The shape of this piece emerges gradually, at first several independent micro-sounds appear and are gathered at a slow pace, in order to then become organized and create musical phrases. Through these phrases various polyrhythms emerge which in turn are increased and eventually create a unified sound mass. The energy of this mass creates tension so that it becomes more and more dense until it reaches its peak and release. It will then weaken by gradually subtracting its density and organization of its individual elements until we reach the end and the initial silence. The evolution of this piece could be explained very simply with a shape of a triangle, although we will see that there are important events within this piece that break its seemingly linear evolution and dramatically affect the listener's anticipation.

Scala

The shape of this piece emerges gradually, at first several independent micro-sounds appear and are gathered at a slow pace, in order to then become organized and create musical phrases. Through these phrases various polyrhythms emerge which in turn are increased and eventually create a unified sound mass. The energy of this mass creates tension so that it becomes more and more dense until it reaches its peak and release. It will then weaken by gradually, subtracting its density and organization of its individual elements until we reach the end and the initial silence. The evolution of this piece could be explained very simply with the shape of a triangle, although we will see that there are important events within this piece that break its seemingly linear evolution and dramatically affect the listener's anticipation. This piece was awarded with the Residency Prix CIME prize in the Prix CIME 2021 Competition from CIME/ICEM.

Apex describes the consequences of the human imprint on the acoustic environment in which we live. The continuous search for a modern lifestyle and the continuous technological development have significantly affected the soundscape that surrounds us, introducing more and more noise into our everyday life. The work presents this idea with the symbolism of a "non-stop machine" producing noise. We observe the operation of the machine - which is directly related to the idea of the existence of the pulsating rhythm in the work - as it adds more and more elements to its core and therefore occupies more and more of the listener's attention. The work attempts to sonically depict everyday life in an urban environment, the various stages of human activity within it.

Apex

Inemuri is the Japanese practice of sleeping between one's daily activities but mainly during work. This can occur between meetings at work, on the way home or even waiting for the train after a night out. This piece presents the thoughts and feelings of a character in his daily life but also during the Inemuri in which he is dreaming. We will notice that the feelings and thoughts of our character remain the same as the various situations of everyday life that can cause anxiety and insecurity are also transferred to his dreams, but they are transformed and presented in a more imaginative and surreal way. The work somehow describes the dream process. In a dream we can experience situations from our everyday life, they can transform and become inexplicable or take an unexpected turn fulfilling our thoughts, desires and motivations which originate from the unconscious.

Inemuri

Inflection Point represents a person's lifelong struggle with anxiety and insecurity in their quest for peace and tranquility. This dichotomy is depicted in the work through two extremes: the intense noise of the urban landscape and the tranquility of the natural landscape. The idea for the work came from a visit I made to the Athens subway last year. As someone who has lived away from urban centers for years, the scenes I encountered inside the trains and various stations were unfamiliar to me. People were in constant tension to catch the next train, walking briskly -almost hurriedly- continuous movement, fast-paced rhythms, and a general sense of anxiety and melancholy. The same conditions were present in the soundscape: constant announcements from loudspeakers, footsteps and voices echoing in the large station halls, and the characteristic noise -capable of instilling awe due to its magnitude and intensity- emerging from the tunnel as the train approached the station. All these stimuli, which can cause turmoil, a sense of claustrophobia, and anxiety, are captured in this work as psychological obstacles that our character must overcome to secure the tranquility they so desperately seek. To achieve this, it is inevitable for the character to reach a peak and climax of intensity -a reflection of their psychological state- which will lead them to a critical point, or in other words, an inflection point.

Inflection Point

Chronos

Το Inferno μας εισάγει στον χώρο του πνευματισμού και της επικοινωνίας μας με τις ψυχές των νεκρών καθώς μας προετοιμάζει για ένα ταξίδι πέραν απο τις πύλες του κάτω κόσμου.

Inferno

As Above So Below (Excerpt) (8CH Stereo Reduction)

This piece is an audio path, the musical / sonic experiences I have gained over the last 5 years studying in Corfu but also traveling the world. The piece develops concepts such as the journey, the transition, the passage and the idea of our instant existence in a natural or non-landscape. Following this idea, the piece projects scenes in different "spaces and places" others being presented by the sound horizon, others show up from the urban environment and others emerging from the underground.

Spaces & Places won the 3rd prize in the Iannis Xenakis International Electronic Music Competition (2021)

Nikos Kanelakis - Spaces And Places (2019)

This is a miniature piece composed for the “Sonic Arts and Audio Technologies” at Ionian University.

Traum:a explores the dynamics of attack, gesture and motion. The title comes from the idea of creating a correlation between the German word “Traum” which translates to “Dream” and the Greek word “Trauma” which translates to “Wound” but has also the meaning of traumatic.

Popular tracks by Nikos Kanelakis