Where did the name Knossos come from, and what inspired you to use it? 
I chose the name for a couple of reasons. “The Tragedy of Knossos” was the first song I ever composed, specifically with the dancer in mind back in 1998. When I was asked to put together an album a few years later, it seemed only fitting to name the project after that song since it marked the beginning of a new style of music for me. Second, I felt a connection to the name and the place because it seemed to have depth and soul. When I was studying art history, I was really moved by the culture and story of Knossos. It was steeped in archaic mystery and sadness and it left an impression on me that lasts to this day.

What is the concept of the album title, 'dark light in the wake of silence?'
I have always been preoccupied with the musical attributes that silence lends to a composition. Giya Kancheli and Arvo Part, to name a few, treat silence in their works as a musical entity that deserves attention. For me, I too felt inclined to find silence in my music that would serve as an organic spring-board. As my songwriting progressed, silence bloomed into texture and, at times, into thick layers of acoustic and electronic sound that overwhelmed all registers.

It’s funny, if you hear the disk now, silence is pretty much reserved for the space between tracks; but if you really listen, you can pick out those subtle beginnings that hold certain tracks together. They are dimly lit…hence, “Dark Light”.  Most people don’t have that much patience, but really, if you have the time – it is a headphone disk– lot’s to hear on repeated listens.

Your contribution to Strange Flesh, "Cold Room," is very dark, and dare I say chilling? How did this song come about?
Cold Room was culled from a series of 7 songs I was working on a few years back.  At the time I was heavily into digital noise, dissonance, and dark sounds. I was fascinated with artists like Fennesz, Matmos, Richard Devine etc, and was intrigued with where the musical line was drawn between beauty and discomfort for the listener. I also wanted to try a different writing style that focused on beats and textures first, versus starting with an oud, saz or bassline, which is my usual plan of attack. Overall, it was an interesting phase of writing – Cold Room was simply the best of the bunch and seemed the appropriate fit for the compilation.

You were part of a group named Eventide. How did that experience affect you and your music?
Eventide really was integral to my evolution as a musician. In that group I was able to realize my passion for early music as well as explore interesting arrangements for guitar and effects in a small ensemble. The medieval lineage to the Middle East was undeniable and I soon found myself experimenting with new instruments like the oud, saz, cumbus, etc. I taught myself how to play them all somehow, which is still bewildering to me – broke a lot of rules, but without that experience I would not be where I am today. Eventide was really an amazing group, and the compositions were uncanny considering how young we were. I found some old tapes the other day and was just blown away with what we were doing.  It is a shame a lot of the material will never see the light of day. Jeremiah was going to release a retrospective at one time but I think it has been indefinitely shelved.

What are you listening to?
Wow, so many things! Happily, my ipod affords me the luxury of listening to music almost 24/7; I am continually absorbing new and interesting things. I am currently faithful to the catalogs of: City Center Offices, Rune Grammofon, n5md, ECM, and Tzadik, there is much to be had on those labels.  Lately, I have been rotating the newer releases from Stars of the Lid, The Album Leaf, Last Days, God is an Astronaut, and on the world fusion side Mercan Dede, Dhafer Youssef, Bill Laswell, Arve Henriksen and countless others.

What's your next project? Both with EMP and beyond.
I am really excited about two new projects I am working on simultaneously. The first is a new Knossos disk. The working title is “Ambient Taksims : Violent Alaps” and it is basically a disk of extremely experimental taksims and solos, manipulated, treated, and deconstructed. Shorter pieces really, specifically designed for the discerning dancer who is looking for that right amount of beauty or terror to intro their set. Should be interesting. 

The second disk is a bass project entitled Embered, “Low Tone Lachrymae”. This will be mostly an electronica release, but will draw inspiration from low register instrument sources only: one fretless bass, one fretted bass, oud, baritone guitar and yayli tanbur.  The interesting thing about this disk is that I locked down all parameters before I started recording; song titles, instrument configurations, tunings, etc. So it has proved a challenging endeavor and who knows what the future holds for it – it’s just a nice change of pace.

Interview questions by Blue Damsel.