OTHON, a.k.a. Othon Mataragas, is a London-based Greek composer, pianist, songwriter, producer, DJ and club promoter. He is mostly known for combining classically infused composition with electronic productions and experimental songwriting. Apart from his solo work, he has collaborated with notable artists such as Wolfgang Tillmans, Marc Almond, David Tibet (of Current 93), Peter Christopherson (of Throbbing Gristle, Coil & Psychic TV), Ron Athey, Ernesto Tomasini and Dan Hillier.
Early life
Othon Mataragas started to play the piano at the age of four and the following year he gave his first recital. At seven he entered in the National Conservatoire (Greece) and graduated at sixteen with Distinction after winning the Prize of Exceptional Interpretation and the Xanthopoulidis Prize. While in Greece, Othon gave numerous recitals including a concert in the memory of Gina Bachauer. organised by the Cultural Center of the City of Halandri. He appeared on Greek television both national (ERT) and private (ANT1, Blue Sky) and won several competitions and awards such as the National X.O.N. prize. At the end of the '90s he moves to London in the UK where he studies piano and composition at the Royal College of Music with British pianist Peter Katin, Birkbeck College and at Trinity College of Music with composers Andrew Poppy and Stephen Montague. As a Leverhulme Scholar at Trinity he wins the John Halford Prize. During this time he writes his first pieces but it is after leaving college that he begins his professional career as a composer and songwriter.
Pre 2012 Projects & Collaborations
In the early days, Almond was among the first artists to spot his talent, others include David Tibet and Peter Christopherson, and Othon collaborated with them on various projects. In 2007, he performed a number of concerts with Current 93. Other collaborations of note include those with composer Stephen Montague (Sonic Swamp, commissioned by Eye Music for the Colourscape Music Festival 2006), fashion designer Nasir Mazhar (London Fashion Week), photographer Hector de Gregorio and performance artist Ron Athey with whom he performed in 2009 at the Napoli Teatro Festival Italia. He composed music for the soundtracks of films by Bruce LaBruce (Otto; or, Up With Dead People), Derek Jarman (a new music setting for The Angelic Conversation, played live at the GLBT Film Festival in Turin) and Jörg Buttgereit (new soundtrack of Nekromantik, played live at the Pre Final Fest in Rome).
In 2005 and during his time at Trinity College, he met Ernesto Tomasini with whom he started an ongoing collaboration. As Othon & Tomasini they performed Othon's music in concert halls, theatres, museums and churches all across Europe. In UK they performed in venues such as the Roundhouse, Leicester Square Theatre, Royal Exchange Theatre and National Portrait Gallery. Othon's debut album, Digital Angel, which features the voices of Almond, Tibet, and Tomasini, was released at the end of 2008 on the Durtro Jnana label. In October 2009 Othon gave the world premiere of Boxer Coaster, the first piece ever composed for a pianist wearing boxing gloves, at the Pre Final Fest in Rome. Othon's second album entitled Impermanence, which includes vocal performances by Ernesto Tomasini, Marc Almond, Camille O'Sullivan and Othon, with Justin Jones (from And Also the Trees) on the guitar, was released by Cherry Red Records/SFE in November 2011. Impermanence was voted by leading Greek music website Postwave.gr the best Greek album of 2011. Othon collaborated again with Ron Athey in 2011 for his large scale performance 'Gifts of the Spirit: Automatic Writing' in which he played under hypnosis while wearing boxing gloves and composed the soundtrack to performance artist Franko B's latest work entitled 'Because of Love' (2012). Othon composed the soundtrack for the awarded graphic novel The Tale of Brin & Bent and Minno Marylebone, written by Ravi Thornton and published by Jonathan Cape, Random House in 2012.
Post 2012 Projects & Collaborations
In 2012, Othon experienced a deep spiritual epiphany, after attending his first series of psychoactive plant-medicine ceremonies in Brazil, including Ayahuasca. This was to change both his perception on life and his understanding on music. Though he had composed and performed music previously, Othon has wished to highlight the distinction from the work he created prior and after 2012, the year which he now considers as his true starting point