There has been little good news from Greece in recent months, so it’s great to find a Greek duo doing inventive, contemporary re-workings of traditional songs.
Kristi and Stathis are not exactly newcomers – they once played together in a punk band, and have recorded a series of albums including the European bestseller The Secret of the Rocks – but for this set they are working by themselves, with Kristi’s cool, clear vocals backed by lauto, the traditional Greek lute, Indian harmonium (it seems they were influenced by Nico and the Velvet Underground), along with samples and electronica.
The traditional demotika songs come from the Greek islands, and right across the country, but are now transformed into a sometimes edgy, rhythmic style that veers from slow, drifting songs to the stomping Rodo Tis Protanastasis, which is driven on by an insistent sampled bass line. A highly original, compelling set.
Robin Denselow
