Album Notes

MADE IN GREECE Almost everybody has a feeling about the stunning beauty of the Greek islands as many people have been there for their holidays. Music-wise Greece is still the dark side of the moon for central Europeans. The older generations know Mikis Theodorakis and Nana Mouskouri and they believe that the Hollywood-invention "Sirtaki" is the typical Greek folk dance. After the great movie "Alexis Zorba", many people have bought a CD of the Greek folklore that they have never listened to again afterwards. The younger ones are familiar with Greek hip hop through Active Member; they know Greek folkpop by George Dalaras and dance to house-tracks by Despina Vandi. Someone interested in current Greek music can hardly find anything in local CD-stores outside Greece. Greek music industry itself is the reason for this fact; even extremely successful superstars of Greece do not often have an export version for their CDs with a CD cover written in Latin letters. Apparently the managers in charge do not imagine that the rest of the world is interested in their music. With lack of interest, they do not even give sample-rights for famous hip hop groups like Mikro or Active Member outside Greece. Any music listener who has a taste and feeling for Greece will certainly think that the double-sampler "Made in Greece" is a gift from above. You will immediately recognize that the compiler is a true admirer of Greek music. Gülbahar Kültür is working for years as a presenter for the radio-station "Funkhaus Europa" and is a certified expert for modern music from the Balkans and the whole orient. Through growing relationships with Greek musicians, Kültür finally compiled this amazing double-CD. There is something for everyone in it. The listing of the artists covered goes from Mikis Theodorakis (undoubtedly one of the greatest composers of Europe), over to Eleni Vitali (the diva of Greek folk-music) to Terror X Crew (the first hip hop crew from Greece) and to Cyanna (trans-experimental-electronic music from Athens). The compilation is simply breathtaking: greek blues (Rembetika), hip hop, laika, sounds of antiquity in modern style, gypsy music, R&B, folk-music, electronic, rock, reggae, dub and pop - a vibrant synthesis of great diversity from Gülbahar Kültür. You will get to know the singer Angela Dimitriou so called "the Greek Tina Turner", a lady, much liked in the Arab world after her duet with the Egyptian superstar Amr Diab and the attractive singer from Cyprus Anna Vissi, who was one of the highlights of the opening ceremony of Olympic Games in Athens with her striking voice. Also on the CD is Elena Paparizou, the singer of bursting energy; the winner of the 50th Eurovision Song Contest in duet with Christos Dantis. Also the magnificient, melancholic trip-hop tunes of the last summer are covered in the CD (e.g. "Kohani." by Uzma and "Galazio Kai Lefko" by Katy Garbi). There are also real tech-house-burners like "Chiculata" by Yiorgos Xanthiotis and "Ti Leipei" by Nikos Portokaloglou and psychedelic dub-tunes like the track by Harri Kakoulli. Besides all these modern tunes, you will also get an informative overview of the current folk scenery in Greece. No doubt you will be looking forward to the second edition of the double-CD "Made in Greece".