle of nowhere, sometimes in uncomfortable conditions (cold, humidity, high altitude, strong solar radiation etc...).
Definitely my number one enemy. Ιt takes a different form every time, it is very difficult to anticipate. Sometimes you have to be creative, or make concessions so that the session can succeed.
Has this journey of building a hardware setup changed the way you think about music or life in general?
Building a hardware set up has greatly influenced my way of composing and producing. Since I am a bassist and guitarist I was trained at the conservatory in a contemporary music and improvisation section. The world of electronic music is still very new to me and completely shakes my way of thinking as a musician.
What’s your ONE tip on music-production or creativity?
My main advice for music production and creativity is to let yourself go.
Try by all means to let yourself be carried away by what you do, by your environment, by a movie or a novel...
Get inspired by something other than the music or artists you love, sometimes a simple phrase or image will trigger more ideas in me than going back to my favorite records that I already know by heart.
A book/movie/article that fueled your creativity?
At the moment I like to create illustrations using the AI "Midjourney".
I use these images as a basis for future musical idea. I find it very stimulating when I can't get inspiration from nature. I can create my own worlds.
Anything else you'd like to say?
I would be delighted if you would discover my new EP "Cold Space Symmetry".
A crazy expedition that took us almost a year of preparation with the label Mare Nostrum. There is also a series of five videos shot live at the NOEMA observatory at the plateau of Bure. A very nice work by Hugo Preverand for the realization and the editing, and breathtaking photos by Fabrice Buffart.
How can people find you?
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Gianni @gianni.kampiotis
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