Juno Fades

Arpeggio

This is in many ways one of my most important songs to me: The beginning of the song is the beginning of my solo journey! It was when I discovered this opening sequence on my Juno 6 that I felt I was on to something. I clicked in every note of the sequence on my trackpad and created this mosaic style composition over the period of 1 year. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed the process of making it!

Sunrise Synthesizer Session #9

From Wikipedia:
“Ambivalence is the experience of having an attitude towards someone or something that contains both positively and negatively valenced components.”

On his second EP James Varghese deals with these conflicting feelings. But instead of resolving them he tries to integrate and endure them. All music was created on the road somewhere between Berlin, London and Istanbul. But he finished them in his studio in his hometown of Zurich, Switzerland.

“I’ve never been able to create unambiguous music. No matter what I do, it’s never happy or sad. But it’s exactly this grey area, the euphoric melancholia or the melancholic euphoria that I’m interested in. Not just in music.”

Ayyekkah

Ayyekah

Sunrise Synthesizer Session #10

Inspired by the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of India, «Jhunjhunu» captures the chaos and beauty of my travels through my fathers homeland. I got to play the mainstage at the legendary Magnetic Fields festival, which takes place in what used to be the palace of the Maharaja, in the middle of the desert! It was a once in a lifetime experience and I HAD TO convert this into music. Reconnecting with my roots felt like a new chapter beginning and I look forward to further exploring my heritage!

Jhunjhunu

Finding names for songs can be a pain and sometimes also a bit of a stretch with instrumental music. Normally my projects are called "pop_zurich", "Ambient2.0" or "Dance1.7". Or sometimes it's the place I start the project in like "HeathrowSept", "LindenplatzLullaby" or "TowerOfPower". This is the only song that kept the project name as the song title.
I was at Jan's studio in Berlin putting the finishing touches on the album. Looking out the window I could see the full moon and I decided to start a new song just to clear my head. I had been working on the same 15 or so songs for months and felt like creating something new. By the end of the night this song was done. I didn't realize it at first because I am so used to spending weeks and months on a track that it didn't occur to me, that this could actually be finished. I just assumed I would keep working on it during the upcoming months. As the sun came up I saved the project as "FullMoon" and went home. 
When I re-opened the file weeks later I listened through the song and was pleasantly surprised to say the least. I tried to work on it but no matter what I tried I ended up liking the original version better. I had to allow myself to like something I created in a short period of time with very little effort. It is what it is. I like it. I hope you do too ❤️

Full Moon

Magnetic Fields

«I don't know if it's an unpopular opinion, but it doesn't come across well when spoken aloud: I prefer making music alone. Collaborations, exchanging ideas, getting inspired by other creative minds, that's all nice and good, and I enjoy doing it too. But most of all, I love sitting alone with my laptop somewhere, putting on my headphones, and immersing myself in a world that I can create then and there, in that moment.»
After releases as part of Odd Beholder, Diskret, and HOLM, or as a bassist for artists like Anna Känzig or Dieter Meier, "Graphite" is the first solo album by James Varghese. It is a collection of tracks that were created during the last turbulent years - in cars, trains, planes, and boats. Somewhere between Altstetten and Agra, Hardbrücke and Hackney, Karaköy and Kreuzberg.
Electronic music in the realms of Ambient, Trance, and Electronica, providing ample space to explore the grey areas of the emotional palette. Euphoric melancholy or melancholic euphoria best describe the range that "Graphite" covers.
«With each song, I try to capture a very specific feeling. You always think that you're the only one who has ever felt that way. But then other people listen to your music and feel their own version of it. And suddenly, you’re connected through the music. The solitary craftsmanship leads to me feeling more connected with the audience later on. It's a great mystery to me, but it works.»

Music by James Varghese
Mixed by Jan Wagner
Mastered by Zino Mikorey
Artwork by Bahar Büyükkavir

Outro

Gradient

En Passant

Inferior Design

Intro

Fairfield Rd

A Meeting of Sounds, or: Going on a Blind Date with Yodeling and Electronics

In the deepest heart of Central Switzerland, where tradition still pulses in the hearts and is rooted amidst the majestic peaks of Pilatus, Bürgenstock, and Rigi, traditional yodeling still resounds. However, the Lucerne singer and yodeler, Simone Felber, ventures into new, unexplored terrain with her diverse projects.

That's where she met musician and producer James Varghese. He draws his inspiration from the liveliness and versatility of the urban space in which he dwells. He experiments with synthetic sounds, moving far away from the idyllic Alpine world of yodeling with his electronica music.

In April, for the first time, the seemingly different worlds of these two artists collided. As part of "X-Stories," a Swisscom format, they embarked on a musical blind date where yodeling and electronic sounds converged. This resulted in a unique session on the Gornergrat Railway against the epic backdrop of the Matterhorn. After this initial encounter, it was clear: this is a match! Felber and Varghese joined forces after "X-Stories" and produced their first joint EP: UIJO.

With UIJO, Felber and Varghese map out new musical landscapes, gently exploring each other's worlds and measuring their own sonic topography. In doing so, they weave existing traditions with new synthetic sounds, explore the spirit of the times, and open the door for the listeners, to a unique world hidden within their music.

James Varghese

Pinned to spotlight

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