Name: Lena Platonos
Occupation: Composer, pianist, electronic music producer
Nationality: Greek
Current release: Lena Platonos's Balancers is out via Dark Entries.

If you enjoyed this interview with Lena Platonos and would like to find out more about her background, history and work, visit her on Instagram, Facebook, and Soundcloud.



Where does the impulse to create something come from for you? What role do often-quoted sources of inspiration like dreams, other forms of art, personal relationships, politics etc play?

I am inspired by life itself.

The source of inspiration are the correlations between external stimuli with my personal inner world and my life.

For you to get started, do there need to be concrete ideas – or what some have called a 'visualisation' of the finished work? What does the balance between planning and chance look like for you?

Often there are specific ideas and other times I start from scratch. I surrender myself to the imbalance of luck because I believe that nothing is accidental.

Is there a preparation phase for your process? Do you require your tools to be laid out in a particular way, for example, do you need to do 'research' or create 'early versions'?

I do not do any preparation or special research. I am pretty sure that I have never done it.

Do you have certain rituals to get you into the right mindset for creating? What role do certain foods or stimulants like coffee, lighting, scents, exercise or reading poetry play?

Not particularly.

Maybe now that I think about it, smells and aromas do play a role ….  I generally read poetry but not with the aim of being inspired to do something of my own that I will later set to music.

What do you start with? How difficult is that first line of text, the first note?

There is no difficulty. I start indefinitely and leave myself in the way of the song.

Once you've started, how does the work gradually emerge?

The work is built along the way with the help of brain processes and random musical or poetic events.

Many writers have claimed that as soon as they enter into the process, certain aspects of the narrative are out of their hands. Do you like to keep strict control over the process or is there a sense of following things where they lead you?

I do not like to set rules. The nature of the work is what dictates it. Other times I like to be in control and other times I am left to be driven by situations.

Often, while writing, new ideas and alternative roads will open themselves up, pulling and pushing the creator in a different direction. Does this happen to you, too, and how do you deal with it? What do you do with these ideas?

I agree with the theme of the different paths even though sometimes the unknown is something that might make me act against the big picture of the project.

In such a case I choose to proceed only with instinct based on the knowledge I have and where it took me.

Especially in the digital age, the writing and production process tends towards the infinite. What marks the end of the process? How do you finish a work?

I do not agree. The writing process has always tended to infinity even in the analog era. As long as there is an imagination that is infinite the work is limited only by technical capabilities.

A work ends with the feeling I have and has to do with the artistic balance that leads me to close the circle that opened when I started the project.

Once a piece is finished, how important is it for you to let it lie and evaluate it later on? How much improvement and refinement do you personally allow until you're satisfied with a piece? What does this process look like in practise?

It is very rare for me to evaluate my work after it is finished. Usually, I do not resort to other interventions when the piece is completed.

What's your take on the role and importance of production, including mixing and mastering for you personally? How involved do you get in this?

A good song can stand out even more with the above procedures; if of course there is harmonization and identification with the vision that the artist has for the song. I personally choose to be present and participate in all the processes.

After finishing a piece or album and releasing something into the world, there can be a sense of emptiness. Can you relate to this – and how do you return to the state of creativity after experiencing it?

I would be “empty” if I was finishing an album and I could not share it. I have no emotional gaps because once I've finished an album, I have in front of me the creation of the next. I am already in the process of getting involved in something new and moving on.