Eric Alexandrakis

Eric Alexandrakis was classically trained on the piano, but finds musical influences coming from outside this genre. Fed a steady diet of classics by his instructors, his focus took on more of a modern leaning in the '80s when he discovered the melodic pop of the second British Invasion; he did find influence in the Beatles from the first Invasion, but it was Duran Duran, the Cure, Thomas Dolby, Depeche Mode, and other U.K. bands which made an enduring impression on him. Alexandrakis finds his method rooted in the controlled madness of simply keying in on sounds. It does not matter how brief a sound may be; from melodies or moods, he finds someplace to use them in his musical compositions with precise applications. He has purchased albums just to capture a minute sound used in the recording to use in his own works. Eric Alexandrakis double majored at the University of Miami in Public Relations and English, and he also received a masters degree in Music Business. His debut album, 9 Demos on a 4 Track, was a home recording done between August and December of 1997. With this release he caught the attention of John Taylor, former Duran Duran bass player, who approached Alexandrakis with the opportunity to sell his album on Taylor's website, www.trustheprocess.com. He also caught the attention of an independent label, Serious Vanity, who released his cover version of Arcadia's "Election Day" on their Bangs and Sounds of the '80s compilation. His 1999 release, IV Catatonia, was a twenty-two-track collection of eclectic songs and sounds which found roots in a powerful part of his life, a period when he underwent chemotherapy treatment for Hodgkin's disease. This release was also done from his home four-track studio without anyone having any knowledge of his project. The album began the week he started chemotherapy in May 1998 and ended in the week of the last treatment in October of that year. In the early part of 1999 he sent a demo of the album to Y&T Music, and Rich Ulloa, owner of the label, picked up the option to release the album. In 2000 Eric Alexandrakis was looking forward to his next project, which might be a classical album or another spontaneous collection of sonic impressions.