Strovilos
This period of being at home more and reflecting on life, the state of affairs and current world order has come with the immediate benefit of consuming even more music. Although the lack of revenue for streaming of any kind remains an issue that needs to be addressed, we can't say we haven't revelled in the abundance of music being released, shared and performed live on screen at the moment. As such, we ourselves have made a load of new discoveries. But it also goes to show how indispensable cultural and artistic production are in terms of our personal and collective wellbeing.
Just last week we tuned into the Globalwize show of our dear colleague Jean Trouillet, which included the amazing Rembetiko-flavoured track "Electric Sighs" by Trio Tekke. The Cyprus-based three-piece released its fourth album "Strovilos" late in April, revealing a literal 'whirlwind' of electronically enhanced post-rebetico compositions. Spanning ten tracks, the album reflects a brilliant and pioneering re-invention of Greek rembetiko styles, enhanced by the excellent drum work of Dave De Rose and special guest contributions, e.g. Yiannis Dionysiou, Dimitris Mystakidis and Fotis Siotas.
"There is darkness and light in this music," the description reads. "Rembetiko was music that carried suffering, [but also helped people] abandon the worries of life. There is joy in letting go and watching the world spin itself into frenzied chaos. There is pain in being thrown up in this whirlwind, with no control of our destiny. There is tragedy in the never-ending cycle of creation and destruction we endure. There is comedy in the futility of our efforts to hold back the tides." There is no doubt in our minds that this album will grow on you and answer to a certain restlessness we all carry deep within us. You can stream/buy the full release below.
Trio Tekke are:
Antonis Antoniou (vocals, tzouras, baglamas, percussion, electronics)
Lefteris Moumtzis (vocals, electric + 12-string guitar, percussion, synths, organ)
Colin Somervell (electric bass)
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