No 2, World Music Charts Europe, November 2016

No 2, fRoots, Albums of the year

No 7, World Music Charts Europe, Albums of the year  2016 (of 854 nominated records)

one of the Best World Music Albums of 2016, RootsWorld, editor’s list , USA

one of the 12 Best World Music Albums of 2016 at PoPMatters, Chicago, USA

one of the albums of the year 2016 at Deutschland radio.

Kristi Stassinopoulou: vocals,   Indian harmonium

Stathis Kalyviotis: lauto, live looping, electronics, keyboards, Bass (4, 7, 8, 13)

Dinos Zouberis: bass (1, 2, 3, 9)

Solis Barki: percussion (5, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13)

Jannis Kininis: soprano sax (3)

Petros Fronistas: bouzouki (4, 9)

Nikolas Tsilogiannis, Zois Louvaris, Dinos Zouberis: backing vocals (13)

All tracks written by Kristi Stassinopoulou and composed by Stathis Kalyviotis.

All tracks published by Riverboat UK Music (MCPS)

Produced by Kristi Stassinopoulou & Stathis Kalyviotis.

Arranged and Recorded by Stathis Kalyviotis, 2015, 2016 in Athens, Greece.

Mixed by Yannis Lambropoulos (2, 3, 8, 9 ), Dinos Zouberis (1, 7, 13), Stathis Kalyviotis (4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 12)

Mastering by Thanos Kaleas at Kyriazis Studios, Greece

Sleeve notes by Rachel Jackson

Lyrics translated by Haris Argyropoulos

Front cover photograph courtesy of Marino Pascal

Other photographs courtesy of Lina Bebi, Dionissis Stefanopoulos, Stathis Kalyviotis

Design by Brad Haynes

Coordinated by Brad Haynes

Number 1 in the World Music Charts Europe, August & September 2012

December 2012: Greekadelia, at the top 10 of the Best Albums of the Year 2012, World Music Charts Europe

“A highly original, compelling set” | 4**** stars, The Guardian

“Nice to find something upbeat coming out of Greece” | 4**** stars, The Independent

Released June 2012 on Riverboat Records/World Music Network

Arrangements of Greek traditional, demotika, folk songs, born, sung and danced in Greece’s rural areas, their soundscapes ranging from purely acoustic to purely electronic.

Kristi Stassinopoulou: vocals, Indian harmonium, bendir frame drum and other percussion instruments

Stathis Kalyviotis: Greek laouto, live looping, electronics, vocals

More about Greekadelia

Listen and order

Greekadelia reviews

(fRoots)

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The songs of this album are diaries from journeys Kristi Stassinopoulou & Stathis Kalyviotis made together with their band these last years, invited by music festivals and clubs in various random places in the world. They were written in vans and airplanes, in airport lounges, in dressing rooms, hotel rooms and bamboo huts. They were recorded in Athens, from October 2005 to May 2006.

The last three songs are written for Thaleia Iakovidou; Kristi Stassinopoulou & Stathis Kalyviotis traveled together to most of the places. The whole album is dedicated to her memory.

Taxidoscopio was nominated for “The Wommie” 2007 award. Following the Womex rules this award is credited to the label which is distributing the album in the greater number of territories, i.e. Heaven and Earth, Germany

The album Taxidoscopio has been selected no 3 WMCE: World Music Charts Europe in March & April 2007: www.wmce.de

Kristi Stassinopoulou & Stathis Kalyviotis were also nominated for the German Record Critics’ Award.

Taxidoscopio reviews

Taxidoscopio lyrics

5 months in the top 10 World Music Charts Europe

ORDER

“There haven’t been a lot of Greek singers making a dent in the U.S., but Kristi Stassinopoulou could bridge the language divide…/…The translated lyrics read like haiku, but sung in Greek, they sound like a call to the spirits. Co-composer/producer Stathis Kalyviotis frames the artist’s songs with arrangements that have a very 21st-century folk-music sound…”

JD, BILLBOARD, May 24, 2003

Whilrpools

Come dance with me in the dark

come stroll with me in the cave of Ades

and if you hear the sirens scream at night

it’s my heart’s whirlpools that sigh

Spread on the beach burning coals

and the drunken stars dive in the waters

Dizzy sleepwalkers come near the fire

with bare feet they moan and sigh

Waves come and go wildly

they crash on the shore

waking up the pebbles

who sing me a song

My naked body

adorned with seaweed

and scented with saltness

is given to you

The Secret of the Rocks reviews

The Secret of the Rocks lyrics

3 months in top 20 World Music Charts Europe

“Ol’ Tim Leary woulda’ LUVVED this worldbeat/folk adventure! Kristi sings in Greek, but you’d think you were at an “Airplane” concert (with slightly more emphasis on th’ percussion than Grace Slick might’ve had). This is NOT the (dreaded) sloppy techno-rawk it could have been… it doesn’t sound (in the least) like low-end cut/paste electronics, & that’s a LARGE plus for the listener…/…there are some very clearly psychedelic influences that take me (in a FLASH, mon’) back to some wild concert nights in th’ ‘60s!…/…you’ll get LOST in the echoes, floatin’ off on a Persian carpet into la-la land…/…The CD definitely rates a HIGHLY RECOMMENDED from this reviewer.”

Rotcod Zzaj, IMPROVIJAZZATION NATION, issue # 49

Sol Invictus

(track 6)

Born in the heart of winter

Revived in the fires of June

I come and go on earth

Drawing the sun on his chariot

In a glorious ceremony

I dance to cherish his miracle

In the heart of the fire my picture

every sparkle of sweat my drop

I have many faces

All nations cherished me with fire

I have one homeland left on earth

One ceremony that survived time

Masquerades in sheepskin, light for me the fire

Rolling burning garlands down the slopes

I get carried away by the frenzied dance

Of the people jumping over the fires

Echotropia lyrics

 Echotropia reviews

Argyris Zilos, DIFONO Magazine, August 1997

“Extremely well-written songs, woven in a complex web of various musical traditions, to form a musical carpet designed with grace and charm. A flowing vibrating hymn to life and love, simple and unassuming…”

Lambros Liavas, ELEFTHEROTYPIA Newspaper, 31 / 12 / 97

Ifantokosmos (woven world)

(track 2)

If you enter the woven world

you’ ll see many marvels

and like Alice in Wonderland

you’ ll wander in magic

If you enter the woven world

you won’t easily find a way out

and without Ariadne’s clue

you’ ll be trapped forever in the labyrinth

Ifantokosmos reviews