Hume Assine’s new album even though it’s called “ATHENS BLUES” definitely doesn’t have a blues sound and it’s definitely not just about Athens, the musician and producer tells me Vangelis Orphanidis.
And he explains: “It is a record of urban “woes” through 10 stories – songs. A record of the crazy everyday life in the city, where we feel imprisoned in a cell, but which is unlocked and we simply choose to stay inside. I think that you, Aris, who simply opened the door and went out and lives in the suburbs, maybe you see this whole “open lock with the trapped” even more intense. I would say that the sound is urban, in the sense that today’s electronic element dominates, with 808s, synths, etc., but more retro sounds like organs, mellotrons, and pianos are mixed in as well.
On the album we also have two super appearances, Jerome Kaluta who took off the title track, and Stefanos Tsitsopoulos, in a surprise role at the end of the album.”
-What inspired you in this album?
A friend was telling me that her child (who has only experienced spotify and YouTube) asked her what a disc is and why someone would release several songs together and not each one separately. And to tell you the truth, I kind of get that. So maybe my psychologist was saying that subconsciously I wanted to answer this kid that there is a reason to listen to an album with songs in a row from beginning to end, that’s why I decided to make a concept album dedicated to urban everyday life which is like a story with many chapters that has a beginning middle and an end. I obviously don’t know if I succeeded, nor do I know if this album ever reached the ears of this child. The occasion was the song of the same name, ATHENS BLUES, which essentially gave the trigger to “unlock” and write the rest of the album’s tracks.
-I would like you to tell us a few words about the packaging and formats, you always do an excellent job…
The truth is that now the physical format has no practical reason to exist as music is now streamed. But since a disc should now be a total experience, the packaging plays a very important role in all of this. And all this experience is now only bought by collectors, so it’s a matter of respect, to give these… freaks that little bit more. The previous album “The Sweetest Sound” was in a box full of candies. In this, we wanted to avoid the established photos of apartment buildings and had as a reference the sticker packs, which are an integral part of the urban culture. The sticker packs are usually given in transparent bags, so that you can see the stickers you buy inside, so we also made something similar, a huge sticker pack, with a transparent “bag”, transparent vinyl and many stickers, based on the tracks of the album. In fact (and you are the first to announce it) a few days ago we were informed that this packaging is also a candidate for the EVGE Award (something like an Oscar for Greek graphic design) and obviously we are very happy!
-For someone who had not heard of you until now, how would you describe your path? Which of your older tracks should he definitely listen to?
For someone who has not heard of us until now, we would describe our course as slow, full of patience and with a steady march forward! We are a beloved group of three people (besides me, Anna Paspati on vocals and Alexis Antonopoulos on pads) who make avant pop with love, respect and consistency and I hope it takes us as far as possible, without being an end in itself. We are enjoying the trip.
As we have many sides and moods, I would have him listen:
The 10 year old FOREIGN LANDS because it is the first Hume Assine release ever with samples from Epirotika Polyphonica
MADE IN YOUR EYES because it is the first one we did with Anna
DRY MARTINI because we love beach bars
SUNDAY because it talks about the life we all would like and we try to fit it into one day.
The PERFECT MARGARITA because we also like to dance lightly and it gets wasted live
CRYING because we are already depressed
VRADINES PERIPLANESIS because we like completely different arrangements
-What plans do you have for the future? Appearances for the record eg?
We are trying to make the whole concept, beyond the record itself, consist of other “experiences” that will frame the music and strengthen the culture of ATHENS BLUES. In this context, during this time and until the summer, the ATHENS BLUES PODCASTS are running, where, on the occasion of a piece of the album, we discuss personal urban stories with guests. At the same time we are organizing some POP UP Concerts that will logically start from September together with other artists, both musically and artistically, always focusing on urban everyday life.
*More about ATHENS BLUES can be found here, listen here, and buy the vinyl here.
