Aggelos Mavros, (Open Source), founder of Ghost Label Records is ready to release his new album, that’s filled with great melodies, and smooth psychedelic beats. In this interview he gives us his frank opinions on the scene.
Aggelos Mavros – Musically Unique
More info:
www.djopensource.com/
www.ghostlabel.gr/
Tell us something about yourself & your production activity
My name is Aggelos Mavros. I am half Greek & half Greek, 33 years old. Started making music with Impulse Tracker in the year 1996. The first complete track was made with Mad Tracker in the year 1999. Since then I have been searching for methods to improve my audio outputs.
What triggers you to compose?
I just like creating things from scratch. For example, I do not enjoy „gaming“ because there are limitations in every aspect. But „art“ is unlimited, you can do whatever you want with it.
How would you describe your style of music?
Well, if you want us to be exact concerning the etymology & the designation of the genre, then we have to forget all misleading descriptions, such as ‘progressive‘ or ‘melodic‘ & just call it „psychedelic trance“. I am a little bit psychedelic. Nothing more.
What are you working on at the moment?
I just finished an album that I call „Melodies Strike Back“. It will be released in more than 300 shops/portals worldwide, as also, 5.000 copies will be distributed for free through the mushroom magazine.
What is the new CD all about?
Well, it seems that the art of melody forming has been forgotten in some Psytrance circles. Most artists pay maximum attention to how to come up with a greater sound. They worry too much about the mixing by leaving a very important factor out of the game. On the other hand, the mass of young listeners pay attention only to the kick itself. It seems that we have all forgotten the reasons we fell in love with music in the first place. But not this time. This time melodies will strike back as in the good old times.
How do you think the modern psychedelic sound is shaped?
This is a very hard matter to approach. You might believe that as technology evolves, the music evolves too. Like somehow, becoming more advanced, more clear. Unfortunately, that is not quite true. We are using exactly the same equipment, virtual or real instruments as we did 7-8 years ago. So ask yourself, what is changing, if not the software/hardware? We can definitely listen to more advanced sound if we compare, for instance, the sound of the present Neelix with the sound of the past Neelix. The answer is a bit complicated, but what is mainly changing is the way we listen & absorb music, the trends & above all…the experience of the producer.
What can you say about the world‘s scene?
The scene is fantastic & the hippie movement is the only circle that has established a state of awareness, judging from a philosophical point of view.
What can you say about your country‘s scene?
The established acts are a bit snobbish, nobody ever helped me & nobody opened any door for me. I entered the Psytrance scene from the back door, meaning.. I did everything by myself. Created a label, did promotion & all the rest. Even now they still pretend that I do not exist. Maybe I don‘t. Who knows?
Being a DJ/Live act is actually profitable?
I would never recommend it. Being a producer is like being the ultimate investor. You invest your money, your time, your life, & you don‘t know when or IF something good is going to happen to you. My first booking took place 14 years after i started making music. I turned out to be very stubborn. I am here for the long haul! 🙂
What can you say to new producers ?
The first years in production you might feel or they might tell you that you have „no talent“. Things like „talent“ do not exist in the real world. It’s all about how passionate you are and how far you are willing to go. The world is literally filled with guys trying to make music. So, the t-shirt of DayDin (More Talent Less Ego) is wrong. What you really need is less talent & more EGO! Because your passion can get you anywhere while your skills are almost useless.
Aggelos Mavros has free CDs for all mushroom subscribers
“Melodies Strike Back”
Aggelos has just finished his new album called, „Melodies Strike Back“.
To celebrate this piece of work, he has a special gift for the mushroom magazine readers:
He is giving away 5,000 copies absolutely free! These CDs will be distributed among the shroomies, so they can have a taste of his great psychedelic music.
and receive a free 'Melodies Strikes Back' CD!