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Who hasn't relaxed, dreamt and fallen in love in the summer, at the beach bar by the sea, listening to unique melodies and sounds that travel you, given by an expert of the genre Cayetano for over 18 years now.
George Bratanis aka Cayetano, a child of Thessaloniki, started his magical sound journey in 1995 giving us 7 albums and tens of songs that travel us every time at some other place that has summer, sea and sweet memories.
How come Cayetano? How did you come up with that name?
As with many other things in life, it started out accidentally, continued as a "joke' and ended up becoming a part of me.
You are not alone in this journey. You have a full team of musicians following you. Would you like to tell us about them? Who is the one you work with the best?
I have been lucky enough to work with exceptional musicians and most of all, exceptionally good people and friends. With most we are connected musically for many years now.
At this moment the team is comprised by George Perin on vocals, John Bello at the bass, Jim Tselios at the saxophone and the flaouto, Alexi Papoulidis with his guitars, Thomas Kostoulas on drums and Leonidas Beili on sound mixing. Everybody is also part of many talented acts. They are all hyper active and fully cooperative. I don't think I separate one from the other…
What were the first impulses that led you writing your music?
When you are raised in a house that Pink Floyd and King Crimson is dominating, you can’t be untouched by it at least as far as the mood is concerned.
How does the future in music look like? Will everything eventually become electronic or are we heading back to organic music?
I think that we will always find the way to balance between the electronic and the natural. The marriage of the 2 past decades shows that this combination is unending and many times gives unique results.
What do you listen to when you are home?
Mostly downtempo melodies. Either jazz or more electronic themes... anything that makes me dream.
What is your vision concerning your music? How long will you be handing us sounds and songs?
My vision is for my music to reach all those interested and make them feel beautiful and full. I hope I’ll be able to write music till the end.
Are you preparing a new album or is it too early yet? What are your immediate plans?
Its still early for a full album given that “Once Sometime” came out the past September. I am already working though on new ideas. When they are going to be complete remains unknown.
There was a rumor that we were going to hear you in the Netherlands at Leiden’s Jazz Festival. Have you ever performed in the Netherlands? I think that people here would really love your music.
Yes, from what I know there were some discussions with my ex agent. I don’t really know what the reason was for not coming after all. We were sad about it but we are looking ahead. The Netherlands is certainly one of the places that we will perform in this year.
How come your base is in Greece? Have you ever thought about moving somewhere abroad with more opportunities and better lives?
Well now, every time I think about moving, the guilt of leaving behind my friends and my people is eating away at me. So I choose companionship than more “live shows”.
You have signed with KLIK records since 2010. Why did you pick a Greek record label to support your music?
Because I always respected their work and because I was tired of communicating via email. Now, things are more direct and more effective. A year ago, Pale Sound Records began, a subsidiary of KLIK, from which I recorded the latest album and we are also ambitious about setting up a great roster.
After 17 years deep into the music scene, do you have a tip to give to someone who has a dream like yours?
Don’t listen to anyone. Always do what you want, without discounts and with consistency.
Photos by: Ioanna Tokmakidou, Lydia Chatziiakovou, Chryse Tsiota, Maurice Raphael.
Learn more and listen to Cayetano music at his official website, www.cayetanomusic.com
