Releases and music samples • Sotiris Debonos

CD “GRAINULAR”

Sotiris Debonos — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 23:44:43 +0000

In Grainular the sound source is an electroclassic guitar driving three granular delays. On some tracks the “DIN is noise” sofware synth was used.

The multichannel recordings – in a linux environment (AV linux) – are a product of solo improvisation. Their original purpose was that of computer programming of the Mobius loupe as a tool for asymmetric time segmentation in live performance conditions.

These 6 tracks were eventually selected for publication, as they came up with a more concrete structure and would require minimal further processing.

In the recordings there is a constant presence, sometimes dominant sometimes underlying, of a “cloud” of sonic fractures and grains, which led to the pun “Grainular” of the title.

This gave birth to the ideas for the inventive and imaginative track titles provided by Christos Alexopoulos.

The visual artist Spyros Mantzavinos curated the artwork, each copy is hand painted. His patience is remarkable and his friendship is invaluable.

Mix: Sotiris Debonos/Manolis Aggelakis

Mastering: Sweetspot/Yiannis Christodoulatos

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CD “Grief” by Farwest Mandolinistic Orchestra

Sotiris Debonos — Thu, 02 Jan 2025 23:26:23 +0000

At it’s very core, “Grief” stands out as a lonely, isolating experience in a strange land, sometimes meditative, but gently building and falling with every step into a world of emotions.

“Grief” is the sophomore album of Farwest Mandolinistic Orchestra, that with their eclectic instrumentation paint a dark, brutal, unforgiving sonic landscape that could remove the listener from its geographic equation at any single moment’s notice.

The tranquil, aching beauty of the album lingers all over the place and evokes the warm texture of a twisted mandolin ensemble with hints of twentieth century avant-gardism.

The whole atmosphere is breathing a somber air, with moody keys and electric custom mandolin creating a cloud of ambient melancholy that drifts hazily through to the back of your mind while the instruments absorb your attention greedily, and deservingly so.

Strangely beautiful and above all adequately introspective “Grief” is a superb sonic adventure featuring a few threatening passages, made of soft industrial-noise use of electric guitar, with the addition of a prepared piano, live electronics, and insistent sound drones. It is solemn build up from a darker mood into something that could be perceived more tripping, yet it still carries a heavy burden that brings it down once again. Not always a happy experience, but certainly, a mesmerizing one.

Sotiris Debonos – midi mandolin and guitar, loops
Stathis Ioannou – acoustic guitar
Konstantinos Tsiolis – prepared piano, viola, synths
Manolis Aggelakis – electric guitar

Recorded by FA.M.OR.
Mixed by Manolis Aggelakis
Mastered by Giannis Christodoulatos at Sweetspot Mastering

https://samedifferencerecords.bandcamp.com/

On line order for audio CD, digital CD and individual tracks:

https://farwestmandolinisticorchestra.bandcamp.com

CD : Farwest Mandolinistic Orchestra

Reviews for CD "Grief"

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‘Entwined’. Soundtrack on CD & Vinyl record

Sotiris Debonos — Tue, 05 May 2020 09:29:39 +0000

The fiction movie “Entwined” by director Minos Nikolakakis took place Its world premiere at the the 44th Toronto International Film Festival. It also in International Festivals in Poland, India and the 60th Film Festival in Salonica, where it was honored with the Best Location Award.

The album released by Puzzlemusik label on cd & streaming / download.and on vinyl also (limited edition 100 copies).

Composition and orchestration: Sotiris Debonos

Musicians: George Kitsios: Violin, viola, . Sotiris Debonos: Guitars, synths

Sound Editing: Manolis Angelakis – Sotiris Debonos

Mixes: Manolis Angelakis

Mastering: Sweetspot – Giannis Christodoulatos

Production: Minoas Nikolakakis – Puzzlemusik Label

Useful links: Puzzlemusik Label, the movie’s facebook page

[custom-related-posts title=”Related Posts” none_text=”None found” order_by=”title” order=”ASC”

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CD : Farwest Mandolinistic Orchestra

famor — Mon, 09 Dec 2019 21:59:25 +0000

Fa.M.Or. ‘s debut self-titled album is a great adventure of music exploration pushing the boundaries with a new innovative sound and offering an entirely new concept of what the mandolin can do…

Music by Fa.M.Or.
Sotiris Debonos: Electric custom mandolin, guitar, live looping, live electronics
Stathis Ioannou: Electric guitar, live electronics
Kostas Tsiolis: Rhodes piano, prepared piano, live electronics

Produced and recorded live at Teflon’s studio by Manolis Aggelakis
Sound editing and mix by Manolis Aggelakis
Mastering by Yiannis Christodoulatos at Sweetspot Studio
Artwork by Ifigenia Vasiliou (www.ifigen.gr)

Released by samedifferencemusic 2019

FAMOR MEMBERS

Stathis Ioannou: el guitar, loops, live elecronics

Kostas Tsiolis: El piano, live elecronics

Sotiris Debonos: El custom Mandolin-guitar, live looping, live elecronics

Manolis Aggelakis: Sound engineering, El guitar

CD "Grief" by Farwest Mandolinistic Orchestra

Fa.M.Or CEFALEA (Video official)

Farwest Mandolinistic Orchestra : Photos

Reviews for CD "Farwest Mandolinistic Orchestra

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“Blue Nevus” vinyl record

Sotiris Debonos — Mon, 25 Nov 2013 13:18:38 +0000

Sotiris Debonos and his “Farwest Mandolinistic Orchestra” in “Blue Nevus” tells us 11 short stories and combines with lyricism and humor two of his great loves:

Blues with Pathology … that is, biopsies …

Blue Nevus is a (benign) small mark on the skin. It looks as if it has a blue or black-blue color and this is due to the light reflected by the melanin that is deep under the skin. The photo of the vinyl cover is a Blue Nevus, as it is seen under a microscope. Many of us have a Blue Nevus somewhere on our skin. You can also get it on vinyl and fortunately you won’t need a microscope to enjoy this album..

Press for Vinyl Record "Blue Nevus"

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FILM MUSIK

Sotiris Debonos — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 23:31:06 +0000

This is a 10″ vinyl-only release including the music for a film that was never shot. Cinematic, minimal, improvisation – call it what you may.

Is coming out in 500 numbered copies (and 25 numbered promo copies).

It includes also a cd-r with the tracks in mp3 format and avideo art inspired by the Film Musik tracks. The video art is captured and edited by Socos (of Socos & The Live Project Band).

“Film music” transforms every time that you are listening to it. And alλ though classical guitar, violin and viola, nei, and percussion are the main instruments, you could swear that this material belongs to… electronica.

Musicians

S. Debonos: Guitars, base, synths, loops Sofia Kobotiati :nei Giorgos Kitsios: violin, viola Natassa Dipla : percusion Chara Demopoulou: vocals

Film Musik Videos

Press for vinyl "Film Musik"

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FAR WEST -Tribal Dances

Sotiris Debonos — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 23:10:01 +0000

Sotiris Debonos was for many years under the persistency to produce some music with material motivated by the Ionian Musical School, which has no relation to the Eastern musical modes but follows purely the Western modes and aesthetics…

As he was listening, a certain morning, to the record “Codona .2” by Don Cherry, Collin Walcott and Nana Vasconcelos he had the idea of making a set of dances referring to a tribe, indefinable in space and time – thus came the subheading “tribal dances”.

The initial idea was the work to be purely acoustic; however, Debonos decided together with the co-producer Antonis Livieratos to use Jazz loops in place of bass and percussion, so the the material has an electronic direction.

The material took the title “FARWEST”, with reference to their common place of origin (Cephalonia – Ionian Islands), which happens to be the utmost western place of Greece, in both the geographical and the cultural terms.

Samples were used from mandolins recorded live in local taverns and from brass bands and choirs recorded in the streets, combined with processed loops.

Sotiris Debonos plays mandolin, synths and electric guitar and there is a contribution by Savinna Yannatou (vocalist of the well known group “Primavera in Salonico”) in the vocals.

The CD comprises 11 tracks, each having a dual title, for example the title “De Bossett Bridge – A Farewell Dance” –track 11– refers to an existing bridge at Farwest (Argostoli city in Cephalonia island) and also to the fact that this bridge is the usual passage of the dead when convoyed to their last rest…..

Such factual information, according to Sotiris Debonos, has no special interest to the listener, who is invited to listen to the CD at high volume under the illusion that it is a musicological recording of the dances of an undefined animistic tribe.

Reviews for CD "FARWEST-tribal dances"

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ΟURAKAS CD

Sotiris Debonos — Wed, 20 Mar 2002 00:31:43 +0000

THE POET…

Captain Montesantos A., was born for adventure and wandered in Pacific Ocean and took the baptism Captain – Phantom “. He died in 1965 in “Dafni” Neurological Hospital of Athens, where the last 10 years of his life he wrote his two poetry collections October 28″ and ” Ouracas”…

It never deserved to see them published, just he offered them to his friends or visitors to the hospital as handwritten poems.
Many of them are probably been lost forever…

His few partnerships with the press (local Athens and radio programs) classified him as the “poet of long sea voyages” (History of Greek Modern Literature, 1985).

…AND THE MUSIC
The music material consists of eight songs and three instrumental, two of them are adaptations of traditional dances of Kefalonia –Cephalonia- Ionian island, where Montesantos was born (and Debonos also…).
With small musical bridges between the songs the whole project sounds like a complete musical story. The melodic lines together with jazz improvisation elements and tapes, give a strong voice to the poet and an atmosphere of adventure to the listener.

In the booklet are included poet’s manuscripts, a comment of the psychiatrist Mario Markides who met the poet at the beggining of his career, a glossary of nautical terms and map – guide to the listener.

The press for CD "OURAKAS"

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“Jaws Of Death” enhaced cd and vinyl record

Sotiris Debonos — Sat, 23 Nov 1996 22:13:31 +0000

A road movie by Kyriakos Chatzimichailidis. CD includes the movie and selected tracks from the soundtrack. Vinyl record comes with an artwork on vinyl at the second (empty) side.

Sotiris Debonos: Mandolin, synths, flute. Antononis Livieratos: Guitars, keys, synths.

"Jaws Of Death" press comments

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