... ... May Roosevelt ~ Greek Alternative bands

The IndieFunda Project

The indiefunda project is a collaboration of independent artists around the globe, who want to create a platform where an independent artist will be able to have financial aid directly from his/hers audience. Check it out!

May Roosevelt

Influenced by the very reverend trinity of Bach, Björk and Klaus Nomi, May Roosevelt is an extraordinary thereminist, composer and producer with a sense for good, old-fashioned drama. Her classical arrangements will give you the shivers (or, at the very least, remind you of movies that gave you the shivers), with nods to early industrial or electronic music and a passing resemblance to the god of thunder behind a theremin. Like many people, she got into music via her first Casio synth as a kid. If her knack for otherworldly sounds is anything to go by, that Casio must have been possessed by some very restless and musical ghosts.

2L8

2L8 is the project of K the Clown and a team of collaborators and musicians based in Thessaloniki, North Greece.

Berlin Brides

The Berlin Brides’ sound is a hybrid of electro, punk and powerpop. They were founded on September 2007 by Natasha Giannaraki, lyricist and lead singer and Marilena Orfanou, keybordist and composer who gives the band its electronic identity. Conceived in Berlin and formed in Greece, they are reinventing the music scene in Athens with their caustic lyrics and their combustible live performances.

Electric Litany

The story of the band started, when Alexandros and Richard met in London. Alexandros moved from Corfu to London, while Richard was leaving Devonshire for London in search of forming a band of his own. Duane was the last member to join the band, since he was found by Alex and Richard through an ad. Their first rehearsals were taking place in some pretty unusual places, like abandoned and derelict buildings.

New Zero God

New Zero God is a Greek punk/post punk rock band formed in 2006. Their popularity in Greece may be due to the veteran musicians who make up the band; as most Greek rock fans were already familiar with Mike Pougounas and Averkios Hadjiantoniadis from The Flowers Of Romance, which is considered a legendary Greek gothic rock group.

Check out our new project

Friday, April 8, 2011

May Roosevelt

Thereminst May Roosevelt was born in Thessaloniki, Greece. Her first encounter with a musical instrument was at the age of twelve, when she took to violin lessons. Nine years later her violin was replaced by a theremin, one of the earliest electronic musical instrument invented in 1919, by Leon Theremin. Aside her personal projects, May Roosevelt has collaborateed with several musicians and bands in Greece including Xaxakes, Matisse, Mary & the Boy, 2L8 and the LBO. She is currently working as a graphic designer.

From artist’s official myspace page

Influenced by the very reverend trinity of Bach, Björk and Klaus Nomi, May Roosevelt is an extraordinary thereminist, composer and producer with a sense for good, old-fashioned drama. Her classical arrangements will give you the shivers (or, at the very least, remind you of movies that gave you the shivers), with nods to early industrial or electronic music and a passing resemblance to the god of thunder behind a theremin. Like many people, she got into music via her first Casio synth as a kid. If her knack for otherworldly sounds is anything to go by, that Casio must have been possessed by some very restless and musical ghosts.


Discography:

PANDA, A STORY ABOUT LOVE AND FEAR

CooRecords 2009
Embarking from the ethereal tradition of Clara Rockmore, the composer and performer May Roosevelt guides the listener through 8 songs dealing with the mysterium tremendum. "Panda, a story about love and fear" is a concept album that narrates a story of a girl that is afraid of almost everything. Will she be able to overcome her weaknesses and embrace the assuring love of a panda or will her fears rule out any chance of happiness? This modern fairytale unravels through a musical dialect comprising unique vocals, English lyrics and a complex of electronic soundscapes. The eight original compositions stem from the esoteric quest for a dreamworld and define its obscure innocence. The production infiltrates the contemporary r'n'b and pop esthetics with sonic nuances of industrial electronica, screamo while leaving enough aural space for the omnipresent and otherworldly cry of the Theremin. May Roosevelt delivers an album where she maps out a path for refining not only the genre of electronica, and the ethereal frequencies but also the possibilities offered by a home studio recording, in complete absence of physical instruments. "Panda" was recorded in total by May herself; a painstaking process where at times she had to cope with broken hard drives, loss of files and other unfortunate surprises. In parallel to her music career, May Roosevelt works as a graphic designer. The EP's artwork is designed by herself and is fully attuned to the music.

HAUNTED

Self Release, 2011
"Haunted": The Strange Musical Case of May Roosevelt
May Roosevelt's new album "Haunted" opens doors to phantoms of the past. The work's eight musical compositions are supernatural entities of modern technology that hover in the air, bursting open the chest of rustic tradition only to be transformed into rhythms of Greek dances.
Following "Panda, a story about love and fear", composer and thereminist May Roosevelt uncovers a dark and reclusive universe defined by motion and dance. "Haunted" starts with the zeibekiko dance rhythm in 'The Unicorn Died', which was composed and presented for the first time in London at the Red Bull Music Academy in February 2010. The original idea evolved through an intense speculation about the place held by traditional Greek rhythms in the canon of Greek electronic music. This exploration subsequently led to the creative transformation of eight different Greek dances presented in "Haunted".
The Theremin, a very complex instrument yet absolutely submissive to the hands of May Roosevelt, was used to create a plethora of curious sounds ranging from wind and stringed instruments to an imitation of human voice. The Theremin's unique sound also shifted from a bagpipe (in 'Oomph') to a Pontic Lyre (in 'Mass Extermination'), and from a clarinet (in 'Vow') into a violin (in 'Dark the Night'). Through the use of electronic beats to form each rhythm alongside synthesizers and vocals, May Roosevelt attempts to embed anew Greek musical idioms within contemporary music while retaining all their respectable characteristics.
The title "Haunted" - inspired by the idea of hauntology, introduced by French philosopher Jacques Derrida - defines the concept and underscores the character of the compositions: The phantoms of the past and the spirit of future, mingled, haunt the music of May Roosevelt.




0 comments:

Post a Comment

Share

Twitter Delicious Facebook Digg Stumbleupon Favorites More