Ilias Pitsios a.k.a. Dynamons is co-running the greek label Echovolt Records. Based in the beautiful surroundings of Athens, Echovolt is beaming fresh and versatile waves on the international club and electronic music scene since 2009. The label is building up slowly but surely. Having released only a handful records in nearly four years, all it took was hard determined work and elaborated quality control to gain well-deserved worldwide reputation as one of the very exciting underground record labels around. With new and revered artists like Steve Summers, Legowelt or Simoncino, Ilias is releasing kicking tracks, all of them elegantly rooted in classic and leftfield dance music approaches with a modern and contemporary twist. Echovolt is full up to speed and we talked with Ilias, the very fine gentleman, to learn more about his successful label.
1. Ilias, first of all, let's talk about your musical upbringing. How did you start getting interested in music generally? As Athen's having a rich and diverse cultural heritage, the city must have been an influence, right?
Well, i was 10 years old when i first listened to the Beastie Boys' 'License To Ill' album that i really felt that it was something completely different. I can remember going with my dad to buy my first records at that period. I still have them actually. It was Public Enemy, NWA, Run DMC etc..so i basically come from a hip hop background and after that i was also one of the first graffiti writers in Athens back then. I don't think though that Athens' heritage has something to do with the above story...maybe Athens itself helped in a way that this hip hop culture was something very fresh back then and being a part of it was a very intriguing experience.
2. Running a label which is based on vinyl releases seems to be a herculean task these days. Can you tell us the story of Echovolt? What motivated you to start your own label?
Echovolt records is actually me and two very close friends of mine. In addition, one of them is basically our designer and he is responsible for all of the artwork, videos, posters etc. and i do believe that his contribution to the labels identity played a big role. So we worked on the idea of the label during the summer of 2009 during our vacation in the island of Crete. The main reason we started the label was basically because we wanted to do something for the music we love that could be also noticed outside the Greek borders rather that just being only some local djs. I won't say it was easy at first but we kind of continued releasing records and i think now we do have a decent number and interesting catalog.
3. Looking closer on your releases, New York appears to be an important place for you, regarding your musical approach and artist network. Can you talk about your connection to the Big Apple?
That is kind of true and i guess that is because our first release was from two great producers from New York (William Burnett and Jorge Velez). Actually at that time i had already met William in New York and Ron Morelli as well. So the connection i had with them back then is kind of mirrored in the first releases, especially because of the releases that followed came also from tracks of their friends (Steve Summers, Entro Senestre, JT Stewart). But at the end i was always more fond of the dance music that was by producers from the States and i'm not only talking about the classic house records but i'm also referring to the new stuff. For example producers in the vein of Reggie Dokes, Hieroglyphic Being, Omar-S, Gifted and Blessed etc. have always been on the radar. That of course doesn't mean that i'm not into producers from out of the States! As matter of truth we do have some releases by producers from Netherlands and Italy so far (Legowelt, Simoncino, G String).
4. A Vinyl release has a lot of demands, A&Ring, Vinyl pressing, Distribution, Digital releases and so on. Can you guide us through an Echovolt release. How does it all come together?
I guess a vinyl release is kind of tricky only at first where you are trying to find a good pressing plant, a decent distributor etc. After you do it a few times then it is very simple. There is always stuff that you can improve from one release to the next one but generally it is not that hard if you do have some extra money to spend! So to make it more clear, the most important thing to me is to have good tracks and kind of a concept for each release and a vision for the label in general.
And it is these kind of labels that will last in long term. Or at least there will be something special to remember and to be proud of. I wish I had more time to do label work but the truth is that I only do it as a hobby as my dayjob is to work as an architect. So taking that for granted, i can say that i'm satisfied with the result so far.
5. Your latest release is from italian producer Simoncino with a guest attendance by legendary Singer and Producer Julian Jonah. Looking on Discogs, Jonahs last own official release is a little way back. How did you end up working with Jonah?
Well i was always a fan of those few Julian Jonah tracks and especially 'Jealousy and Lies'. So at some point i was giving a listen to some demo stuff that Simoncino had sent me and I was suprised to see that Julian Jonah was singing on a track in there. But it was also a really great house track, full of emotions. So basically i did not really collaborate with Julian Jonah himself. To be honest, we have never even emailed each other so far!
6. Let's put Athens on the radar. Can you tell us about your city in the context of art, social life, club scence and record stores?
Art and social life i think is pretty vibrant right now. I have noticed that more and more people are trying to be creative and to do something for the public good in general. It is kind of reasonable i guess, in a period of crisis, that more and more people trying to be more creative. The club scene i think is quite good. There are less proper clubs and venues left but the quality of events is not bad at all. I have also noticed that the level of producers and djs is also getting better and better. Some more record labels have also popped up recently as well. Record stores is kind of a different story, so now unfortunately only a few ones have left. But there is always the flea market every Sunday and a few second hand record stores, which are always fun to visit!
7. You're co-running the label Into The Light Records and you guys released an incredible vinyl compilation that portrays early greek electronic music. A lifelong dream or pure coincidence?
Into The Light Records is actually me and Tako (Red Light Records) from Amsterdam. I can not say that it was a lifelong dream as i wasn't even familiar with most of those tracks before 5 years to say so. We spent a whole winter along with Tako in Athens trying to find those obcure Greek electronics and after we managed that, i told him that it is a shame that only a few people will get to know all of this rare stuff. So that's how it started. I was trying to get the license for the tracks, track down the producers, find the original wavs, write texts, etc. for almost a year. Thank god it was worth it and people supported us a lot. There is also a second release that will follow, which will include rare tracks from only one Greek producer and some unreleased work of him. More info to be announced soon!
8. You've been on tour lately, deejaying around Europe and showcasing your sound and vision. What can we expect from a Dynamons session and what makes deejaying so special for you?
It is not exactly a tour to be honest. I just have some gigs lately outside of Greece. It really depends on what kind of party i'm supposed to play. I mean in Athens, i usually play a wide range of slow jams, some proto house records that i love and anything from deep and mellow stuff to the classic chicago and detroit records and beyond. To me the most exciting part of deejaying is the part that comes before that. In other words i mean the experiences someone earns through visiting recordstores, flea markets, talking with other vinyl collectors, sharing the knowledge etc.. That's actually why i believe that if you are an exclusive digital dj you really miss the best part of deejaying. To make it more clear, i have no problem with traktor djs. Actually i also tried to be one at some point but got bored in 3 months or so. Digital djs definitely can play an excellent set, because it doesn't really matter what kind of equipment you use. What comes out from the speakers is relevant, but their whole experience concerning music will be less interesting and sterile in my opinion.
9. What's next in store for Echovolt?
We do have a few releases lined up. Next will be an unknown producer with some New Jersey house and more freestyle tracks. Then there is that new Professor Genius alias with a Willie Burns remix, a D'Marc Cantu EP and already talking with some more producers. Oh hopefully there will be a 2lp compilation as well including most of the producers we have worked with some special remixes!
10. You've done a mix for us. Can you give us some insights about it and how did you record it?
Well i recorded the guest mix for you using my two turntables and my old cheap vestax mixer that by the way needs to be replaced as soon as possible! Actually i did that mix after i woke up from a gig i had in Athens the previous night and basically i picked most of the records from that record bag. In addition i also picked some new ones from those i got hold of in Poland and Berlin the last two weeks. It is this kind of a dj set that i could easily play out in the clubs i guess. The guest mixes i usually do are mostly for home listening purposes, so they are more diverse i suppose. Or at least that's my intention.
11. It feels like vinyl is alive more than ever and we're constantly surrounded by tons of music released, both, digitally and on vinyl. There are valuable reissues, new labels, new tracks on a daily base, bootlegs of old and rare jams, Albums, Singles and a lot more. How do you deal with the vast amount of music and vinyl that seems to be immediately available and which stuff(Producers, Labels, etc.) is among your favourites?
The truth is that i don't think I can really deal with it anymore! I mean when you only give yourself 2-3 hours on a daily basis in order to do label work (both Echovolt and Into The Light), listening to new releases, emails, social media, read articles/reviews, mixes etc. then i guess it is almost impossible to follow everything. So unfortunately i mostly follow labels and producers that i'm already familiar and spend only like an hour or two trying to find some records on discogs and maybe listening to some random new and old stuff on youtube or soundcloud. But yeah, i feel that i need much more time to do it properly. It is also funny that most of the time i don't even listen to all the tracks on the records that i buy. So after that comes that moment when you hear a great track a dj is playing and then you decide to go and ask what it was and finally you realize that you already have that record. So what i thought was interesting lately were almost all the Gifted And Blessed releases, the Walt J's Reflection Series re-issue, the great Deep House sound of the 'My Love Is Underground' label, the punk attitude of the new Container Ep on Morphine, the NAD Lp re-issue on Rush Hour, the two In Aeternam Vale's 12'' on Minimal Wave, the 2Lp Surinam! compilation on Kinded Spirits and what else? Hmmm...those Geena and Entro Senestre tracks on WT Muscle series are great too...just to name a few...but seriously there is a lot of great music comin' out recently...all we need now is more cash and spare time!
Tracklist? Feel free to ask!
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