-What does electronic music mean to you?
For me, it all started with classical piano studies but my true love has always been the electronic. And so when I finally came to work with it, I already had some of the necessary skills. What I love about electronic music is the kind of feelings it evokes; you could laugh, cry, dance, unwind with it. Pure instinct is what leads me to it, it’s impossible to explain otherwise.
-In 2002 TechSoir were formed in Thessaloniki. Together you released a record as well as supported people like Fischerspooner, Digitalism, UNKLE and so on. What made you decided to move to Athens right after your record release?
I thought it was a step I had to take to get further involved with the things I was interested in. Thessaloniki is a cool place but also a limited one; you can only evolve up to a certain point and no further. It gets hard if you feel you have something extra to give and it’s up to you to chase your goals.
-On your first record ‘Cocoon’ released this year, you blend ’80s electro-pop with disco punk elements. What’s the hidden meaning?
To tell you the truth my aim was to make pop songs, beautiful melodies in simple beat. I adore disco and electro-pop and wanted to blend the two in the album with nicely written songs and music capable of touching the listener. To me this is a very sentimental record, dedicated to the memory of a beloved person. Creating it was sort of a psychotherapy, a transformation and this is where it ownes its name: ‘Cocoon’.
-Under what criteria you selected your collaborators in the record?
I feel lucky for collaborating on my first album with artists whose work I deeply appreciate. It all happened naturally and the collaborations came up inevitably, magically. Marsheaux, Natasha Bofiliou, Lacquer, V-Sag, Haris Attonis, Niadoka, Rob Dust all put their heads together and allied vocally, lyrically, musically to the result in ‘Cocoon’.
-You have worked on music editing and production in films and TV series. What is your take on this world and what is your view when it comes to adding image to sound?
I think it’s the magic mix: image and sound. They complement each other and together create strong feelings. It would be an amazing challenge to work on a film’s entire soundtrack. The most recent project I worked on is ‘Rejected’, the play directed by Yiannis Sarakatsanis where I have adapted mine and other people’s songs to my style. I am very proud with the result for this great tragicomedy. A must see!
-You have recently jointed forces with d:teak and DJ Girl and created the DJ team Sally Spektra. What is your relation to ‘The Bold And The Beautiful’?
It all begun as a joke which actually happened during the first 4FASHIONSHAKE! We decided to start a music-fashion blog full of grimaces of people’s ‘low’ moments during the events we go to. Being DJs, all three of us, we decided to get more involved with theme parties. Our name was chosen due to Sally being a ’90s icon and her rigorous camp way of criticising things to the point that she could pass as ‘mum’. More on sallyspektra.blogspot.com.
-Can dance music influence the mind besides the body? In what way?
This is too subjective. Music in general affects us in different ways but there is no direct way to trigger this effect. Of course there are dance tracks able to creating a feeling of pure euphoria. One of these is ‘Shed My Skin’ by D-note.
-What would Tareq wish for himself?
I wish to continue making dreams and then turning them into reality. It’s the nicest project.
Text: Eleftheria Ioannidou | Photo: Nikos Katsaros | Styling: Charalampos Nikolaou |
Link: myspace.com/tareqsouleiman
