Sakis Gouzonis gave an interview to MusikFace

Exclusive interview with music composer Sakis Gouzonis

Interview by Charlie Ferrer
Founder of MusikFace
United States of America
Friday, 20 November 2015

Sakis Gouzonis, also known simply as Sakis, is an independent electronic music composer and orchestrator from Greece. Up to now, Sakis Gouzonis has released eight instrumental electronic music albums; First Contact (8 August 2008), New Earth (9 September 2009), The Tree Of Life (10 October 2010), Ultimate Love (11 November 2011), Vast Victory (12 December 2012), Spiritual Unity (13 August 2013), Golden Heart (14 July 2014) and A World At Peace (15 June 2015).

For his high-quality music, Sakis Gouzonis has received several prominent awards and distinctions, some of which are: 1st Prize in the international Composition Competition 2010 for his music tracks Seed Of Hope and Eternal Peace, a Semi-Finalist Award in the UK Songwriting Contest 2010 for his music tracks Eternal Peace and Elegy, 2nd Prize in the international Composition Competition 2009 for his music track Elohim, and 1st Prize in the 2nd Meeting of Music & Poetry 2009 for his second album titled New Earth.

Soon after the release of his first studio album on 8 August 2008, Sakis Gouzonis established himself as one of the best young Greek composers and orchestrators, astonishing critics and audience alike with the beauty of his instrumental electronic music. Steve Sheppard, former commentator of BBC, said in a recent review: "…A man much decorated in the world of international music and rated to be the biggest export Greece has ever had, Gouzonis really brings this home with the composition Lead Me Home… Till The End Of Time has a grandeur and a majestic quality about it that after hearing one would have to stand and applaud…"

On July 25, 2015, the international fan club of Sakis Gouzonis surpassed 600,000 members. Today, Sakis Gouzonis is the most successful and most popular Greek independent artist, having more than 630,000 fans and friends all around the world.

Tell us about how you started as a musician and why.

Before I answer your first question, I would like to thank you for giving me the opportunity to showcase my music. I have been playing music since I was a kid. In 1990, my parents bought me an electronic keyboard, and I immediately started playing music. Although I was just a kid, I had the innate ability to play by ear, to improvise and create new songs. In 2002, I bought my first professional electronic music workstation and all the necessary equipment in order to build my own recording studio in Elassona, Greece. I started my solo career on 8 August 2008 with the release of my first studio album titled First Contact.

Tell us a little about your music and what inspired you to create your songs.

I create instrumental electronic music, which is based on the idea of taking the listener on a journey full of emotions. My music tracks are written and performed with a lot of passion and positive energy. Most people are not indifferent when listening to something with a lot of heart and soul. To this day, I have released eight studio albums, each containing ten instrumental music tracks. All of my studio albums are available for free at https://www.sakisgouzonis.com. As for my inspiration, it comes from the infinite beauty of our universe; we have a wonderful world to be inspired by.

What do you feel as you play music?

I feel joy; actual, sincere joy. I am happy when I play music; it drives me more than food, sleep and sex. I also enjoy the smiles on my listeners' faces each time I play music.

What are your musical influences?

The music from the '80s and '90s still has a major influence on me. I am also influenced by great electronic and film composers, such as Vangelis, Jean-Michel Jarre, Yanni, John Williams, James Horner, Alan Silvestri and Danny Elfman. When I first listened to the music of the aforementioned great composers, my life took a whole new direction. I listen to a lot of different music though, and I love digging for things that are new and different.

What are your fondest musical memories?

When I was about twelve years old, I asked my parents to buy me an electronic keyboard. When I touched my first electronic keyboard for the very first time, I felt a strange power all over my body. I instantly understood that music was my gift. I can still remember myself sitting at my parents' home in Elassona, Greece, spending countless hours every single day playing, composing and arranging music.

Which famous musician or band do you admire? Why?

One famous musician that I admire is James Horner, who is popularly known for writing the music for "My Heart Will Go On," the theme for the film "Titanic." Horner's orchestral works show a composer of considerable skill, capable of creating beautiful and memorable tunes. The intelligence of his music tracks is outstanding. It's a pity that he is not with us anymore.

If you had to listen to one musician or band for the rest of your life, who would it be?

I never knew how much I loved Abba, until I sat down and actually listened to all of their songs. Most bands usually release one or two great albums, but Abba were just so consistently amazing. Abba would be my first choice.

Tell us something about you that very few people know.

I like going outside at night to gaze at the stars. This helps me fall into a state of awe and wonder. I recently read that when we look into the night sky, we are actually looking back in time. It takes a significant amount of time for the light of stars in space to reach our eyes. So, the light we are looking at in tonight's sky started its journey to our eyes a very long time ago. In effect, we aren't seeing the stars as they currently are, but as they were at the time the light started its journey. The past is visible above us!

As a musician, what advice would you give to those who want to be musicians?

One of the biggest challenges is to know when the right time is to release your first music album. I think many musicians look back and wish they had waited a little longer before releasing their first album due to the lower standard of their music.

Is there anything that you would do differently in your career?

I wish I had started my music career ten years earlier, but I cannot change that now. I released my first album when I was thirty; I wish I had released it when I was twenty.

When is your next album coming out?

I just started working on my next album. I am in the very preliminary stages of putting together the concept of my next album. The exact release date will be announced soon.