Chris Koehn is an architect and a musician from Mexico with many talents. Not only does he vocally perform and emerge so beautifully, but he also plays the electric guitar, the acoustic guitar, bass, slide guitar, piano, percussion, and a few other instruments. No wonder the sounds to his music sound so perfectly constructed! Chris has had a great ride with events throughout the years which include: releasing 2 EPS, “Songs For Yoshimi” and “Permanent Impermanence”, performing in various places and also releasing a cover project.
After dedicating his first song to his brother after experiencing his death in 2008, the invitation to participate in the making of a movie soundtrack was given to Chris which allowed him to begin his early recordings. “Permanent Impermanence” will put you into a whole new state of relaxation and have you contemplating life. His deep soft voice which slowly brings in a perfect blend of harmonies makes you want to listen all day. A slow rhythm is a great approach to this song and we love it. As stated in the song title, Impermanence means to only last for a given duration of time. The message being emphasized here lyrically throughout “Permanent Impermanence” is that we must understand that nothing is permanent. As humans living in society. Chris Koehn believes that the more we train ourselves to believe this idea that it will in return allow us to live a happier life appreciating each moment.
Listen to “Permanent Impermanence” here.
Hey Chris, glad to have you here on BuzzMusic. How excited were you in releasing this single and having it reach your listening base?
Thanks! Nice to be here. Really happy about the project results and looking forward to sharing it with my listening base.
What was your influence behind the lyrics in “Permanent Impermanence”?
Life passes by, everything changes. Everyone in their own way on the quest for happiness. It is within that search where we can lose ourselves between so many thoughts and daily distractions.
When my brother died, that´s what he left me; A constant reminder of being here, right now. To value and appreciate that nothing is permanent. The more aware we are of it, the more we will value the present, accepting constant change. In the end, although we all seek different goals or dreams, happiness is an end that we all have in common. Permanent Impermanence (title, based on the Buddhist philosophy of samsara (endlessness)), is my grain of sand to happiness in everyone. I am happy to see the end of my life, grateful for being able to contribute to others happiness.
What and who are some of your biggest inspirations as a music artist who has helped to shape your career in the industry?
Since I´m an architect as well, I believe architecture has influenced a lot of my music. Both work with similarities: emptiness-silence, rhythm, textures, time-space, and sequence. My biggest musical inspirations would be Leonard Cohen, The Beatles, Tom Waits, David Bowie, Brian Eno, Radiohead, Sigur Ros, Elliot Smith, Joy Division and Pink Floyd. In most of my music, I always try to do some reference to them on different songs.
How would you compare some of your other work with “Permanent Impermanence”?
I´m really happy with the results. Compared with " Songs for Yoshimi", my earlier EP, "Permanent Impermanence" evolved to a more sophisticated musical production. On "Songs for Yoshimi" the sound has a more Lo-Fi and raw approach. On "Permanent Impermanence", when working with grammy producer Phil Vinall, we focused more on the instrumental details and textures. The songs have many layers and tracks going around but still, the sound is very delicate to create this ethereal and cinemascope atmosphere. Thank you so much for chatting. What can we expect from you in 2020? New music for sure. At the moment I´m working on the mix of a Bob Dylan cover which is almost ready and a couple of new tracks. Also interested in having some gigs in NY and LA. Thanks for the invitation.