Honest Touch

Honest Touch is a project rather than a traditional band formed by Fofi Maniadaki and Samy Elgazzar and based in Athens, Greece. The project is backed by a seven-piece band, the Amadeus Orchestra (in some songs the Philarmonia Bulgarica), and the Fons Musicalis Choir. The project plays instrumental music composed and arranged by Samy, with Fofi as piano soloist.

“Our intention is to create instrumental songs that touch the listener in a sincere and emotional tone” Fofi and Samy write in the liner notes of the project’s debut album, “to be enraptured by images created by the balance of continuous beautiful melodies, ambient harmonies and lush, fluent orchestrations. A sort of cinematic Pop music or as we call it Tacit Pop.”

Mastering engineer Vlado Meller (Sony Music Studios) whose credits include albums by Barbara Streisand, Prince, Celine Dion to name but a few, added his sonic expertise to the debut album “Memories From A Dream”. Early in May 2005, the album was released on Polytropon Records and distributed by Universal Music. The project started promoting “Memories From A Dream” with appearances on Greek national TV and radio beginning May 2005 along with press reviews in major newspapers and magazines. A number of concerts will follow playing festivals in major cities in Greece.

A multifaceted name, ‘Honest Touch’ suggests the duo’s wish for a sincere relationship among people, a unity bonded by respect, consideration and genuine love; it was also an inspiration from Michelangelo’s “The Creation of Adam”. Samy’s acquaintance with his muse Fofi in 1999 led to the creation of Honest Touch in 2000. After performing with talented musicians for two years, the band went to the studio in 2002 to record their debut album. In the same year, their song “Luce Lontana” won 1st prize in the instrumental category and 3rd overall in the WCS Song Contest. In 2006, "Memories From A Dream" was nominated among the Album Finalists of the 2007 Independent Music Awards (USA) in the New Age category. Among the judges of these prestigious awards were, P. Gabriel, O. Osbourne, and S. Vega. One month later, the project received four nominations in the International Online Music Awards (Canada) and won the Best Keyboard Player category. The project has gained much success and favorable reviews from Europe, USA and Canada.

The music of Honest Touch is also concerned with political and social issues with the peak of the album being the ironically titled “And A Time For War…!” From the moving themes of “A Lonely Ride”, “Autumn Tear” to the pianistically intricate passages in “Luce Lontana” and “Memories From A Dream”, the album includes upbeat emotive songs such as “Moments With You”, “Dancing Under the Moon” and “Lay All Your Love On Me” by the legendary Pop group Abba.

Honest Touch’s debut album is an attempt to offer a fresh music experience to both existing and new fans. A producer from Taxi.com, the world’s leading independent A&R company, made the following critique: “the music is top quality as well as the production…” Be sure to check the music samples before you pick up your copy of “Memories From A Dream”. Stay tuned with Honest Touch, music that offers a unique sensation.

For more information please contact Honest Touch at:
Samy Elgazzar
Honest Touch
P.O. Box 24144
Athens, GR 111 10
Greece
Tel/Fax: +30-210-9853-752
Email: info@honesttouch.com
www.honesttouch.com

Q:Can you tell us a bit about the origins of Honest Touch?
A:Samy: Fofi and I met early in the year 1999 at a music conservatory in Athens where we both were teaching. Our common passion for Classical music, New Age music, Pop and Film music created the momentum to unite and fulfill a common vision, to create music that fuses the aesthetics of both Pop and Classical.

Q:What led you to work with this particular style of music?
A:Samy: Since none of us write lyrics, the obvious route was instrumental music. The challenge we put ahead of us was to create, as best as we can, a unique sound and style. We believe our distinctive style is characterized by a genuine and emotional color. You could say a sort of cinematic Pop musicor as we call it " Tacit Pop". That is music so inspiring that words are not needed.

Q:Do you have any major influences behind your musical approach?
A:Fofi: We are both classically trained, so we are very much influenced by classical music. Among the classical composers we admire are Sergej Rachmaninoff, Maurice Ravel, and Chopin. Contemporary artists that inspire us are Ennio Moriconne, Andreas Vollenweider, David Lanz, George Winston, George Benson, and many others.

Q:Tell us a bit about your live performances - what kind of set up do you have and how is the music received?
A:Samy: With Fofi on piano and me on Keyboards, we are usually supported by a five-piece band; that is drums, bass, percussion and two guitars. And of course we have guest artists on violin and voice. Depending on the venue, we may either have orchestral tracks playback or have a small ensemble of strings accompany the project. Fofi: The style of music we perform is not quite popular in Greece, and so our audience is usually very selective. This helps in creating a very powerful and inspiring vibe on stage and in the audience. The music and arrangements are so powerful and sincere that people in the audience who aren't our fans soon become hooked.

Q:Where does Honest Touch go from here?
A:Samy: Our plans for 2007 is to begin recording our second album; probably around April or May. Concurrently, we'll continue promoting our music and expending our fan base throughout the world through the internet. Hopefully we'll be successful enough to be able to perform to our fans abroad in Europe and America.