Joe Chawki: I’m really into a wide range of things - Prog Sphere interview



Which bands or artist influenced your work for the album?

I’m really into a wide range of things, that really run the gamut of guitar based stuff to eastern music to goa trance and IDM. For starters, there is a Jean Michel Jarre cover appearing, Oxygene4. If you had to ask me who my three favorite guitar players are, they would probably be John McLaughlin, Shawn Lane, and Allan Holdsworth. I like a lot of Squarepusher. I love Simon Posford (Shpongle, Younger Brother, Hallucinogen) and Ozric Tentacles. Each track might be drawing from a few different sources.

Have you managed to make any new discoveries as the time passed during the creative process? Do you think that at some point of that process your writing approach changed drastically?

Yes, and yes. I’d like to think the best artists are always mulling over what to change, how to evolve. It can be torturous. It requires one to be hard on oneself, a sort of blunt honesty. You cannot kid yourself when it comes to your own growth. Normally after I write or lay down something, I like to forget it and move on to the next idea. If the question is “Am I a different musician today than I was 3 years ago, or 5 years ago, or 8 years ago?”, then certainly. Maturity in the musical sense cannot be forced, time will shape it.

Full interview http://www.prog-sphere.com/interviews/joe-chawki-interview/

Comments