Pop eye

Popeye wasn’t their favorite comic book hero. Pop music though is their favorite music…so in 2005 they decided to take a look at pop music. Yannis Kalatis (laptop, music keyboard, guitar) takes over programming, instrumentation and production (in collaboration with GAD.), his brother Markos handles the guitars and Dimitris Kampouris writes the lyrics and sings. All three of them compose. Theirr song “if you…” is included in the collection Silent Wonder compiled by Dimitris Papaspyropoulos (it was also included in the collection Audiobook 3 compiled by Kostas Mprellas from www.postwave.gr). Debut single “the deepest sea” is released by The Sound Of Everything with remixes by GAD. and a French-style re-work by The Flying Silly Brothers. Our debut cd “Pop Eye” is available by Shift Records (June 2008). Last 2 years (2007-2008) they had a lot of performances (Athens Video Art Festival, Gagarin, Gyalino Upstage, An Club, Soul Stereo, Braff Club, Khpos/Syxnothtes, City, European Music Day) and on May 2008 they were the opening act for DELERIUM at Gagarin.

 

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B-Sides

The band B-sides is the evolution of the music journey of a company of friends that started at the end of 1999. After approximately 5 years of live gigs, live club appearances and song recordings that group broke up.

The two guitarists and bass player decided to continue with a new drummer and no singer. They involved their sound in countless rehearsals from 2004 till early 2007. After changing their drummer and a few months later adding a singer, B-sides found the sound and personal style they desired and decided to get it out to the public.

In December 2007 they performed their first live as support group for the band Flakes at Politeia Live Hall in Patras.

At the start of 2008 they recorded and released 500 copies of the independent demo single “Morning After” which included the songs “Queen” and “Forest”. The single was released for free.

The song “Queen” was included in the collection Audiobook no.4 of Postwave.gr. It also was aired on the radio of Max FM, Politeia FM and Mojo Radio and was published three times in the first positions of the top 10 of the latter station.

In spring of 2008 the band recorded two more demo songs named “Kill” and “Who”. A demo single called “K-9” was released but not in quantities and was only handed out to friends and radio stations.

In May 2008 they took part in the 2nd Music Wave festival at An Club in Athens.

In June 2008 they took part in two more live festivals in Patras (School of Rock and Free your Voice) and also performed live at the club Catamaran.

Also in June they released on the internet a remix of the song “Kill” by Chris Nemmo. The EP “Bad Science” that was produced in limited copies right after that, included all the previous recorded songs and the remix of Chris Nemmo.

In August 2008 they submitted the song “Queen” for the Coca Cola Soundwave vol. 2 Contest. The song got distinguished by the critics and led to the participation of the band at the Athenian SoundWave live gig. The event took place at Bios Club Athens at the end of September 2008 with the participation of the bands Le Page and Monika.

In October 2008 they recorded one more song entitled “I speak your words”. Currently this song can only be found at the band’s site and myspace page.

In November 2008 “Queen” was included in the compilation CD of the issue 6 of Muzine Magazine (www.muzine.gr).

In December 2008 B-sides’ first official release comes from B-otherSide Records. A limited edition 7” inch vinyl single entitled “Queen” containing the songs “Queen” and “Forest” in special vinyl mastered form. The recording, mixing and production took place at Noisebox studio from sak (Dionisios Mpastas, member of Raining Pleasure) and the master was performed by Eroc (former drummer of Grobschnitt) and Takis Dimoulas at Original Meister Studio in Germany. The single was cut in 500 copies.

In December 2008 the song “Kill” was included in the new double collection of Dimitris Papaspyropoulos (Best Radio).


Story without end is B-Sides' debut album and their third official release from B-otherside Records!
It comes as a CD that contains 10 songs.
Most songs are new but two of them had been included in the first demo (Queen and Forest) and were recorded again and Rekill is a new version of the well known Kill.
The album is promoted by Inner Ear Records and distributed by Klik Records. You can find it in all musical stores or order your copy direct from Inner Ear's e-shop.




B-sides are:
Vassilis/Singing
George/Guitars
Chris/Guitars
Yannis/Bass
Christos/Drums

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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. They have toured Greece extensively and have played in Buffalo Bar, London as winners of the Velvet Magazine Prize 2009. Their performance was followed by an invitation to play at Offset Festival, Essex, where they received rave reviews. Berlin Brides' first single "Rejection Junkie/Off The Rack" is out on a 7" clear vinyl and their their debut album "Modern Celibacy" is due to be released in October 2010 by Inner Ear Records.

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Film

FILM’s compelling cinematic soundscapes revolve around nihilistic urban settings and inspire celluloid fantasies. The work of this Athenian avant-garde four- piece as it morphs into a nebulous dark-wave amalgamation of post-punk and electronic facets resembles the mystique of a lost, enigmatic motion picture. Their flickering sequences sombre sonic textures, distorted outbreaks and the angelic, yet quirky and energising vocal touches by Etten draw inspiration directly from the iconic legacy of FILM’s universally-acclaimed compatriot Vangelis. Their latest collective effort ‘Persona’ is a commanding oeuvre encapsulating an artistic vision of rare grandeur and amplitude, which - along with their staggering live performances - was hailed in unison by various respected international music media:


"Clear heritage managed so smart and lovingly on stage that it could turn into a cliché, instead it becomes exciting” – Gaffa (SWE)

“Pleasingly atmospheric post-pop shudder” – Clash Magazine (UK)

“Visually strong expression” – Gaffa (DK)

"Exploring the avant-garde of pop music on their latest album 'Persona'
makes FILM an exhilarating addition to the scene of art-rock" – Gogoyoko (ICE)

FILM enjoy a leading status amongst the Athenian indie scene and have enviable live credits with support slots for behemoths such as The Cure, New Order, Iggy & the Stooges, and The Flaming Lips.
They have extensively toured Europe with gigs in the UK, Switzerland, Spain, Slovenia and the Netherlands and are among the very few non-Nordic acts that have performed at Denmark's SPOT Festival.

FILM are currently recording a single with Hildur Kristin Stefánsdóttir, the soothing voice of Rökkurró Iceland’s finest folk-pop outfit. 'Harmur Fuglsins' (Icelandic for Sorrow of the Bird) is the arresting outcome of a collaboration infused by strikingly contrasting geographical and artistic backgrounds, to be released in September on Inner Ear/Kimi Records.

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Marsheaux

Marsheaux is a Greek synthpop duo, made up by Marianthi Melitsi (vocals, synthesizers) and Sophie Sarigiannidou (vocals, synthesizers). Originally from Thessaloniki, Greece, they moved in 2000 to Athens and started Marsheaux in 2003 in order to express their love for the electropop of the 80s. They make electronic music in the tradition of bands like The Human League, Depeche Mode, New Order, Yazoo and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. The band’s name is derived from the first syllable of each of their names.

Their first release was the single “Popcorn” (a Hot Butter cover) in 2003. Other singles issued are “Hanging On” (2007), “Ghost” (limited 7” vinyl edition, 2008) and “Breakthrough” (2009). To date, the band released three studio albums: E-Bay Queen (2003), Peek a Boo (2007) and Lumineux Noir (2009). They are currently signed to Undo Records.

As well as recording original material, Marsheaux have also undertaken remixes for other artists like Depeche Mode, Moby, Client, Kylie Minogue and Gwen Stefani. The duo have played support slots for Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and Róisín Murphy in Greece, and Client in Germany. Their work was praised by BBC 6Music’s Tom Robinson and Stuart Maconie. OMD’s Andy McCluskey also expressed his admiration: “I do have a soft spot for Marsheaux I have to say. They have a certain sort of wispy, melancholic charm…” (Electronically Yours interview).

The band’s gear:
Marianthi - MicroKorg, Minimoog, Speak&Math, Roland SH101, Yamaha CS01; Sophie - MicroKorg, Winston, Speak&Spell, KORG MS 10, Roland aJuno2, AKAI Ax80, Roland CR78.

www.myspace.com/marsheaux

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Raining Pleasure

Raining Pleasure is a four-piece band that hails from Patra, the biggest town in southern Greece. Having recorded their first demo in the early nineties, Raining Pleasure quickly became the Greek indie scene's best-kept secret.

Their debut album 'Memory Comes Back' (1996) was released for the respected indie label Lazy Dog and received enthusiastic reviews upon release as did it's follow up, 'Nostalgia', released in late 1998.

In Spring 2001 Raining Pleasure were linked with EMI. The band recorded and released an ep 'Capricorn', before returning to the studio to prepare their third full length album, their first for a major.

In December 2001 Raining Pleasure's major label debut 'Flood' was released to critical acclaim. The album spawned three massive airplay hits in Greece, the biggest of which 'Fake' has become a pop and rock radio staple, after successfully being used in TV spots for Greece's leading telecommunications company. 'Fake' was followed by the hits 'Capricorn' and 'Only Through You'. "Fake" was also used to the soundtrack of the film "The Best of Times" directed by the famous Taiwanese director Tso-chi Chang. The film was nominated for the Golden Lion prize at the Venice Film Festival 2002.

The buzz surrounding the group is fantastic and has taken many by surprise. In Rock N Roll Magazine 2002 readers' poll the group was voted best Greek rock act of all time, a humbling vote of confidence for an act that has been around for just over 5 years.

Raining Pleasure have been one of the hottest tickets across Greece for three summers running, having shared festival stages with The Cure, The Pixies, The Dandy Warhols and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club among others and having sold out theatres across the country.

Their major label debut album, 'Flood', performed exceptionally well on the charts, spending 15 weeks on the international chart where it peaked at No.1 before chart regulations necessitated the album's move to the local repertoire chart where it peaked at No.5 (an astonishing and unprecedented feat for a Greek act performing in English). The album spent well over a year on the Top 40 Artist Album Charts and has been certified Gold.

2004: The group's album 'Forwards & Backwards', is introduced by the double A-side single 'World'/'Identical Twins'. On 'Identical Twins' esteemed vocalist Elly Paspala contributes a vocal track of rare beauty. Both songs became airplay hits.

In March the band's cover of ABBA's 'Dancing Queen' featured in the successful Greek film 'Hardcore', began climbing the airplay charts where it will remain for over six months. In September the group scores another hit with album track 'Love Me, Love Me, Love Me' which video clip directed by Marina Gioti won the best animation video clip award at the Animation Block Party Awards 2005 in New York.

Winter 2004: The band embarks on its first tour of Germany and enters the studio to record a new version of the classic album by Manos Hadjidakis and the New York Rock N Roll Ensemble, 'Reflections'.

'Reflections' is released to immediate critical acclaim. The album was introduced to media at a concert at St Paul's Anglican Church in Athens.

Their latest album 'Who's gonna tell Juliet?' is released in December 2007 in Greece on their new indie label Celesta Records. It is a unique and unusual alternative pop record, described as a fervent guitar driven pop gem with strong melodies, smart lyrics and compelling vocals

http://www.myspace.com/rainingpleasure

 

 

 

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2L8

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



The 2L8 debut "Armed Angels, Frustrated Youth, the Art of Self-Deceit and Music Industry" (Poeta Negra Records, 2005) made a major impact on both critics and public in Greeece. Most reviews considered it as a "masterpiece" and described it as a document of contemporary musical expression, as the debut of the year! Post punk, pop, rock, hardcore, post rock and
at the same time nothing like that.

"HE & SHE, Angry Enough to Keep Loving in the Dark Ages" (Inner Ear Records, 2008) is 2L8's second release. All the songs in the album jump in a ritualistic way, without the insistence in a specific musical form, that means there is a balance between post-rock and minimalism. The bursts of guitars, the sharp stringed instruments, the gloomy atmosphere and the opera vocals introduce a fanciful and lyrical work. All these elements in combination with the fine-crafted production create an avant-garde piece of music.

 

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