How Alexis Grapsas Keeps Depth in a Fast Digital Culture

Alexis Grapsas has always approached music from a place of curiosity, and his work on Malice reflects that mindset. The score carries a sharp mix of tension and mischief that fits the series without leaning on familiar formulas. It marks another strong entry in a catalogue shaped by instinct and attention to emotional detail.

Talking with him reveals how his taste continues to shift as his life and creative process evolve. He pays close attention to how music affects him over time and uses that sensitivity to refine his work. His answers show a process driven by openness, patience, and a willingness to listen past the obvious.

This interview looks at how he searches for new ideas, how streaming culture influences taste, and how he keeps his writing grounded in personal meaning. Grapsas speaks with clarity about the signals he follows and the habits that help him stay connected to inspiration while navigating a fast digital environment.

How has your taste changed over the years—and what do you think helped shape it?

My taste has changed over the years, the same way my whole approach to life has. I’ve evolved as a person, and naturally my listening choices followed. Music has this organic way of catching up with you. It feels inevitable.
But even when I go back to songs or compositions I loved 20 years ago, they hit differently now.

It’s not just that I’m a more experienced musician—the emotions and perspectives I’ve gained over time shape the way I hear things.

Do you intentionally seek out music outside your comfort zone, or does that happen naturally?

I don’t really believe in a comfort zone when it comes to any artform. Music has a capacity to humble me, making me feel very small—almost like how the world makes me feel tiny yet unique, which is what makes things interesting
I often discover new things in the ‘safest’ of places—not always a new sound, but a new feeling. I’d say I seek out music in unusual ways, sometimes even in complete contrast with my research. It’s one of the ways I challenge myself and stay open to something different.

When you’re digging for new music to be inspired by, do you think your instincts are faster now than when you started?

No, I’d actually say my process is slower now. Similar to what I mentioned earlier, if my instincts were faster, it would probably mean it’s comfortable and I’m taking the easy route.

Having been exposed to so much more music over the years, my knowledge and resources are broader, so I have to dig a little deeper to find new sounds and voices I’m not familiar with. It’s not about getting there faster—it’s about triggering something genuinely new in my creative process.

Is there a part of your process that helps you push your writing patterns or challenge your biases?

Great question. I’m aware that the pure state of creativity I’m usually after is not something I can force, and I cannot control when certain ideas will appear to me. Being in that zone happens rarely and usually at the most inconvenient times. If I’m on a deadline, of course—which is the case more often than not—then I have to make a choice and go with the best idea I have in front of me. Deadlines help a lot and act as a useful limit to endless exploration.

What has helped me over the last few years is a different state of being that allows me to tune in. Paying attention to the things around me in a more refined way, having a sensitive antenna, and being open to signals. That way, I manage to maintain an innocent excitement, accepting these stimulants instead of focusing on what I already know.

What’s a genre, scene, or sound that surprised you once you gave it a real chance?

So many to name. As a film composer, I listen to a wide variety of genres that have nothing to do with film music. I’d say experimental electronic music has definitely opened up new paths for me. The sound choices are certainly part of the reason, but one of the things I get drawn into is the sense of intentional repetition. The confidence to stick with something that sounds good for a long time, and not rush to get out of it, is very appealing to me.

Do you think artists and producers today are developing taste in the same way—or has that changed with streaming culture?

It’s a difficult question to answer. Are artists and music producers developing taste the same way as before streaming? Definitely not—but that shift would have happened anyway, since the cultural scene keeps evolving and our times are different. What has changed is the direction of influence in my opinion. I’d argue that streaming culture has shaped audiences far more dramatically than it has shaped music creators.

Accessing music is effortless and available to us everywhere. There is an overwhelming amount of information from multiple sources. Audiences have a short attention span; they are usually on multiple devices at a time, making it harder to slow down, focus, dig deeper, and allow time for things to take form.

Artists are very aware of this, and that awareness inevitably seeps into the creative process. Music-making increasingly caters to a culture where you have only a few seconds to hook someone before they move on. This goes beyond music—it’s happening across all art forms. There is this pressure to grab listeners immediately and never let up, to make something flashier and punchier without skipping a beat. I find myself missing depth, substance, and originality in this type of work. It feels like a constant fight for survival in the scrolling wars.