Music from Greece

2005 release ** music that allows sounds to sound:to die away, completely, into silence sounds thought from their end:not moving forward, but drawing back. this creates space, expanse, a delicate serenity:silence - and what it shelters - becomes audible. this is singing with the ears:barely more than silence. a singing which not only makes,but becomes space: a space for worlds. phrases are also sounds:unfolded, laid out as a path. sound paths that come into being first when followed,invariably t…

One of the rarest Vangelis soundtracks of all surfaces on vinyl for the first time - and it’s an absolute peach.   'Amore' was released in 1973 and was Vangelis' second collaboration with movie director Henry Chapier, after recording a score for the highly obscure film 'Sex Power' a year earlier. While an LP was released for the 'Sex Power' score, in very limited quantities, nothing was released of the music for ‘Amore’, nor was the film viewable until it's eventual release on DVD a few years ba…

"Album No. 3 from Christina Vantzou is the result of a two-year process of composing, arranging, rearranging, experimenting, and melding classical instruments with synths and electronics. Recorded in Belgium with a 15-piece ensemble of strings, horns, woodwinds and micro-choir, the tracks vacillate between orchestral, ambient soundscapes and more structured works that the composer refers to as 'pillars.' The internal core of the record, however, is unwavering. All tracks head in the direction of…

Nikos Veliotis - After an initial involvement in the Athens pop/electronic scene during the late 80s as a founding member of In Trance 95, Veliotis later turned to the experimental field (working primarily with cello & video). Since the late 90s he has pushed the boundaries of sound and image using unorthodox cello techniques,silence and multilateral abstract visuals. Collaborations include Cranc (with Rhodri & Angharad Davies), Looper (with Martin Kuchen & Ingar Zach) and Mohammad (with Ilios &…

Composed entirely from field recordings made at Rue Sainte-Beuve in Lausanne, Switzerland, between 2012 and 2013.

Developed over a four year period, and entirely funded by a part time job working as a SAT university entrance exam mathematics tutor, Nº2 was composed using synthesizers and a variety of unidentified samples that were manipulated beyond recognition. Christina Vantzou then collaborated with Minna Choi of the San Francisco based Magik Magik Orchestra. Vantzou and Choi worked on the notation and arrangements and recorded the compositions with a 15-piece ensemble at Tiny Telephone studios in San Fr…

A recent collaboration between these sound experimentalists consisting of both musicians’ passionate relation to found objects and recycled material treated as instruments. Devoted solo performers of free improvised music, also members of the London Improvisers Orchestra, Tasos Stamou (modified electronics, prepared zither, found violin) & Adam Bohman (amplified objects, prepared balalaika and prepared violin) create layers of “instant” musique concrète which balances between narrative structure…

'Objects 1’ is the latest release of Tasos Stamou combining improvised sets and sound installation. This 35 min. piece was live-recorded at ‘6.d.o.g.s’, Athens, using a variety of handmade mechanical and electronic devices. Self-operated cymbals, prepared ventilators and circuit bent toys accompany sampled murmuring whispers that reflect a sound landscape of ritual atmosphere, enriched with a solo of bowed ‘typatune’ toy piano.

**Nikos Veliotis plays the cello in Muhammad, and is also known for doing so solo and in improvisation with others. In May 2013 he recorded his 'Folklor Invalid' in Knot Gallery and Camp Gallery in Athens. As stated by Touching extremes "A solitary, ceaseless low cello note paints blackness over the surface of nothingness, but soon stops to contemplate that very silence. Seconds slip by, and the drone reaffirms its needs. This time its tactile properties are thicker and the throbbing sensed more…

Recorded by Ilios in Korea, Australia, Greece 2008-2011 All sounds by ILIOS featuring guests: Alice Hui-Sheng Chang: voice, Nikos Veliotis: cello

How does music happen, and why does it happen sometimes? In June 2010, the TOT1.0 festival took place in Athens, small steps towards a greater affirmation of the small music community that has been blossoming in the hell-hole that is Greece’s capital. As part of the festival, two foreign improvisers (Ferran Fages and Grundik Kasyansky) were invited to take part in the proceedings. While we were at it, we got notice that Robin Hayward also happened to be in town during those days, for unre…

For slugabed’s duration, Veliotis and Filip seem to always be seeking an equilibrium, never comfortable with the one they’re currently nestled in. Despite this fickle dynamic, the music is never inpatient, nor worried. Like the drunk donkey (? horse?) depicted on its cover, slugabed is utterly comfortable with its languid meandering.Those familiar with Veliotis’ music, whether composed or improvised, probably have an idea what this meeting sounds like. A drone-based improvisation, slugabed resem…

last copies, Toy-psychedelia, what a precocious three-year-old might come up with if (s)he had a penchant for the Canterbury scene. Fun to listen to, not sure about the ultimate value. Beautiful cloth cover

'Objects 1’ is the latest release of Tasos Stamou combining improvised sets and sound installation. This 35 min. piece was live-recorded at ‘6.d.o.g.s’, Athens, using a variety of handmade mechanical and electronic devices. Self-operated cymbals, prepared ventilators and circuit bent toys accompany sampled murmuring whispers that reflect a sound landscape of ritual atmosphere, enriched with a solo of bowed ‘typatune’ toy piano.

Kenrimono is a type of pachinko machine for advanced players which gives certain privileges during the course of a high-risk game. This LP is entirely based on field recordings and manipulations made from sounds in pachinko parlors in Kansai area, Japan in 2007. A very intense and meditative atmosphere to be played at maximum volume. Active since the early 90's in sound art and image, ILIOS has been exploring the extremes of sound and image derived phenomena. Through constant change in his sound…

Nikos veliotis and Anastasis Grivas have quite a long history of dealing with drones, improvisation, electroacoustic composition and experimental sounds. In this release, Ôvertical', veliotis' strings and Grivas' custom made guitars create a harmonically dense landscape that murmurs, howls, shrieks, sometimes even sings or just rests in silence. The key here is the experience of time, as the music brings a state of suspension and the frequency spectrum dissolves into a frozen uniform mass of pur…

The collected Recordings by exceptional Greek composer Jani Christou. Included compositions ranging from the late 1940s until 1968. Each CD comes in a book cover, containing lots of information to each composition. Truly an amazing series of recordingsVolume 1:Phoenix Music for orchestra in five continous movements (1948-49, 11'20'')Six T.S. Eliot Songs for mezzo-soprano and piano (1955, 12'27'')The Strychnine Lady for solo viola (female), five actors, instrumental ensemble, tapes, various sound…

Radial was recorded on the first of June 2003 on acoustic cello without overdubs or editing.  Radial is a piece in three parts, a structure of continuous sound and/or silence.  Random order of the parts is encouraged. "Nikos Veliotis uses his cello without overdubs to break long minutes of silence with longer, muffled "manual" drones. "Radial" is one of those records I like calling "Sunday afternoon winter music": it's perfect in those grey cold days when you just want to stare out of the window…

An expanded version of the previous rz LP by Jani Christou. All works by Christou, the late, legendary "freely-atonal" Greek composer. Features: "Enantiodromia" (1965-68, for orchestra); "Praxis" (1966-69, for string orchestra and piano), "Epicycle" (1968, for instruments, actors and voices); "Anaparastasis III" (1968-69, for soloist, ensemble and continuum [tapes]); "Mysterion" (1965-66, for narrator, actors, 3 choirs, orchestra and tapes)"Jani Christou tried to use and incorporate philosophica…