Coffee Break with Momery
Momery: memories in a different order - a new vision for electronica and melodic techno. The Greek duo formed by George Papadopoulos & Charis Giachanos attempts to connect images with ideas, emotions and sensations. Performing together since 2021 with George as Symmetric and Charis as Future of Matter, they founded their new project in 2022 with new ideas in mind. Following the release of their track ‘Ophelia’ on Mind Against’s new imprint, but also their recent mix ‘Violet Blue’ on our Soundcloud channel, we were curious to have a little chat to get to know them better.
Hey guys, it’s nice to meet you! How has 2023 been so far?
Hey there, first of all thanks to you guys for having us. So far 2023 has been really productive and creative for us, being quite busy with our first release, but also planning the rest of the year. Frankly speaking in the first months of 2023 we had to face a few struggles, but fortunately we can say that we overcame all these obstacles and somehow transcribed all of this into our music.
When was your first introduction to dance music and when did you decide to dig deeper into it by becoming producers & DJs?
George: Growing up in the island of Crete, I remember myself as a child exploring various genres of music. My first contact with music was when my father offered me a guitar. Later on I found myself digging into record shops and buying various records from New wave to post punk bands like Depeche mode, Joy Division, The Cure. Then I discovered the sound of eurodance and I was really impressed by the anthem synths and various elements from this type of music. When I moved to Rome back in 2008, I started mixing and doing mashups with some of my favourite tracks and I started producing more. Shortly after I had the opportunity to DJ for warmups in a few clubs in Rome. That is when I realised that this is what I want to do with my life. DJ & Produce my own music. I then quit my studies and moved to Thessaloniki, Greece where I studied music production & audio engineering.
Charis: I was first introduced to dance music when I was in high school. Back then you could find me digging records at the local record shop in my hometown. I quickly fell in love with the genre and started DJing in a local bar in my father’s village just for fun. Being a really shy person it seemed easier to play in a small village, but my sister later encouraged me to start DJing in our hometown Thessaloniki. After I pumped into Nicolas Jaar sounds, I realised I wanted to get involved in music production as well. So I started digging deeper into it while playing regularly for parties in my city.
When did you guys meet and how was this duo formed?
We met in Thessaloniki. Charis was traveling by boat back then because his main job was sailor in merchant ships. After years of playing together but with our own aliases, we thought it would be a good time to start producing something together, and here we are.
Why the name ‘Momery’?
Momery is a Memory in a different order. All the memories we have, the moments we live as humans… It is an attempt to connect images with ideas, emotions and sensations. Through the externalisation of our ideas this project became our reality.
Your track ‘Ophelia’ was released on June 23rd on Mind Against’s new label Habitat. What is the story behind this track and what material did you use to produce it?
Ophelia is about love, memories, feelings, distance.
When we first constructed the idea of Momery, Haris was still working as a sailor and George was jamming rhythms and melodies in the studio. We were discussing how distance made it difficult to collaborate, and it actually helped us develop the concept behind this track.
The first notes and the vibe of this track were a chain of feelings that connected us very strongly at this time!
In the meantime we were looking for a voice to give life to the instrumental version, and Running Pine created a beautiful, emotional journey.
Regarding the gear we used: we started with the kick which is coming from the Elektron, and the bassline which is coming from the Moog Sub 37. We then created the main lead and some melodies with Dave Smith Polyevolver, one of our favourites hybrid synths. A lot of noises and FX in this track were made with the Alessis Andromeda. We also used some plugins like Zebra from the U-he.
How would you describe this track in 3 words?
Love, journey, memories.
What does a typical day in the studio with Momery look like?
Lately, we tend to jam without a specific idea in mind. When we do start to write, we begin with the kick, and then incorporate the melody.
Talking about production: what are your favorite plugins at the moment?
At the moment our favourites are Echoboy from Sound Toys, which create great rhythm. Fragments from Arturia is a great playful plugin for granular synthesis. For mixing we like Trackspaser from Wavesfactor, which helps you mix frequencies more easily.
What do you draw inspiration from and who are your biggest influences?
We get inspired from almost everything in life. That means interactions with other people, but also nature. Writing music and creating art in general is a way of describing feelings and words you can’t say.
Our biggest influences over the years were bands such as Aphrodite Child, Pink Floyd, Brian Eno, Doors, The Cure, Depeche Mode, Joy Division, but also artists such as Moby, Nicolas Jaar, Burial, Four Tet, Superpitcher, Stephan Bodzin, Mind Against, Tale of Us.
What were your best club and festival experiences so far?
We’re still rookies in the industry (laughing) so we’re not so experienced DJing as a duo - but so far our favourites were definitely the club Aigli Geni Hamam and the festival Reworks which are both in Thessaloniki.
In general we really like to play for big crowds and every time we have the chance to make it happen we have a blast.
What would you say are the pros and cons of touring as a duo?
We believe that the only con of touring together is that George can fall asleep anywhere, and as a result Charis (who can’t) just stares at him (hahaha). The pros is that we are friends and we used to travel together, so our bond is super strong.
The dance music scene is constantly evolving, with at the moment melodic techno becoming more and more popular and conquering North America. What do you think the scene will look like in the next few years?
The melodic techno scene is indeed getting bigger and bigger. We believe that social media is the reason why music is spread to people so rapidly. We think that the future of the techno music scene will evolve around technology, visuals, videos and 3D animations. Techno is about to become a complete art project that provides a unique experience to the audience, and not just a DJ set anymore. We’re thrilled about the idea of being part of this evolution and we’re looking forward to seeing what’s coming.
Last but not least: how do you like your coffee?
George mostly drinks boiled Greek coffee and Charis drinks espresso (or as we say here ‘Esspressaki’).
We are both coffee addicts. We hope to have better luck than Honoré de Balzac.
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