Kristi Stassinopoulou & Stathis Kalyviotis - Taxidoscopio (2006)

For this album, one of my favourites in the last months, I have to thank a Greek reader who passed me the link to a fantastic Greek mp3 blog, Anel’s Media (where you can also find a Greek review and higher bitrate mp3 files of this cd), which I warmly invite you to have a look at, since is a real goldmine of Hellenic music. Or, if you understand Greek language, you can follow its author to his new forum (http://www.odos-oneirwn.com), where he and his friends will continue to discuss and present past and contemporary music from their beautiful country (Anel’s media won’t be updated anymore, but many links are still there). Many thanx, Gus for this discovery!

«The songs of this album are "diaries" from journeys we made together with our 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 and mixed in Athens, from October 2005 to May 2006.» (From the liner notes)

«Taxidoscopio, the new album by Greek singer, lyricist and fiction writer Kristi Stassinopoulou has already been high in the European World Music Chart for several weeks – it has also been a fRoots Playlist Choice and has received a glowing review from them. Her 1999 album Echotropia also enjoyed especially great success across Europe, as did her Secret of the Rocks CD in 2003. Kristi’s music is a unique blend of her own Greek traditions with Arab, Spanish, Italian, and Balkan influences which are all then reworked with elements from ethno trance, electronica & psychedelic rock. Her debut album, “Ifantokosmos” was released in 1997. As on this new CD, she normally collaborates with her long-time musical partner & husband: composer and multi-instrumentalist Stathis Kalyviotis, with whom she formed the band Selana in the late 80’s – an underground, cult group that combined garage rock with Greek traditional dance rhythms and melodies. Their current approach is still internationalist, neo-hippie, paganistic, experimental and described by some as ‘ethnopunk’. They have a particularly strong following as a live band with a vivid, visual stage act. Normally a 5-piece, the band on this album play a wide variety of instruments including: saz, laouto, lyre, gaida (greek bagpipe), saxophones, guitars, keyboards, percussion & djembe – and is expanded by guest musicians on individual tracks playing harp, tablas, trumpet & trombone.» (Discovery Records)

«Al parecer, Kristi es una artista de gran prestigio en el panorama alternativo griego. Se inició en los 80 en proyectos relacionados con el punk, pero su evolución ha sido importante y sorprendente. Stathis es su pareja musical y sentimental y se entienden bien. Es seguidora y ha compartido escenario con otra transgresora como Patti Smith. Aquí la descubrimos y se decanta más por una moderna electrónica sin fronteras que mira a diferentes ciudades del mundo como se indica en el mapa de portada. Vienen los nombres de artistas como Björk (hasta en la voz), M.I.A., Natacha Atlas o Diamanda Galas (rompe barreras estilísticas como ella). "Barcelona-Cantabria" tiene aire medieval y violín a lo Dead Can Dance. "S.E.S.C. tour" es jazz étnico con gran saxo y "Autovía del Mediterráneo" tiene ecos andaluces. El trabajo entra poco a poco y descubres matices, notas, instrumentos y sonidos ocultos. ¡Toda una sorpresa y lo mejor de Grecia en años!» (Paisajes eléctricos)

For more info, check also Kristi Stassinopoulou’s personal website

Link in comments (always appreciated)