• Image of Serafim Tsotsonis - Believers

Serafim Tsotsonis - Believers

This is ‘Believers’. My 5th solo album that started as an idea sometime on August of 2018 and it was produced in my home studio in Athens. I have ridden a lot on my Vespa, carrying my recorder to places that reminded me both of beautiful and hard times of my life. I recorded sounds that I then edited in my computer or taped and altered with pedal effects so that they could be used in my tracks as otherworldly instruments, percussions, vocals or sound design.

‘Believers’ goes the analogue way. This is what I chose while using synths, drum machines, peculiar synths as well as vst so that I could be able to reproduce what I had in mind. Later on, I decided to use hydrophones and place them underwater in the Corinthian gulf in order to collect sounds for my ‘Ocean of Emotions’ track. A magical moment that took me years back, when at a young age, together with my sister Aggeliki we were trying to reach the lighthouse in our canoe. Not with any luck.

‘Believers’ gave me the chance to work with Peter Broderick. It was a privilege to collaborate with someone that I admire not only as a musician but as a person too. The same feelings fill me too, every time I work with my sister Aggeliki, the other half of our band, Ocean Hope and the creator of the Believer’s cover artwork. One of my favourites works of her.

There were many good friends and musicians that stood beside me in this 5th musical journey.
Cello : Erini Anastasiou, Guitar : Manos Paterakis, Trombone : Chistos Alexakis Oud : Nikos Patiniotis, Drums : Byron Petropoulos, Guitar:George Priniotakis, Guitar : Themis Panagiotidis, Soprano : Eleanna Konstanta, Baritone Saxophone : Sokratis Votskos .
Reciting: Edward Nevill and Callirroe Myrr.

As for myself, I played the piano, the Rhodes, the Analogue Synths, the Tapes, the Guitars, I sung, I did the albums mixing and production. Behind the mastering, you can find a unique friend and partner, Yiannis Christodoulatos that was there until the album was finished.

I thought of composing a 15-minute track, bonus for the cd, dedicated to my mom and dad, as well as all of you that have been truly on my side for all these years. I named it ‘Future’, I started composing it this past April and I then recorded young kids describing the word ‘Future’ in their own words. The recordings were made through cell phones and I owe them a huge ‘Thank You’ since their words were my true inspiration.

Serafim