Music Existence Because of Music, We Exist
Sarantos is something like a force of nature. He’s certainly a force for good, donating a portion of his proceeds to charity. His latest release is “911 & the Fallen,” marking the 20th anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center towers.
The song takes the form of a simple hip hop rap piece, mainly delivered in quiet spoken word, describing the events of that hitherto unremarkable New York morning, interspersed with occasional singing and harmonies on the chorus, a gentle melody and sound effects including two way radio static and the sound of sirens wailing.
“911 & the Fallen” starts with a burst of radio intercom traffic and leads into the spoken verses and sung choruses which reflect the confusion of the initial aftermath. There is a video with lyrics which also notes some of the sound effects listeners can hear. Sarantos describes it as very experimental and says because of the song’s nature, it is hard to listen to, even for him.
The song closes by mentioning the unfortunate follow-on from these events, which means that numerous people distrust others more now than they used to:
We’re still suspicious of our neighbor, It’s not easier
It’s not safer, And the heaviness is greater
Sarantos releases new content regularly. In the last few years he has released a new song, music video, book chapter and poem every month, meaning that in seven years he has released fourteen albums consisting of 178 original music tracks. He has also produced seven fantasy/fiction books and other works. He aims to release a new song and lyric video in the first week of every month, a new music video in the second, a new book chapter in the third week and a new behind the scenes video and poem in the fourth week. Of. Every. Month. The CD of the musical tracks, plus the accompanying book, will be released every November together with an instrumental CD. That is Prince-level work rate, given the vaults of unreleased work that he left behind.
911 & the Fallen may be a hip hop tune but it’s very subdued and melodic, as befits a track intended as a memorial. Sarantos is versatile and has tackled more or less every genre in the last seven years. No matter the consumer’s music, visual or literary taste, they are likely to find something in his output which appeals to them. Anyone interested in learning more can tune into Sarantos’ radio programme, The Songwriter Show, on Pesmou Radio, syndicated on iHeartRadio, Spotify, Spreaker, iTunes, TuneIn, Stitcher, Alexa & Google Play and others.
If a big name singer or band produced a song such as 911 & the Fallen it would be seen in the same light as the Scorpions Wind of Change or Europe’s The Final Countdown, a big name tune referencing a specific event. Sarantos’ song benefits precisely because it is a more personal reflection on the tragedy, and should not be seen as a musician attempting to be relevant or cashing in on the memorial.
As you might expect, given his work rate, Sarantos is also active on social media:
