In Conversation with

Absent without leave

May 2006

A little background: 

Here is another interview, which I gained through

Myspace.com. 

Certainly through some of the acts I have listed

As friends on myspace.com – it does certainly

Lead to interesting acts contacting me inviting me

To listen to their music. 

One such act has been Athens (Greece) based

George aka Absent without Leave who invited

Me to listen to their music after clearly spotting

My name on acts such as July Skies, August Stars

(whom I am hoping I will be interviewing next for

Setting Sun) and Epic 45 – three beautifully

Strung ambient drone guitar acts. 

Absent without Leave certainly follows on

From that pattern, but instead adds a very

Different flavour to things probably through

The Greek nature and approach to things.

Either way the music like the above listed

Acts is haunting and breathless sometimes

Within the same breathe.

Make sure you go to their address

On myspace.com 

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=32840573

As some of the music here is spellbinding

George himself can be contacted on

geezertek@yahoo.gr

Thanks for everything, George

Cheers

Andy N 

Setting Sun: 

How are things and what is happening 

at the moment?

 

Absent without leave:

 

Things are fine thanks!

 

In March I released my first official album for

Unlabel records and now I’m planning my forthcoming

Releases.

 

The album is called “bon voyage” and it’s part

Of their series52 (during 2006 unlabel is releasing a

Series of 52 cd albums, one every week of the year).

 

The album (as each album of series52) is hand-numbered

And limited to an edition of 100 copies.

 

Next month a 4-way split will be released by the

Danish label bsbta. Except from me,

the other artists will be:

 

Yellow6 (England),

Kimonophonic (Canada)

and Lope (Sweden).

 

Sometime in summer, I will release a

3” cd-r split with a project from Peru called

“cono norte 3”.

 

Later in 2006, fuzzy panda recording co.

Will release a doogie / absent without leave split

(Sometime in fall) and until the end of the year I

Will take part in many compilations for many

Different labels.

 

Also I’m looking for musicians to start a live

Band so that I can play the ‘Absent Without

Leave’ tracks live.

 

Moreover, I’ve started (together with a friend)

My own label. The label is called “sound in silence”

And our first release will be a compilation with

Artists from all over the world.

 

Setting Sun:

Can you next tell us a little bit about history of 

‘Absent Without leave‘? What started you 

Off etc or as I like to say how fired the starting 

Pistol?

Absent without leave:

Back in 2001 I was playing in a band and I had 

Some tracks that I believed didn’t fit in this one. 

So I started recording some demos of these tracks 

Using my pc and a 4-track recorder. In 2003 and when 

The band had split up I decided to concentrate on 

Making my own music. The first releases were 

Self-released and given to some friends. Some 

Copies of these releases were sent to some labels too as 

Demos and after a while I was being asked about some 

Releases and compilation appearances. 

Setting Sun:

What are your influences (music wise) and 

what have you been listening to recently?

Absent without leave: 

I have recently been listening to an epic45 album 

Called ‘Slides’ which I believe is a really great album!

I have also been listening to the following amongst 

Others:

Yann tiersen – les retrouvailles

Blonde redhead – misery is a butterfly

Portal – promise

The chap - ham

Theodore – a summer she has never been, 

                   A winter she fears

July Skies – the English cold

Kimonophonic – this fragile emergency 

Stereolab – oscillons from the anti-sun (box set)

Dani joss – shaper of form

Flow – a make mine music compilation

I have also picked up some great releases 

From labels like Static Caravan, Awkward Silence, 

Enraptured and Kranky.

Some of my influences are bands like 

This Mortal Coil, My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, 

Piano Magic, Sigur Ros, Hood, Mogwai, The Cure, 

Kraftwerk, Cocteau Twins, Dead Can Dance, Bowery 

Electric, La Bradford and many others.

Setting Sun:

And what have you released to date?

Absent without leave:

Here is my discography so far:

Inland (album, self-released, 2003)-sold out-

Semper ep (ep, self-released, 2003)-sold out-

Lost shadow (single, self-released, 2005)-sold out-

Affiliate program vol.3 (compilation, bsbta, 2005)

Bon voyage (album, unlabel, 2006)

Setting Sun: 

I have been listening to a few bits of 

your excellent free downloads on myspace.com 

but my favourite track probably is ‘Blind’ as it 

really sent a shiver down my back. Can you tell us 

a little bit more about this track?

Absent without leave: 

This track was written after watching a film with my 

Girlfriend. 

It captures the feeling of the film and how I felt after 

Watching it.

This was recorded very quickly, in about 15 minutes only!

Setting Sun: 

What is the inspiration behind your name 

‘Absent without leave’ out of interest also? 

Absent without leave: 

Although there is a meaning behind the name, I would like 

To leave it open to interpretation so each one can imagine 

Whatever he wants.

Setting Sun: 

Anyway, a few more slightly lighter questions to finish 

off with… Firstly, where are you from? What’s the music 

scene like up where you live? Have you seen any good 

concerts?

Absent without leave:

I’m from Athens, Greece. There are some really great bands here 

But I can’t tell that we have our own big alternative music scene.

In last years I have seen many great concerts like those of 

Mogwai (3 times), Sigur Ros, Godspeed You Black Emperor 

(3 times), Piano Magic, Kraftwerk, The Cure, Tortoise, Pixies, 

Sonic Youth, Arab strap, Radiohead, Giardini Di Miro and 

many others.

Setting Sun:

What would you like to be doing when you are 60?

Absent without leave:

I’d like to be retired, sitting at home listening to my 

Favourite music and recording my own music too.

Setting Sun: 

What will you be doing when you are 60?

Absent without leave:

Maybe I will still working. J

Setting Sun: 

Lastly, something light to finish off (Borrowed 

from a pal's Zine almost) - Imagine you were 

ship wrecked on a desert island and could have 

(Clearly have second sight here - lol) the 

choice of having 5 records or cd's with you with 

a stereo of course- what would be your Desert 

Island discs? 

 

 

Absent without leave:

 

For sure I would take these records with me:

 

My Bloody Valentine – loveless

 

My Bloody Valentine – isn’t anything

 

The Cure - Disintegration

 

Slowdive – Just for a day

 

This Mortal Coil – it’ll end in tears