Name: Grey Paris
Members: Yiorgos Parisis (piano, electronics), Arian Stechert (drums, electronics), Mark Beumer (bass, electronics)
Nationalities: Greek (Yiorgos), German (Arian, Mark)
Current release: Grey Paris's sophomore album Lee Waves is out via Springstoff.
Recommendations: I would definitely recommend Robert Mcfarlane's Underworld as a book of literature. The book has great stories and it's great to see / read how much the author is connected to nature and can pass this connection on to the reader.
Musically, Meshell Ndegeocello's music touches me very much. Each of her records is different and a masterpiece in its own way.

If this Grey Paris interview piqued your interest, visit the trio's official homepage. They are also on Instagram.



When I listen to music, I see shapes, objects and colours. What happens in your body when you're listening? Do you listen with your eyes open or closed?

Yiorgos: I listen to music with my eyes open. This allows me to perceive the music even beter.

I actually feel colors when I listen to music, but most importantly, I actually imagine moving shapes in space that represent elements of the music itself. Of course, this happens completely unconsciously.

What were your very first steps in music like and how would you rate the gains made through experience - can one train/learn being an artist?

Yiorgos: I came into music through the piano at seven. That had already helped a lot in discovering and channeling my musical impulses.

Yes, there was probably some talent there, but without the huge amount of time I had spent with the instrument and making music, I can't imagine how anyone can become a good artist. It really takes a lot of time and repetition to train the perceptual skills in music that directly then influence that what we call artistic perspective.

According to scientific studies, we make our deepest and most incisive musical experiences between the ages of 13-16. What did music mean to you at that age and what’s changed since then?

Mark: Music gave me a lot of support and stability at that age. It helped me get through my teenage years better. :)

I also used the time to learn a lot of music and - thanks to my older brother - to discover new music for myself and to be able to immerse myself in another world.

Because of these experiences, music is an integral part of my life and my constant companion.

What, would you say, are the key ideas behind your approach to music and what motivates you to create?

Yiorgos: For me, making music is based on the principle that art exists because we need to express our feelings and ideas to other people.

When you're on stage and you feel that your melodies have actually reached the souls of the people in the crowd, it's absolutely motivating. You gain a lot of confidence when you see that there is a real need for your art.

To quote a question by the great Bruce Duffie: When you come up with a musical idea, have you created the idea or have you discovered the idea?

Arian: For me, the origin of the idea, the very first impulse, is something that I discover.

Then working with this rough piece, developing it, shaping it is a process that is influenced by many different factors such as my own taste, experience, sound esthetics etc. – that I would see as the actual creative part.

Paul Simon said “the way that I listen to my own records is not for the chords or the lyrics - my first impression is of the overall sound.” What's your own take on that and how would you define your personal sound?

Mark: I would absolutely agree with Paul Simon on a finished product, i.e. a new song or record. At a certain point, the overall result is what matters most.

Since we are a band and I am part of the whole as a musician, I naturally listen very intensively to my instrument and the musical components when creating or mixing a song. When the piece is finished and released, none of that matters anymore and it has to sound good overall.

Sound, song, and rhythm are all around us, from animal noises to the waves of the ocean. What, if any, are some of the most moving experiences you've had with these non-human-made sounds? In how far would you describe them as “musical”?

Yiorgos: Well, music comes from nature and all natural sounds can be also musical. Yes, there is absolutely a place for non-human-made sounds in music.

Writing music is generally like traveling. You start from a certain point and begin your melodic, harmonic or rhythmic journey until you reach another point. The journey in between can indeed be enriched by sounds that you might experience in actual travels.

From very deep/high/loud/quiet sounds to very long/short/simple/complex compositions - are there extremes in music you feel drawn to and what response do they elicit?

Arian: When we create a piece of music, we try not to give each other any kind of boundaries and that’s what I especially like about this formation. If someone comes up with unsusual forms of sound or structure we mostly allow each other to give it a try – in the process, there will either be a creative flow or a dead end.

I wouldn’t use the word “extreme” for this, but for example, having longer progressing passages of bar shifts / polyrhythms is something we enjoy a lot in our music as well as playing with tension / discomfort and relief (Max Cooper is a great example for that).

[Read our Max Cooper interview]

Do you conduct “experiments” or make use of scientific insights when you're making music?

Yiorgos: Apart from the synthesis experiments we do with our electronics, trying to achieve a certain sound to our taste, we mainly act spontaneously and emotionally, rather than scientifically.

We try to keep the technical part out of the way as much as possible so that we don't block our creative process.

How does the way you make music reflect the way you live your life? Can we learn lessons about life by understanding music on a deeper level?

Arian: In our daily lives we are constantly surrounded by music, we just need to listen closely.

I would say, I am quite sensitive to (environmental) sounds of any kind. If I randomly come across a beautiful sound / texture / rhythmic pattern or whatever, I often stop and let myself get inspired.

Best case, I would have my recording device with me to catch it and process it for our music.

Do you feel as though writing or performing a piece of music is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?

Mark: Making music is always more special, intense and focused than doing everyday things. Spending time actively with music is like mindful meditation or sinking into a time tunnel.

A good coffee in this form could not give me that :-)

Every time I listen to "Albedo 0.39" by Vangelis, I choke up. But the lyrics are made up of nothing but numbers and values. Do you, too, have a song or piece of music that affects you in a way that you can't explain?

Yiorgos: There are many, and they affect me in different ways.

For example, Vivaldi's Four Seasons, especially summer and winter, tend to stop time when I listen to them and energise me in unexplainable ways.

Max Richter's "On The Nature Of Daylight" also always has an effect on my emotional state and usually gives me goosebumps.



[Read our Max Richter interview]

If you could make a wish for the future – what are developments in music you would like to see and hear?

Arian: I think, for my own music and the process of making it, there always needs to be a development that happens naturally.

As in music or in life, I try not to plan things too much, the process itself will give me the direction – at least that’s how it worked so far.