Giannis Gogos - Linger (Whitelabrecs) [Ambient]
- The Slow Music Movement
- May 21, 2024
- 2 min read
If you're going to craft an ambient LP around a word then you could do a lot worse than "linger" - an inspired choice by Giannis Gogo for his new LP on Whitelabrecs. I've certainly been reluctant to leave it's reflective electronica, gentle haze, unhurried instrumentation & aura of calm. Well recommended for all your meditative moments.
What The Release Notes Say
Giannis Gogos is a self-taught musician and composer from Alexandroupolis in northeastern Greece. He began making music back in 2005 before switching artforms to focus on photography in 2008. After over a decade of hiatus, the upheavals of 2020 drew him back to music production again with a new-found vision. Giannis had already been inspired by Ambient and Experimental music, citing Future Sound of London, Aphex Twin’s ‘Selected Ambient Works’ and Trentemøller’s ‘The Last Resort’. Yet since his return to producing Ambient music, he discovered the work of artists such as Taylor Deupree, Dictaphone, Federico Durand and Marcus Fischer. In his own sound, Giannis seamlessly merges analog and digital elements in his compositions, weaving intricate melodies with keyboard, glockenspiel, kalimba and guitars through various delay and reverb pedals. His debut album ‘Roads’ was released in March 2024 on Tasmanian cassette label Perceptual Tapes.
This new album 'Linger' is a testament to tranquillity, characterised by its calm and dream-like aesthetic, imbued with a sense of nostalgia, crafted using cassette recordings and degraded tape loops. These seven delicate soundscapes are formed from an array of organic instruments such as the Kalimba, glockenspiel, and a vintage Yamaha VSS30. 'Linger' embodies a concept of lingering—translating to staying in a place longer than necessary because of reluctance to leave.
Giannis writes “The rustle of leaves, the water flow, a flickering light through the curtain, a warm sunset, clouds clearing from a mountain after a storm; an invitation to a quiet frequency, away from our daily routine. I am losing myself. I am disconnecting from reality. But it is not true. The more I am losing myself, the more I find inner peace. The more I am letting my senses open to my daily impression, the more I connect with my inner truth. I am carrying those moments, holding them tight into to my soul, and I try to convert them into sustaining musical notes.”
Each note, each tone is a reflection of Giannis' endeavor to translate ephemeral moments into timeless musical experiences, inviting listeners to immerse themselves in a quiet frequency far removed from the chaos of daily life. Through 'Linger', Giannis extends a heartfelt invitation to wanderers in search of solace, hoping his music will serve as a vessel for shared moments of contemplation and connection.
CREDITS
Written and produced by Giannis Gogos
Mastered by Francis Gri
Artwork by Giannis Gogos
Art and design by Andrew Heath
