Meet Florian Mavridorakis | Drummer & Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Florian Mavridorakis and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Florian, career-wise, where do you want to be in the end?
The end goal is to make people grow. A lot of people are in the entertainment industry because they seek fortune or glory, personal gratification. That’s cool, but I really do this just to make people think about life, think about the world, reflect on who we are as a specie and where we want to go. By the end of my career I would like to be regarded as a creative drummer and producer who makes the other around him shine, be it collaborators, peers or maybe even students.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m a French drummer and producer, mostly known for my love of hip-hop and jazz, my creative beats and my joyful vibe. I always loved the human aspect of music, connecting with others, exchanging ideas, crafting sounds and communicating through this universal language. This mindset if what kept me going in this industry, because it really is a tough business, with a lot of competition and not much revenue for artists these days. But even through tough times, I always kept my head up and a smile on my face, because I live from my passion, and that has no price.

My path to where I am now was uncharacteristic; I was pretty successful in France, touring nationally with my band Damoiseau, filling up some nice venues (Transbordeur, LeFil, Theatre Antique de Vienne, JackJack), playing for 3 to 8,000 people 4 nights a week. But I always wanted to move to the US, the land where all my favorite music started, and try my luck here. So i did, I applied to Berklee College of Music and I got accepted there, which was a dream moment. But that also meant starting from scratch because no one knew me here in the US.

So I went back to the grind in Boston and I met some of my favorite people to make music with: Stephània (RnB singer from Cyprus), Manny Moura (Pop singer from Brasil), Rodrigo Martins (grammy nominated producer from Brasil), Alicia Camiña (saxophone player from Spain).
On top of that I started a new band where I get to compose everything: the FM Experiment. I released my first album as a composer, SHADES, that got noticed by Spotify and was placed in the list of best Jazz Albums of the 2022.

Ultimately, shortly after I moved to Los Angeles, I got introduced to one of my heroes, Ibrahim Maalouf, who is a world renown trumpet player and composer. My friend Arthur Caget was producing his album and he invited me to the studio in Los Angeles. From the get go the session’s vibe was amazing and we started talking, exchanging ideas, until Ibrahim asked me if I wanted to join the team for the album. Of course I said yes! To say it was the proudest moment of my life would be a major understatement, to this day I cannot believe it, but I guess it’s proof that hard work and dedication pay!

Moving forward in 2023 i want to use my music as a platform to promote emerging artists from all over the world, and have a positive impact on the music community. I recently got endorsed by TRX Cymbals, a Los Angeles based cymbal manufacturer, who works on promoting for everyone, especially women, who are still sadly under-represented in music and drumming.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I think LA has so many cool spots that it’s hard to pick. but I would say a perfect day would be having brunch at Bluesy’s, on Venice boulevard, then heading to Malibu and chill at El Matador beach until sunset, have dinner at Hide Sushi in Sawtelle, go watch some incredible live music at The Federal in Noho, and after a couple drinks at The Fat Dog, head back to Culver City and have some late night tacos at the Tamix Taco Truck. And we would do a similar but totally different thing everyday hehehe.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to shout out Pedro Kayat, a young producer from Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. He recently moved to Los Angeles and I know that he is about to make some major waves here. He’s a brilliant musician, with so much knowledge but also so much soul. Making music with him is an absolute blast and he always brings sunshine wherever he lays foot.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fmxperiments/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FloMavridorakis/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFXSxJZGEh4C2dIkyuvHjDA