WITH HIOR CHRONIK
London, 2020
During this interview, I change seat, place myself in front of another artist and ask him the questions I wish people asked me. Today, I speak to Greek composer and producer Hior Chronik; a brief chat about his career and his latest release Piano Works.
George, tell us a little bit about yourself. Tell us about your career under the name Hior Chronik.
I was born in Athens and from an early age was into music, as a listener and later as a journalist for Jazz Fm radio station and various magazines. When it comes to music production, I started around thirty-three years old. At the beginning, it was more of an experiment for me, but after some time I started to take it more seriously.
Now, what about Piano Works? Tell us about your latest project.
It is a collection of works made between 2016 and 2020. Most of the them were recorded in Berlin, usually after midnight when the city is more quiet and working on the pieces helped me deal with my insomnia.
I understand that Piano Works was born from your move to Berlin. How do you think your environment influences your creativity? What about your cultural background?
Well, to me the environment always influences the music. The way we live, the rhythm of the city etc. I am always attracted by nature as well as the people around me, my friends. My cultural background and its roots from the past are only a fraction of my listening experience.
How do you approach the naming of your pieces? It almost appears like they are fragments of a bigger story, almost scenic in their essence.
I am actually never interested in telling a story through music because I find it almost impossible. Music is only about expressing feelings. My titles always come to my mind just like that, without thinking much about it.
What is your relationship with the world of moving images, ie film?
That is a market in which I am not involved too much yet. Maybe in the future…
To me, there are many similarities between composers and architects. How have your studies in architecture influenced your composition?
I have studied both, but to me architecture has nothing in common with music. Nature is more involved with what I am doing. Still, I love architecture and I really want to keep discovering it.
So, after Piano Works, what’s next?
I am working on my new album for 7K! and Ki Records. That is all for the next year. I hope things will get better with COVID, and we will see the return of live performances.
Thanks very much George. Last one for the road — one book, one album, one film — tell us about your latest cultural pearls?
It is hard to choose but what comes up in my mind right now would be; a film : The 12, a book: The Prince of Milk by Exurb1a and an album: Alex Somers’ Honey Boy.
Bouncing on George’s words; here is a different point of view on the relationship between music and architecture! Read my review of Piano Works.