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sound adaptations of rebetika tsimpita

by Antonia Kattou

supported by
tim donner
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Loizos Olympios
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Martijn Busink
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Dan Werle
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Phillip Thurtle
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tausendschwarz
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stuttgartpunk
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steliosilchuk
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Kyle Xhilone
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bantoniogrumpsci
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atattitude_c
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1.
tell us about your pain 05:01
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GR:
Και γιατί δεν μας το λες - Γιώργος Κατσαρός (1928) Της θάλασσας βαστώ κακιά, αμάν, αμάν του βαποριού αμάχη της θάλασσας βαστώ κακιά, αμάν, αμάν του βαποριού αμάχη που πήρε τη αγάπη μου, αμάν αμάν και τήνε χαίρουντ’ άλλοι και γιατί δεν μας το λες βρε, και γιατί δεν μας το λες και γιατί δεν μας το λες τον πόνο που ’χεις κι όλο κλαις βρε, και γιατί δεν μ’ άνοιξες βρε, και γιατί δεν μ’ άνοιξες βρε, και γιατί δεν μ’ άνοιξες παρά το τζάμι σφάλισες πανάθεμά την τη στιγμή, κορίτσι μου πανάθεμα την ώρα πανάθεμά την τη στιγμή, κορίτσι μου πανάθεμα την ώρα όπου σε πρωτογνώρισα, μικρούλα μου σε τούτη δα τη χώρα και γιατί δεν μας το λες βρε, και γιατί δεν μας το λες βρε, και γιατί δεν μας το λες τον πόνο που ’χεις κι όλο κλαις ENG: Why don’t you tell us - George Katsaros (1928)

I hold a grudge against the sea, aman aman, And I hate the ships I hold a grudge against the sea, aman aman, And I hate the ships That took my love away aman aman And others have her now Why don’t you tell us vre, why don’t you tell us Why don’t you tell us The pain / grief you have and you keep crying And why didn’t you open up (the door) to me And why didn’t you open up (the door) to me And why didn’t you open up (the door) to me But you locked the window Damn the moment, my girl Damn the moment Damn the moment, my girl Damn the moment When I first met you, my little one In this country Why don’t you tell us vre, why don’t you tell us Why don’t you tell us The pain you have and you keep crying
2.
wound without a tear 07:43
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Lyrics of original song: GR: Ελληνική απόλαυσις Άντε, σα πεθάνω τι θα πούνε Πέθανε και ένας μπεκρής, ένας μπεκρής Αντε, πέθανε και ένας ντερβίσης Σα κι εμένα νυχτογυριστής, αμάν, αμάν Άντε, της τριανταφυλλιάς τα φύλλα Θα τα κάνω φορεσιά, βρε, φορεσιά Άντε, να τα βάλω να περάσω Figure 1 Άντε, να σου κάψω την καρδιά, κι αμάν, αμάν Άντε, σα’ποθάνω στο καράβι Ρίξετε με στο γιαλό, αμάν, γιαλό Άντε, να με φαν’ τα μαύρα ψάρια άντε, και το αρμυρό νερό, αμάν, αμάν ENG: Greek enjoyment Ante, if I die what will they, An alcoholic died Ante, a poor man died Like me, a night-owl, aman, aman Ante, the leaves of the rose I will make them a costume, vre, costume Ante, I will wear it and pass by ante, to burn your heart, and aman aman Ante, If I’m dying on the boat Throw me on the shore, aman, shore Ante, the black fish will eat me Ante, and the salt water, aman, aman
3.
blues and twos 05:20
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GR: Τούτοι οι μπάτσοι που’ρθαν τώρα- 1928 Τούτ’ οι μπάτσοι που `ρθαν τώρα, βρε τούτ’ οι μπάτσοι που `ρθαν τώρα, βρε τούτ’ οι μπάτσοι που `ρθαν τώρα, ουά τι γυρεύουν τέτοιαν ώρα; Ήρθανε να μας ρεστάρουν, βρε ήρθανε να μας ρεστάρουν, βρε ήρθανε να μας ρεστάρουν και τα ζάρια να μας πάρουν. Και μας ψάξανε για ζάρια ρε, και μας ψάξανε για ζάρια, ρε και μας ψάξανε για ζάρια, και μας βρίσκουν οχτώ ζευγάρια. Παίζω ζάρια και κερδίζω, ρε, παίζω ζάρια και κερδίζω, ρε παίζω ζάρια και κερδίζω, και στην πόκα τα τοκίζω. Έρχομαι το φράχτη, φράχτη, βρε, έρχομαι το φράχτη, φράχτη, ρε έρχομαι το φράχτη, φράχτη, και σε βρίσκω μ’ ένα ναύτη. ENG: These cops that have just come These cops that have just come, vre These cops that have just come, vre These cops that have just come, out What they are looking for at such time? They came to arrest us,vre They came to arrest us,vre They came to arrest us And the dice to take us. And they were looking for dice vre, And they were looking for dice vre, And they were looking for dice vre, And they find eight. I play dice and I win, vre I play dice and I win, vre I play dice and I win, And in poker I invest them. I come by the fence, fence, vre I come by the fence, fence, vre I come by the fence, fence, vre And I find you with a sailor.
4.
at the basement 04:32
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Στην Υπόγα Ρε ν’ από πι ρε ν’ από πίσω στη στρατώνα βαρέσαν μα βαρέσαν μάγκα στην υπόγα Μπαίνει `νας μπα μπαίνει `νας μπάτσος με το κούφιο Και ρίχνει μου και ρίχνει μούσμουλα στο ρούφο Και κατρακύ και κατρακύλισε το φέσι μας σβήνει ο να μας σβήνει ο ναργιλές στη μέση Και τον ανά και τον ανάβει η Κυριακούλα ρε που `χει τάλιρα και τσιγαριές στη ζούλα Stin ipoga - At the Basement Vre behind at the basement They beat a magkas - crook A police man with a gun entries And shoots at the roof And the drinking stops The hookah goes out in the middle And Kyriakoula lights it up again Who has secretly money and cigarettes

about

This project has its roots in my attempt to arrange rebetika songs from the guitar repertoire of “tsimpita” firstly as part of my practice research during my masters. The specific repertoire has an immigration and sociocultural background and was developed in the 1930s in America by Greek immigrants. My approach to this research focuses to the idea of contextualisation of the music elements from Asia Minor to Greece and from Greece to America such as the capture of makam as “dromoi” and an adaptation to equal temperament system instruments such as the bouzouki and the guitar. In America, the bouzouki is capture as the guitar which is tuned in the same way. Another example of adaptability is the use of the taqsim, the free improvisation that is also used in rebetika. Moreover, the adaptability of these folk musicians leads to the technique of African - American blues, where musicians adopted special tunings that they found in America and the guitar playing technique of finger-picking. Hence, they created an original way of performing.

The first aim of this project was to examine if there is still space for contextualisation and adaptation in tsimpita. Later, after experimenting with text-setting, I wanted to explore and suggest different ways of how these songs can be performed, deconstructed and reconstructed into new contemporary works and interdisciplinary/intercultural contexts. Through this research, I recalled my relation with these songs and my family's relation with rebetika. This EP, could be described as a trip through a collection of personal and urban memories and memories of the sounds from the past, nostalgia, my quest for my musical identity, my current influences of a contemporary context and to my expatriation. Text was set after spending a year experimenting with text-setting due to my bilingual diglossia (Greek and Cypriot dialect). Happy listening!

Sound map: earth.google.com/earth/d/12XMNmlgSvPbhgFtzGsAF0uBzOkd

*I often talk about rebetika, urban underground music and music created by the diaspora and refugees. Since the war in Ukraine, I started thinking again about the above and how artists find spaces to create and rethink ideas and sounds. Today, it is bandcamp Friday and instead of keeping all sales made today for me, I will donate all sales to the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal, where you'll help DEC charities provide food, water, shelter and healthcare to refugees and displaced families. My fundraising/donation will stay open until 08/04/2022. Thank you for your support and happy listening!

credits

released April 1, 2022

Antonis Hadjiantonis - voice, electric guitar samples
Fidias Ferekidis - drums samples
antonia kattou - composition, voice, electronics, synthesizers, sampling, mixing, mastering

Gear used: jam pedals - red muck vol.2, korg - microkorg vocoder

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Antonia Kattou Nicosia, Cyprus

experimental electronic sounds
textural storytelling

solo as Mystiki Fleva (ΜΦ)

half of ichomagnetic thoughts

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