We have been planning this interview for almost two months now. The Greek scene has already produced strong individuals and in the last period they came out with even more exciting and original music. One of the dominant figures of this new trend is Ion, whose long carrier and versatile approach can hold a lot more for him in the future. His music cannot be compared to any other, however for the expert

We can say you are „an old boy” in electronic music. How did you get in contact with it first time? Who made the biggest influence at the beginnings?

I remember being around 10 when I discovered some really weird records my older brother was listening to, among which some early Eno, Cluster, Can and Neu! Those were not the records one should expect to be listened to around that time, but I still remember the way some melodies captured me in a new fantasy world. For good. Specially the ones from Cluster. After some research, I came to find out other bands that did not play typical popular rock like The Pink Floyd did, but were more obscure and more intense to my taste. Names like Popol Vuh and Amon Düül. Another record that altered my perceptive was Aphrodite’s Child „666”. Soon Kraftwerk joined the playground, and after a while the punk movement changed my life. Together with the new energy that punk contributed, my curiosity about new bands and new forms of music led me to a list of names that would be quite impossible to describe in a few lines.

You were a real pioneer of Greek scene, establishing Elfish Records in 1990. Tell us something about it. What motivated you to start this project?

The first band I was playing with was Rehearsed Dreams. It was a dark trio of vocals, synthesizers, electric bass and drums and we released the album „Repulsion” in 1985. Then I moved to Sweden for studying in Uppsala, and after my studies in Sweden I returned to Athens in 1990. Me and my friend Makis Faros started to experiment with our machinery in a home studio we set up from scratch. Together we formed Raw, a band -or should I say a project- that released two albums and we gave birth to Elfish, too. By that time, that is the early nineties, we thought that the best way to promote one’s music is to do it on one’s own. We both still believe so today. So, Elfish focused on Greek electronic music, but we also encouraged participations of European bands in our compilations. Our biggest success was „Crash – A Tribute to J.G. Ballard”, a compilation tribute to the british author, where we managed to include tracks from Clock DVA and Pankow. But after 17 Elfish releases and due to the poor distribution system in Greece we came to face a financial crisis, so we stopped the whole endeavour in 1995. Raw disbanded, since each member wanted to serve different musical approaches and since then I have been recording as ION.

The next stop was Sonar Recordings where your first CD called „Sauna” came out under your recent name, ION. What happened with Sonar after that? Why was it over?

It started as a collaboration between electronic artists and a publishing company. Still, the way it appeared to some was not as a spirited approach to electronic music, but as a means of just releasing music, commercial or not. The latter has never been my intention, so I walked out of that group and Sonar never released another number.

After a few years break you returned with a new album in 2005. That was „No Camera” from Klik Records which had very good feedbacks and it shows your different sides and open mind. How could you describe this album?

I know it’s tedious talking about concept albums but I should simply state that „No Camera” is a concept album against the predominance of image in our age. It’s like letting the music create its own images in one’s mind instead of allowing any image guide you to the music. This theory or idea is to be reversed by my new album „YOU & me”.

As I know, you made it at the beach of Arkitsa. We can feel its peace, the water and the sun, the warm nights as we listen to your music. I’m sure it gives you many good ideas, new sounds. How is it? What does that place mean for you?

„No Camera” was recorded in different locations around this village which is located 150 km away from Athens. Mostly by the seawaves. You can clearly tell in several tracks that I was recording the people on the beach, the waves late at night, my dog splashing in the waves, the crickets singing like crazy in the summer sun. I can easily say that this place gives me peace and helps me concentrate on music itself, without any distraction from grey urban nature.

In your music we can find that you are „at home” in electronic music. Of course, because you are also a journalist. How and why did you start to write in magazines? Which one do you work at now?

I started doing photocopied b/w fanzines in my high-school years, mostly about punk material and extreme cult stuff, but the main reason I kept this job is because I love writing. So, in 1993 I got the chance to work in „01” magazine, which I still believe has been one of the most influential greek magazines ever. After that, I joined almost every big lifestyle magazine in Greece and nowadays I’m one of the two editors in chief of „Homme” magazine. This is a monthly publication of everything concerning the modern man. Lifestyle and fashionable maybe, but elegant and carefully written.

And if it’s not enough for the readers for someone… you are a DJ as well. You are known as one of the first live artists in the local scene with a laptop and a sampler. What technical equipment do you use nowadays? Do you prefer it to vinyls? If yes, why?

In 1996 I was probably the first who did live techno gigs in Greece with just a laptop and a sampler. Apart from that, I have always been djing with vinyls, but nowadays I think my laptop offers me more flexibility. So, there is a laptop for gigs and a laptop for dj sets. On a dj set I always mix new tracks from my laptop with old stuff from vinyls. Those old records can vary from American new wave bands to the original Basic Channel vinyls, that always keep me company in my sets.

As a professional journalist, what’s your opinion about electronic music scene these times? Many styles and genres come and go. How are the trends like?

With all respect to fellow journalists trying to discover the next big thing, and being a journalist myself, I must confess that I never cared about trends in music. Well, maybe in my punk years I would be devoted to anything new and wild. But this is what love is like, new and wild in the beginning. So, now I just love music. If a track is good, I don’t care how it was made or what genre it may represent. I only care about feelings in music –love, hate, anger, bliss. When I can hear a heart speak through songs or music, then I respect any kind of music.

How could you describe your own style?

I used the term post-techno for „No Camera” and that should fit my sound, but now I just call it electronic repetitive music. And I’d like to add that it’s not a matter of how much repetition you can handle, it’s about how much repetition you may need :).

How is the scene in Greece?

Strong getting stronger.

What are your plans? How would you like to continue spreading quality music in the world? Any new releases or other projects in the close future?

I would like to keep on doing my tracks and my music my way. This is how I give birth to my sound, how I feel my sound. This has been hard to draw, but this is what distinguishes my sound palette. So, as far as my plans are concerned, a new album is just finished, with no release date yet to be confirmed. As mentioned before, the new album will be called „YOU & me” and is somehow bigger and wiser than „No Camera”.

Thank you for your answers.

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/iongreece