Some of the artists OTHON has been working with are: Ernesto Tomasini, Marc Almond, Troy Banarzi, Currnet 93, David Tibet, Lee Adams, Fabrizio Modonese Palumbo, the Elysian Quartet, Peter Christopherson, Jacob Shirley, Dominic Johnson, Black Sun Productions, Stephen Montague, Dominic Elvin and Kat Vipers.
Influences
Roller Coasters, the Greek Apostolic Penticostal Church, Vivienne Westwood, Giallo films, Aleister Crowley, the Ordo Templi Orientis, the Orthodox Church, Nag Hammadi manuscripts, the Galactic Civilizations, the Arcturians, Otis Carr + Ralph Ring, the Maya, Marianne Soisalo (the Mistress of the Jungle), American landscapes, CEDAR POINT, Lee Adams, Butoh, Christian Hymns, Orthon (the Venusian), black cats, Justine, Freemasonry, the Rapture, the Ascension, the 3rd dimension and it's limitations, the 4rth dimension and our future, David Lynch, 2012 literature, Sky Lights, Maria A. (the only living art sculpture - real humanoid on this planet), Marc Almond (the eternal boy) David Wilcock, Austin Osman Spare, Pan and Dionysus, Rudolf Steiner, amusement parks, UFO's (Earthly and Galactic), Enochian Spirits, the amazin' Tomasini, David Hoyle, NATURE NATURE NATURE, Samothraki, Mohave dessert, Lysergic Acid, Dr. Timothy Leary, Homeopathy, Naturopathy, the Craniosacral London based master Alfredo Hunter, The Thought Field Therapy and Dr. Dominic Davies, The (so called) Rosicrucians , Club Kaos, Trade/ Turnmills, quantum physics, Voodoo, Haitian Art, John Lear, Raja Yoga, Spiritualism, The Great White Brotherhood, the Aetherius Society, Dr George King, Maya Deren, Yukio Mishima, Michael Palin, Graham Hancock, DMT, St. John's Gospel, St John's Revelation, Alejandro Jodorowski, stones and crystals, crosses and circles, triangles, higher nature vitamins, dreams and their meanings, 5-HTP, alternative medicine, the abduction phenomenon, sleep paralysis, Derek Jarman, David Tibet with his small friend Noddy and the Current 93 phenomenon, river rafting, Andre Pierre, Dario Argento, Alfred Hitchcock, all Hammer movies, Dr Jack Kevorkian (a breath of fresh air), Jean Genet, my pianos, St.Gabriel di Venezia and all the wonderful music I left behind...
OTHON is a composer, songwriter and pianist. He took his first piano lessons at the age of 4 and gave his debut concert at the age of 5. Soon, he became a sought after young pianist in his native Greece performing in concert halls, TV and radio. He won several national competitions, including the X.O.N. At 18, OTHON went to London to study piano at the Royal College of Music, under the Romantics Master, Dr Peter Katin. In 2003 he made his compositional breakthrough, after being invited to perform in an occult oriented salon. The L.P.R, the Ego and the Result was the outcome of his first experimentations. Kaleidoscope!, his second piano piece, was written in an altered state of consciousness during a group magickal ritual. In 2004, he received a scholarship to study composition at Trinity College of Music, at PG level. In the same year, he started an ongoing collaboration with Ernesto Tomasini, the singer-actor-performer that was to become his muse and main source of inspiration. For Tomasini's extraordinary vocal range he wrote a substantial number of songs and classical pieces that together have performed around Europe.
OTHON has collaborated with singers, poets, instrumentalists, artists, performers and puppeteers such as Lee Adams, Kat Vipers, Dominic Elvin, Ernesto Sarezale and Fabrizio Modonese Palumbo. In the UK he has performed in venues like the The Spitz, Austrian Cultural Forum (for the Mahler Society), October Gallery, Leeds College of Music, LCE, the Rudolf Steiner House and the Riverside Studios. In 2006, OTHON appeared as a performance artist in Stephen Montague's Sonic Swamp for the Colourscape Festival and in Black Sun Production's video Uncle Billy. During the last couple of years, he performed his music in the UK, Austria, Italy, Greece, Denmark, France and Spain and played with Current 93. He also performed to a live soundtrack for Derek Jarman's "The Angelic Conversation" with Peter Christopherson, Ernesto Tomasini and David Tibet. In September 2008, OTHON & TOMASINI made their breakthrough to the fashion world with a guest appearance in Nasir Mazhar's show at the London Fashion Week.
CURRENT + FUTURE PROJECTS:
DIGITAL ANGEL HAS FINALLY ARRIVED AND IT IS READY FOR CONSUMPTION! Please visit www.othonmataragas.com for more info and www.durtro.com to order you copy.
The soundtrack of Otto or Up With The Dead People is now available by the Crippled Dick Hot Wax label. OTHON's piece Metalipsis (sung by Tomasini) is included on the 14 track compilation. Visit www.crippled.com for info and more.
OTHON' s Brave New World (sung by Tomasini), will be included in the Kenneth Anger tribute album entitled Brother Focus: For the Inaugurator of the Pleasure Dome. This tribute CD will benefit the director who is recovering from a major operation. Other contributors are: Marc Almond, Andrew WK, William Basinski, Baby Dee, Bonnie “Prince” Billy, The Bricoleur, Carter-Tutti, Michael Cashmore with Bill Fay, Coil, Current 93, Gravetemple (Oren Ambarchi, Attila Csihar and Stephen O'Malley), Hafler Trio, Hush Arbors, Lynn Jackson, Little Annie, Matmos, Nurse With Wound, Diana Rogerson, Six Organs Of Admittance, Matt Sweeney, JG Thirlwell, Threshold House Boys Choir, (r).
OTHON has completed writing the music and words for his second album and is working on a collaboration with the Greek - Armenian poet Kevork Madanian.
OTHON is working on a large multi-layered project with Ernesto Tomasini for 2010. More info to follow soon.
How wonderful about your new CD!! I think a proper tour in San Diego should be on the agenda Othon!! Hope you're happy and would love to see you again soon my dear!! xoxo Johnny
Κάποιοι κάποτε είχαν πει Πως κάτι περίεργα μυστικό είχε κρυφτεί Πίσω και μέσα και δια και πέρα των γραμμάτων μου Όπως καθρεφτίζονταν σε έναν κάποιο ουρανό Πριν από κάθε έννοια δημιουργίας Και είπα σε εμένα – μα πόσο απλά είχαν σκεφτεί- Μια που ποτέ δεν είχα σκεφτεί και δεν είχα πει, ποτέ ..το κάτι! Απλά θυμάμαι που είχα, τότε, σχεδιάσει το άπειρο Κομμάτι μιας φωτωδείας σκοτεινής Όμοιος με φάρο του μη-φωτός Δίχως αρχή, τέλος, αρχή ή και τέλος Κοίταζα πέρα στο μη-εκεί και εν-νοούσα Τους καθημερινά σημερινούς σας ονομαζόμενους ‘δαίμονες’ Εκείνους που χόρευαν και χορεύουν Και τραγουδούν και τραγουδούσαν Και θα… Πέρα από το κενό Διανοίγοντας ατραπούς για καθετί ζωντανό Ήχοι όμοιοι με τους ψαλμούς αυτούς Παρηχήσεις ζωής που υπήρξαν και δεν υπάρχουν και θα υπάρχουν Οι αυτοί Σε χώρους εν-διάμεσους Ήχοι που ζωντάνευαν αυτούς Ή μήπως τους άλλους Σε ανοιχτά στόματα που χαμογελούν τους σημερινούς σας φόβους Τώρα, τότε, μνήμη χωρίς καμία πλέον σημασία Ήμουνα η λέξη Με τη καμία μη-σημασία Εκείνη Η πάντα Παρούσα Απούσα Διάθλαση Χαμένη Πάντα ζώσα, πάντα μη-ζώσα λέξη Αυτή που έδειχνε τις ροές της ζωής να χαμογελούν κρυφά Σε μικρά δωμάτια κοιμισμένων παιδιών Πριν η ζωή τους τελειώσει Είμαι η δαιμονικά θεϊκή λέξη Είμαι εκείνη Είμαι αυτή που έφτιαξε τον άνθρωπο Η λέξη σου Γραμμένη στο δέρμα σου Δες τη να διαγράφεται αιμάτινη Στις μνήμες των πόθων και καλά κρυμμένων ονείρων σου Εγώ είμαι η λέξη-εσύ Στο είδωλό σου πάντα κατοικώ και Με ψιθύρους σου κραυγάζω Με ακούς Δε με ακούς Εγώ είμαι πάντα ο εσείς Πάντα
