The Taps of the Holy Trinity is a project born at the crossroads of different musical worlds, yet it quickly developed a language entirely of its own. Bringing together artists long associated with the experimental, psychedelic and improvised music scenes, the group draws inspiration from Greek folk music, Anatolian traditions and Balkan folklore. Rather than attempting to recreate these traditions, however, they transform them into a new musical narrative shaped by ritual, imagination and personal experience.
Their album Customs & Rituals Of is neither an exercise in historical reconstruction nor an ethnographic document. Instead, it is a work where cultural memory merges with psychedelia, improvisation and experimentation, allowing tradition to become a living source of artistic exploration. In this interview, Michael Plater and Arthur Karanikas discuss Greek heritage, their fascination with folklore, the analogue recording process, the role of ritual in their music, and the creative journey behind one of the most compelling experimental projects to emerge in recent months.
Artur Mieczkowski
Artur Mieczkowski: The Taps of the Holy Trinity is made up of musicians from very different projects and musical backgrounds. Was there a moment when you felt that this particular group of people should come together to create something new? Did you know from the start what this project was supposed to sound like?
Michael Plater: The formation of the band was a bit more haphazard than that! In late 2022, I had recently returned to Australia after spending 3 or 4 years living in the U.K., and I ended up spending some time at my old friend Arthur’s house in Melbourne. We had this idea to do something musical together, and the original plan was to spend a weekend making an album together, which turned into three years! When I was in the U.K. I had been introduced to Greek Rembetiko music by a friend of mine, John Hannon, when I was recording my album Ghost Music. I loved the rawness and earthiness of that music, and I mentioned to Arthur that I had been listening to some early Rembitiko acts, and Arthur, who is hugely knowledgeable about that music, proceeded to give me a musical and cultural education in Greek music, in Anatolian and demotika traditions, etc. He had also been working on some music that drew upon those traditions and his own Greek heritage more overtly than his previous musical endeavours. I also had recently discovered, via a genealogy chart, that my lineage and background was around 60% Greek! So we decided to work on a project that would explore some of those traditions and influences, albeit in a totally bastardized form! After we started recording together at Arthur’s place, it was just a matter of bringing in musical friends who we knew would complement what we were trying to do. Arthur brought in his friends David Bullock (who plays all manner of exotic percussive instruments and gongs), Paul Rodgers (on theremin), and Dee Hannan (who is a wonderful singer and player, and is well-versed in Greek music, and has previously played with George Xylouris), whilst I brought in my Italian collaborator Massimiliano Gallo on violin and my old friend Danny Martinoz on drums.
A.M.: The album title Customs & Rituals Of suggests a story about traditions and rituals, but when listening to it, it’s hard to shake the impression that you’re not trying to reconstruct them, but rather to create your own world. Where does the line lie between documenting traditions and building a new mythology?
M.P.: That’s a very interesting question! There’s a lyric that I wrote on the track ‘The Passage’ that I think addresses that:
And we dream
A lost world
And we dream
A new world
So, there’s a combination of, on one hand, evoking old or ‘lost’ traditions and, on the other, of trying to conjure – or imagine into existence – a new or different world, a world distinct from the visible, everyday world around us. And, I guess, the line between those 2 approaches gets blurred at times!
A.M.: Arthur, your Greek roots are very clearly evident on this album. Did growing up outside of Greece cause you to start seeing your own heritage differently over time? Did the distance, paradoxically, strengthen it?
Arthur Karanikas: It’s a question which contains many complex layers, I think. The more you know, the more questions you have. I’d say distance and the environment you exist in are probably the two things which present the bigger significance with how things take shape and form in your mind when you’ve lived elsewhere than where your background suggests. I think here in the antipodes you view your own background from the edge of things, your perspective of it is from the outside. Although I have an ethnic background I don’t claim to entirely completely know or understand it. Of course you understand these circumstances more as you become older and you’re more able to grasp the concept of the two constantly overlapping the other. But, honestly, for the most part you function just as anyone else does, it’s just something which may always be there, but more as silent noise in the background. Strengthened it?…not sure. Probably increased the interest and curiosity in it, certainly. I guess heritage also washes into the topic of identity which is a whole other universe where it probably can’t be separate from the other. Where do we start!
A.M.: Michael, before The Taps of the Holy Trinity was formed, you had already collaborated with Greek musicians on The Right Hand Is Doomed to Blacken. Was that when your interest in Greek culture and music first began to take shape, or did meeting Arthur give that fascination a whole new direction?
M.P.: ‘The Right Hand is Doomed to Blacken’ came about in 2024, when I was invited to do a musical residency at the Greenbridge arts space in Trikala, which was the first time I had ever been to Greece. I went there with Massimiliano Gallo, who was a long-term musical collaborator and friend who I would team up with whenever I was playing in Europe, and we played with the local experimental musician Tasos Koromilas there, and we ended up recording a live show together one night, which later came out as an album on the U.K. label Cruel Nature Records. Arthur and I had already begun The Taps project before then, but being in Greece for the first time was definitely a pivotal experience for me. Being amongst Greek musicans, and visiting places like Delphi and Meteora, which were steeped in Greek mythology and folklore – and being able to soak up those influences and experiences first-hand – was crucial, and definitely influenced the themes and eventual direction of the Taps album. I should point out that Tasos HATES traditional Greek music though!
A.M.: Your music reflects influences from Greek demotiki, Anatolia, and the Balkans, but psychedelia and experimental elements are just as prominent. When you compose, do you consciously think about these references, or do all these elements come together naturally?
A.K.: Even I don’t completely understand how or why some of those points become part of a composition. I think that most of those elements may even be hiding in the same place subconsciously and somehow they creep a bit more forward and start developing and appearing in an arrangement or a piece. Even the Demotika, Anatolian and Balkan styles have their own psychological and exploratory nature. For me, it could be about a rhythm or vocal which may suggest some sort of feel which is more vague than clear and that may just end up resulting as something psychedelic or experimental.
A.M.: Arthur, while listening to Customs & Rituals Of, I got the impression that you don’t treat tradition as a museum exhibit, but as a living organism. Do you ever consciously break away from authentic forms of folk music in order to preserve their spirit rather than their literal sound?
A.K.: Of course authentic forms of folk are there which inform you, but for some reason I end up imagining or reimagining it in an ambiguous manner. It just ends up being your own interpretation or perspective of it. I was never really part of any folk circles or scene, it’s just that some or most of the album has come out as a distorted, made-up adaption of it.
A.M.: Michael, your previous projects—from The Northern Lighthouse Board to Ghosts of Electricity—have often explored the memory of places, landscapes, and stories of the past. Did meeting Arthur and learning about his Greek heritage open up a whole new world for you, or did you find themes in it that had long been close to your heart?
M.P.: Yes, the interest in folklore has increasingly seeped into my musical projects in recent years. Part of it came from living in England, and being influenced by the landscape, stories, and esoteric traditions of places like Cornwall. So, when I returned to Australia, I brought those interests back with me. So, in a sense, when we started TheTaps project, it became, for me, yet another way of delving into different forms of European folklore, mysticism, and history. I think Arthur, meanwhile, was happy to finally find someone who he could share his Greek music tastes with! He would pull out all the records and tell me the stories and background of characters like the rembitiko pioneer Markos Vamvakaris, who spent most of his time either in prison or in hashish bars.
A.M.: The album’s opening track, “The Magus,” serves as an invitation to enter another dimension—more of an invocation than a traditional album opener. Did you know from the start that this was the song that should kick off the entire journey?
A.K.: ‘The Magus’ is loosely based on a particular vocal style, a lament which is called an ‘Amanes’.The style has an improvisational and emotional spiritual phrasing where the word ‘aman’/merci is expressed and appears many times and does seem to have some kind of ceremonial characteristic. I’d say it was also possibly one of the building blocks of what later became the ‘Rebetiko’ sound. None of us were going to try it but thankfully Dee was familiar with the style and was able to convey its neccessary emotional language.
M.P.: ‘The Magus’ was the first song we recorded the album, so it sign-posted the way forward, and when it came time to compile the album, it made sense that it would be the opening track. I spent a lot of time working out the sequence to the album, so that each track flowed into the next. I wanted the album to become, in a sense, almost one long piece with different movements.
A.M.: Ritual is one of the main themes of the album. For you, is ritual primarily the subject of this music, or is it also a way of creating it? Did the recording process itself have something of a ritualistic experience to it?
M.P.: The idea of music as a kind of ritualistic, trance-inducing magical or ceremonial act is something that definitely interests me. I think there were times when the recording and performance of this music went into ritualistic territory! Particularly with ‘The Passage’ – the basic track of that was recorded in a single, largely improvised take, and we definitely had a sense of conjuring something, of creating something beyond ourselves, with that. Also, when I recorded all those shamanic yelps, cries, and howls over the track – I’m not sure where all of that came from! Again, it was done in a single take, and I had no idea of what I would do beforehand, it was all improvised at the microphone, and, listening back afterwards, I was kind of amazed and surprised at what came out.
A.M.: The album features instruments with a very long history—the tzoura, the zurna, and the laouto. Did you choose them primarily for their sound, or also because they carry a specific cultural memory and symbolism?
A.K.: It was mostly to do with what a particular song or piece suggested, although the fact that they’re all acoustic instruments also makes them less interfering in the mix alongside others. Of course there’s a cultural aspect to them but that was for the most part secondary. They were instruments which were in the house that we used and Dee also brought her laouto along because we asked her what do you have for an “amanes”? In Michael’s case, he ended up using the didgeridoo because it was beside the fireplace and wasn’t sure what he was actually going to do with it.
A.M.: The album was recorded on analog tape, which has a significant impact on its character. Was that decision based solely on the desire to achieve a specific sound, or did the analog recording process also better suit the spirit of this music?
A.K.: We used that equipment because that’s what we had here at my place, apart from an old A/D converter. I started slowly collecting some used analog recording equipment because I wanted to learn how to do it on tape and we really didn’t want to go down into that infinite confusion of trying to learn how to do it with more current techy gear. Not that we were practised in recording with older equipment… which led us to some very strange decisions and results! There wasn’t any real searching for a particular sound as such, but we later felt that recording to tape seemed to be sympathetic to the sounds being created. In terms of trying to capture a vibe and feel, tape just seemed to sound better. The recording was done with a lot of joy,enthusiasm and very strange moments. I think we managed to capture that energy.
A.M.: At times, I get the impression that improvisation plays just as important a role as composition. What was the balance like between the prepared material and what happened spontaneously during the session?
M.P.: In terms of my contributions, there was a huge emphasis on improvisation and creating things ‘in the moment.’ I would say there was a mix of structured and improvised elements though. So, whilst I brought in a song like ‘Buried Crowns’ in a fairly prepared state, my contributions to tracks that Arthur had created, like Slow Ghosts, were essentially made up on the spot. Like with ‘The Passage,’ the vocalisations I did on Slow Ghosts were all created in the moment.
A.M.: Arthur, BBQ Haque reflected a fascination with psychedelia, garage rock, and improvisation, whereas The Taps of the Holy Trinity leans much more toward tradition and ritual. Do you see this project as a natural continuation of your musical journey, or rather as an attempt to start all over again?
A.K.: It still is some sort of extension of my/our own musical adventures and fascinations I believe. BBQ Haque was a rougher french/afro psychedelic bruit noise style safari with its own subtexts and nuances. It also featured Danny Martinov on drums, who likewise appears on The Taps album. Whereas this new album seems to go into exploring the psychological or spiritual end of the psych genre and maybe even the psychologcal/existential states of the people in the ensemble!
A.M.: Both your solo work, Michael, and Arthur’s music seem to stem from a fascination with folklore, but from completely different parts of the world. While working on the album, did you discover any surprising similarities between Greek tradition and the stories and mythology of Australia or Cornwall?
M.P.: Having lived in Cornwall, and spent time in Greece I can definitely see similarities between the traditions and folklore of both those places. I think one of the main things that struck me was the extent to which folklore is celebrated in those areas, and the extent to which old traditions and rituals are upheld. When I was in Cornwall, I saw some of the pagan festivals and ceremonies they hold there, like the ‘Obby ‘Oss May Day festival, where a figure wearing the skull of a horse is paraded throughout the streets. I could definitely see the similarities with Greek fesivals and carnivals, like the Apokries ceremonies, which often similarly involve animal masks and pagan fertility rituals. I love all of that stuff!
A.M.: You’ve both been active on the experimental scene for many years. Looking back, are you more interested today in the technical exploration of new sounds, or rather in telling stories and creating meaning through sound?
M.P.: I think we were interested in creating what we spoke of earlier – the idea of imagining new worlds, of creating our own little musical universe. In terms of both the lyrics and the vocals, Arthur would often say to me afterwards ‘how did you know to do that?’ And I would tell him that I was just responding to the music. I was trying to create something that matched and embodied what he was doing, and I was letting the music unconsciously guide me in a way.
A.M.: As I listened to the album, I had the impression that time ceased to matter—the music simultaneously draws on very ancient traditions and sounds surprisingly contemporary. Was it important to you to create a space where the past and the present coexist?
M.P.: Yes, definitely, I was conscious of not creating something that was just a museum piece, or a pastiche of something that had come earlier, but something that lived and breathed and could exist in a modern context, and that reflected our own lives. I also have a background in studying History – I have a PhD in Historical and Philosophical Studies – so I’ve always been interested in how the past and present interact.
A.M.: When listening to your earlier recordings, one gets the impression that each subsequent project led directly to *The Taps of the Holy Trinity*. Do you also see this album as a kind of summary of your experiences to date, or rather as the beginning of a completely new phase?
A.K.: I think every new thing you do is a new beginning of sorts. It could also be an extension of past endevours which have shaped and informed what you’re currently doing in an unwitting way or may also be some type of summary of who you’ve become along the way. Personally speaking, as you become older you also understand more things. I think The Taps of the Holy Trinity album is one which looks more inwards into the human condition and the imagination.
A.M.:
Finally, I’d like to ask about the future. Do you view The Taps of
the Holy Trinity as a one-time collaboration among musicians, or
rather as a long-term platform for further exploration of Greek
tradition and musical experimentation? Can you tell us what you’re
currently working on?
M.P.:
I
think I’ve become a life-long convert to Greek music, it’s too
late to go back now! I’m currently working on an E.P. with
Massimilano Gallo, with the aim of getting it out in time for our
joint upcoming October-December European tour, which will see us play
together in Greece, France, Spain, and hopefully Italy and East
Europe. There are songs we’re working on called ‘Delphi’ and
‘Ouranos’, so the Greek influence remains strong, and they were
partially recorded by Arthur, and feature him playing bouzouki. So
our collaborative endeavours are ongoing!
A.M.: Thank you very much for the interview, and I wish you the best of luck in carrying out your plans.
A.K.:
Σας
ευχαριστώ Artur!
M.P.:
The
pleasure was ours, thank you for your time and for asking such
interesting and perceptive questions!
Review (Polish): The Taps of the Holy Trinity – Customs & Rituals Of The Taps of the Holy Trinity
Review (Polish): Michael Plater – Ghost Music