Interview with FLOATING WORLDS
What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today?
Some friends of mine at school had a band. I was going to see them at their rehearsals, which I really enjoyed. I always loved music anyway but it was then that I realized that I wish to play music. If I wasn’t into music, I would probably be deeply involved in sports.
What do you like to do when you are not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?
I love swimming, I want to play video games and watch movies. I trust that every activity in our lives can potentially influence our creativity in multiple ways.
How long has your band been around? Also, please tell me about the dynamic of the band of what brought you all together.
The band was initially formed as a cover band, back in 1998. Later, we decided that we were more interested in creating our own music and in 2007 we released our first album. Our mutual will to create our own music, brought us all together.
Where are you based and how did that influence your music?
We are based in Athens, Greece but I trust that this did not affect much or influence our music. Our main influences are the artists and bands that we listen to. No matter the city of residence, the influence in our music would probably be similar.
How did you come up with the name of your band and what does it mean to you?
Andreas V admires one of the best duets of metal guitarists (Marty Friedman and Jason Becker) and their band “Cacophony”. In their second album “Go Off” there is a song called “Floating World”. Andreas wanted to pay tribute to “Cacophony” and the name “Floating World” (with the addition of an “s” in the end) seemed so close to the way Andreas wished to approach music creativity. This name represents clearly the desire to create our own imaginary worlds, far from limits and music genres.
Tell me about your most memorable shows.
Probably the shows of our first European tour are the most memorable for us, since it was the first time that we made our dreams come true and had the chance to play in so many different countries and cities, sharing our music with people of different cultures.
What is your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you have not already?
We don’t have a favorite venue to be honest. A club that we used to play quite often during our first tours in the past, does not exist anymore. We wish to play one day to “Whisky a Go Go” in USA California.
If you could play any show with any lineup, who would be on the ticket?
Iron Maiden, Toto, Duran Duran, Journey, Genesis, Styx are some of the bands we would like to share the stage with.
What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into playing in a band and some advice that you would give to your younger self?
To someone who is just getting into playing on a band, our advice is that he should be patient. To our younger selves, we would give the same advice. Growth takes time. We were impatient when we were young and this was making us feel sad frequently.
Of your songs which one means the most to you and why?
I cannot pick just one song. I love all of our songs equally, for different reasons.
Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most?
“Gate Of Hell” from our first album, is our favorite to play, as it is usually in the end of our settlist and we all feel more relaxed and confident at that point of our shows. I am not aware of a specially requested song from our fans.
What is the creative process for the band, and what inspires you to write your music?
Usually someone brings a demo version of a song, which clearly shows which is going to be the direction of the sound and afterwards, the rest members of the band add their input and their ideas. After testing and experiments with the additions of the other members, we have the final form of the song, which is going to be our guide during the final recordings and mix.
Each member of our band has different inspirational factors that lead him to write new music.
What kinds of messages do you like to get across in your music?
We have a big variety of messages that we wish to get across in our music. It usually depends on the concept of the album and to the chapter of the story that the song is written for.
Do you have any new singles, videos, or albums out that you would like to tell me and your fans about?
Our new album “Skywatcher”, was released last month (June 21st) and we are really proud of it.
What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that is coming up?
After the promotion of our new album with reviews and interviews, we will play some gigs in order to present live our album
How can your fans best keep up to date with you, any socials you want people to check out?
Our official mailing list: YOUR FREE DOWNLOAD | Floating Worlds
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FloatingWorldsGR
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/floating_worlds_official/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@floating_worlds_official
X: https://x.com/Floating_Worlds
Bandcamp: https://floatingworlds-official.bandcamp.com/merch
Official website:
https://www.floatingworlds.gr/