37 - Floating Synths

Author

Giannis Kampiotis
December 27, 2022

Hello music people đź‘‹

Today in the spotlight, Floating Synths

Coming from Belgium, he is a self taught musician. Music is a constant in his life and at the moment he’s into two projects. A Prog-Rock band and his personal soundscaping explorations project 🎶

Read Time: 6 minutes đź“°

Studio

Gear List

Pedals

And for making my videos I use my Nikon D780 with a fixed 50 mm lens

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Interview

Who are you and what is your relationship with music?

I’m a Pieter, 34 years old and Belgian. I’m a land surveyor by profession.

Music has been a part of my life since I was 12. I started learning the piano at music school and learned electric guitar on my own. I played in a Rock-Cover band, and made Dutch cabaret songs with a good friend of mine. Kids came in my life, but I kept making music. I started experimenting with synths back in 2018. In 2020 I became a member of a Prog-Rock band called Sister May. Since then I played over more than 20 shows with them in Belgium and even in Germany.

In June 2022 I started a Instagram account for my side project “Floating Synths”.

What's the one thing in your studio you can't live without?

It’s a cliché to say that’s a difficult question, but it is…

I think the endless possibilities and the hands-on approach of the MPC One makes it a center piece in my setup. I use it for live performances, I use it to compose, experiment and assemble my songs.

What is the least expensive piece of gear that gave you the most results?

I immediately think of my Volca setup, especially the Volca Modular.

The modular has a specific sound but I find it a challenge to search beyond that. I use it a lot in my Instagram posts. Those Volcas have a lot of potential.

I still haven’t fully explored my Volca FM.

What's your process?

For the moment we’re making new songs with Sister May. We start with parts of jams, or pieces made by one of the members. And then we work together to form them like a full product. One song now has started with a groove and rough structure I made. Now the guitar, bass, drums and the vocals are placed in the structure.

Floating Synths has a total other approach of creation. When I started the project in June 2022, I had some conditions in mind. I wanted to create videos were one small instrument was the central piece of it and with his own, characteristic way.

After I have created a sequence, I start searching for a visual interesting environment. I like to work with changing lights or subtle movements in the image. I do like making animations. Some you can find on my Instagram account. I capture the scene with specific settings on my camera.

For me, Floating Synths is an experiment. I like the medium of Instagram. Your work has to be interesting, visually and sonically, in a short time frame.

For the moment I’m working on real songs. Floating Synths will become a full side project.

How would you explain your style?

I like to work with polyrhythms and odd time signatures. It’s difficult to define one style, because working in a Prog-Rock scene and in ambient environment makes you create some interesting crossover stuff.

Oneothrix Point Never is one my favourite artists.

What’s your biggest struggle?

The biggest struggle for the moment is to make compromises in the songwriting process. The perfect execution of ideas made in your mind is also a challenge, like for many others.

Has this journey of building a hardware setup changed the way you think about music or life in general?

For me, hardware synths triggers my creativity. I have a job were I’m already busy with a computer for a whole day. I feel completely disconnected when I’m just sitting on my carpet with a synth in front of me.

Also building my hardware setups is a perfect learning school in how sounds interact, how midi works…

What’s your ONE tip on music-production or creativity?

Don’t think that your ideas can’t be translated in real music.

You can always find a way.

A book/movie/article that fueled your creativity?

For me the soundtrack of “Uncut Gems” was very inspiring.

How can people find you?

In Case You Missed It

For jams, knob-twists and pad hitting videos go to G.A.S. Instagram

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