An Interview with the Composer/Music Producer Bobby Blazoudakis
I have been very lucky, in that I have listened to everything Bobby Blazoudakis has composed and I can say without any hesitation, that his music rocks!!! It doesn’t matter if it’s classical, for films, rock or more ethnic in sound, he has a sensitivity and depth which he brings to his compositions that one very rarely meets in music.
So, it is with great pleasure that I post this interview, in the hopes that others will grow to love Babbis’ unique music as much as I do.
Annia: When did you first realise you wanted to be a musician and composer?
Bobby: When I was 14, I went to a high school concert by slightly older kids performing a variety of songs – mostly covers. I left that concert knowing that that’s what I wanted to do.
I then proceeded to play LPs on the record player and, after buying a guitar which I liked I played along with that I heard, adding my own notes. Any structured and organised music lessons I took made the magic in music and sound disappear. So, I’m basically self-taught.
Annia: Where do you get most of your inspiration from?
Bobby: Two things really inspire me: Nature and myths.
Whilst walking in Nature, I find that stopping and looking at a tree, and how fascinating it is in its existence, (a true child if the planet), can give me a lot of energy. Tasting its fruit and going into that thought, putting that flavour into the experience, while still looking at the tree, can be very rewarding as an inspiration. It’s an exchange of energy.
As for myths, they inspire me because they are the distillation of human experiences that have such enormous colour, as they come from a variety of races in time.
Annia: Is there something you do, like a hobby or an activity, which doesn’t have anything to do with composing, but which inspires you in your music, nonetheless?
Bobby: Human interaction, a walk in nature and movies.
Annia: What music genre(s) do you feel more comfortable with?
Bobby: I would say rock and film music. By film music I mean anything you could possibly hear played by an orchestra. The orchestra can bring out such colour and vibrancy, that the sound itself can be very inspiring.
Annia: How do you go about beginning a new composition?
Bobby: These days, I start off by imagining a story. I’ll try to complete the storyline, then I’ll create possible scenes in my head, and then I’ll compose lots of small snippets for all the scenes. I let these settle for 2 weeks, after which, I go out for a walk and listen to all the snippets, and see how they gel together and which ones are most suited to the piece. Only then will I start the composition and production process.
Annia: Can you tell us a little about your current projects?
Bobby: Currently, I am working on the 9 muses of the ancient world. I’m creating a story and it begins with my first muse, Euterpe, (the muse of music), who, as a middle-aged woman goes deep into the forest in the middle of the night. There she finds a stream and she calls all the notes to her. As she cleanses and rejuvenates them, the dawn of a new day arrives and she is, once again, reborn as a little girl in the clothes of an older woman. It’s a composition for string orchestra, piano, harp and 2 sopranos. The lyrics will be all in ancient Greek, and I am hoping that the performances will take place in museums, as they are the real and original homes of the muses.
Annia: What advice would you give self-taught musicians and composers?
Bobby: To spend a minimum of 30 minutes per day writing, and to work hard on creating their own sound/universe.
Annia: What future projects do you have in mind?
Bobby: I plan on adding a large variety of albums to my unique musical project, that are on my website. I find that there I am free to create music in whatever genre I feel like.
I would like to thank Bobby Blazoudakis for his fascinating interview. It’s been a real honour and pleasure.
If you would like to listen to some of his superb music, (and I would strongly recommend you do that!), please visit his website:
And on YouTube: