Night in Athens ist das Soloprojekt der in London lebenden griechischen Künstlerin Tina Boleti. Im Oktober letzten Jahres hat sie ihre Debüt-EP The Epitaph veröffentlicht und verarbeitet darin Trauer, Isolation, Angst und Schmerz. Die vier Tracks sind tanzbare, düster distanzierte Elektro-Klänge mit eingängigen Melodien und bewegen sich an der Schnittstelle von Dark-Wave, EBM und Synthwave. Neues Material ist bereits in Planung! Im Interview spricht Tina über The Epitaph, den Sound von Night in Athens und ihre ersten musikalischen Erinnerungen.
Who is behind Night in Athens, and how did the project came into being?
Night in Athens is my solo project. It emerged after my departure from the previous band where I was the keyboarder. In a way although I do enjoy being a part of a band, at the same time I had a lot of electronic material and artwork ideas I wanted to express as a solo artist. During the pandemic I felt it was the right time to do it.
If you had to describe your music in terms of not music, what would you say?
A panic attack in a sauna! A friend described it like this once and I found it very funny.
Forget about genres for a second – Night in Athens’ music sounds like…
Hopefully it sounds raw and truthful. It’s the sum of all my experiences, influences, tastes and dislikes.
What are your first musical memories?
I studied the piano from the age of five (as clichéd as it sounds), so I had a classical upbringing. Thankfully my dad played the guitar and was a record collector so I also had some interesting influences like the blues and rock’n’roll.
Which person, artist or incident inspired you when you first started making music?
A friend years ago asked me to play drums for their band, although I had no idea how to play the drums – needless to say I was bad. That put me in a spectrum to write and improvise on an instrument I was unfamiliar with. I enjoyed it because it changed how I thought about writing music.
What impact has your surrounding on your music?
Unfortunately, I’m influenced by the physical environment and I’m very easily distracted. My writing has to be in a dark room or at night time, with no distractions.
Last year your EP The Epitaph came out. How did the writing happen?
After personal and social grieving, isolation and pain. These feelings needed to be explored in a different context than the politicopsychophilosophical – that was the artistic.
Which sort of mood produces the best song?
Anxiety – I write better when I’m not at ease and I feel uncomfortable in my own skin.
Which instrument will surely NEVER be heard on a Night in Athens-track?
A harmonica.
Where does your inspiration for music come from?
Horror films, obscure scenes of old German expressionist films and the observation of human behaviour. I also studied psychology, so I do have a natural curiosity about human behaviour. Especially the feeling of fear, it actually makes me want to explore more. With „The Epitaph“, the title song for example, the song explores the experience of someone who is dead and what they see at the moment they are buried. Usually, first I write, then I think of sounds, technically, a bit like making a film in a way.
No alcohol is no solution either. What booze combination will dissolve all your troubles and issues?
Bourbon, straight.
What is the most surprising record on your CD /Vinyl-shelf ?
Michael Jackson – Dangerous
What are your plans for the near future? What do you wish for?
In the near future I want to finish my MA in Music, release some new tracks and play a live gig as a solo artist. Lastly, I hope that what has happened over the last year doesn’t happen again, for the sake of all humankind.
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