Greek Music Express

There is a strong connection between the rebetiko genre and the bouzouki. Thankfully, however, the sound of the bouzouki continued to be at the heart of Greek song in its post-rembetiko evolution, towards folk (laiko) and art-folk paths. Our week-long tribute that ends today highlighted the autonomy...

Tsitsanis, Papaioannou, Mitsakis, Papadopoulos, Nikolopoulos – so many bouzouki virtuosos, so many timeless moments of expression with Greece’s most popular musical instrument, without words! Κι άλλα ορχηστρικά με μπουζούκι ΙV Τσιτσάνης, Παπαϊωάννου, Μητσάκης, Παπαδόπουλος, Νικολόπουλος – τόσοι βιρτου...

Playing the bouzouki is no easy task - a good bouzouki player must be in a position to produce a clear and deep sound at a high speed. It requires commitment, initiative and discipline. But the reward is immeasurable: an endless potential for musical expression, as reflected in the recordings of bouzouki...

Three-string or four-string, for songs or for instrumentals, with taxims or without taxims, played by some old rebetiko master or by a modern kompania – the bouzouki was and still is the king of Greek folk music. From Lakis Karnezis to the Bouzouki Kings, let us appreciate once more the touching sound o...

Today, and throughout the rest of the week, we are celebrating, once again, Greece’s most recognizable and popular musical instrument, which has lent its sound to thousands of songs and instrumentals. Here come some of the most powerful, evocative, truly inspiring melodies by some of the country’s gre...

Puzzlemusik does not have a specific collective sound. This is not a simply “alternative”, “post-rock”, “jazz”, “electronic’, “contemporary classical”, “experimental”, “free improvisation” label. The sound of Puzzlemusik is the summing up of the personalities of its artists; each artist being a piece o...

Puzzlemusik is an independent label based in Athens, Greece. It was founded by the Greek art-pop figure Christos Alexopoulos on September 21, 2006. The aim of Puzzlemusik is to include in its roster artists who have their own, personal, recognizable, distinctive, hopefully unique “voice”. Whatever the...

Throughout this week, we have been celebrating the rock, indie and electronic masterpieces found in the catalogue of Puzzlemusik label. Today, our track list will be focused on the more jazz side of things, with fascinating contributions by George Kontrafouris, Billy Pod, Yiannis Kassetas, Ntinos Manos,...

Today, January 6, we celebrate Epiphany or Theophany, a major religious festivity of Eastern Christianity. Our menu, naturally, includes songs about phos and phota, the -not necessarily religious- light that makes our days and our souls brighter, more inspiring and meaningful. Our destination: Songs...

Today, and throughout most of this week, we are exploring the releases of a pioneering label that has left a notable footprint on Greece’s contemporary jazz, indie and alternative sound. Puzzlemusik is an independent label based in Athens, founded by Greek art-pop figure Christos Alexopoulos. This w...

Today, we are celebrating a key figure of the art of Karagiozis, the famous shadow puppet character of Greek folklore. Evgenios Spatharis, who was born on this day, January 2, 1924, was the most prominent shadow theatre artist in Greece. And this is the perfect opportunity for us to turn to Karagiozis...

“The burden of climate and environmental hazards is not shared equally. Poor countries and communities – which contribute least to greenhouse gas emissions – suffer disproportionately from disasters and environmental degradation. Children in these settings face additional risks because there is littl...

“The climate and environmental crises – driven by climate change, biodiversity loss and pervasive pollution – affect the lives of children worldwide. These crises are not distant threats; they are present realities that affect nearly every child, often in multiple and compounding ways. From disrupted educa...

“Shortfalls in aid fuel crises. Funding cuts directly impact life-saving programmes, forcing the delay or suspension of critical support in education, health and protection for children caught in crises. Austerity measures and debt distress lead to cuts on social spending for children”. Sugahspank, Vic...

Throughout these festive days, GME’s thoughts and songs go to the less privileged, those left behind, with a special emphasis on the state of the world’s children. As UNICEF notes, “to meet the needs of children living in poverty, we need to understand the lives of those most at risk, including very ...

“Developing countries across Africa are in the midst of a debt crisis, which is forcing governments to divert funding away from essential services for children. Countries’ inability to invest in children’s health and well-being creates a vicious cycle: Failing to invest in children’s human capital undermi...

“Societies are already grappling with the impacts on poverty of trends like climate change, rising conflict and economic uncertainty. Climate change has the potential to drive ever more families into poverty; already, four out of five children face at least one extreme climate hazard, such as flooding a...

“At a time in history when global military spending has reached record levels, hundreds of millions of children continue to live each day in deprivation, without basics like schooling, clean water and a home. Why? The answer is not one of scarcity or resources; it is one of priorities”. Today, we lis...