Tune #112: B.I.G. - Autumn Waves

Klik Records has been an influential Greek label that pushed the boundaries of Greek electronic dance music. The first five years of the label (2003 - 2008) were extremely productive with the solid releases composed by the best Greek producers of that era, such as Nikos Diamantopoulos, Ioannis Douskos (aka Dousk) and George Pallikaris (aka G-Pal). However, my favorite Klik release is undoubtedly Mindscapes, the seminal studio album by B.I.G.

B.I.G. (Believe In God) is the music project of brothers Dimos & Michalis Siavelis. The Siavelis bros were raised in Aigio, a town in Achaea, West Greece and they had been involved in music studies (including classical music) for more than 10 years. The turning point in their music journey was Dimos' attendance in Yamaha Music School and Michalis' DJing in summer clubs, both under the apprentice of prolific house producer & DJ Nikos Diamantopoulos.

Dimos and Michalis have been influenced from various music artists, spanning different genres, such as rock (Dire Straits, Pink Floyd), ambient (Brian Eno, Jean-Michel Jarre, Vangelis) and progressive house & trance (Yoogie Van Bellen, Faithless, Bill Hamel). The progressive sound era of the 90's inspired them to a great extent, which can be easily recognized in Mindscapes.

The studio album has been one of Klik Records' earliest releases (seventh), aligned with the company's ethos to publish timeless and classy productions. It was released in 2004 in a double CD format and it features 16 tracks, which are an eclectic blend of progressive house & ambient.

One of the album's highlights is certainly the well-known track A Promise, which has been included in several mix CDs and supported by famous DJs (Armin Van Buuren, Hernan Cattaneo, Nick Warren). However, the current post will present another personal favorite; the soothing Autumn Waves (which also features the mesmerizing words of Giota Nikolaou as per the former track):

B.I.G. - AUTUMN WAVES

B.I.G. should return to music production to provide us with gems like Mindscapes!

Tune #111: Evnus - Παγκόσμιος Πολίτης

EVNUS - ΠΑΓΚΟΣΜΙΟΣ ΠΟΛΙΤΗΣ


Evnus was originally a hip hop duo, which was formed in 1996 by Dimitris Kottakis (as lyricist) and Nikos Golfis (as composer). Their collaboration lasted only for 4 years, when the latter decided to retire from the project. The pseudonym was maintained by Dimitris for his solo works. As a duo, Evnus produced 2 studio albums; Αναλογική Ανάμνηση (1996) and Μπερδεμένα Μας Τα Λες Φίλε (2000). Both of them were released by Warehouse Records, a small label / recording studio set up by Vangelis Zisis & Vangelis Louroutziatis.

In my opinion, Evnus were differentiated from the prominent hip hop groups of that era (Active Member, F.F.C., Terror X Crew, Goin' Through, etc.), focusing on feel-good vibe in their tracks, even if they shared a political content. Disclaimer: I do not put in the equation Imiskoumbria, because they are a league of their own!

A personal favorite from Evnus' first album was Παγκόσμιος Πολίτης (Universal Citizen); the heavy bass vocals of Dimitris and the jazzy hip hop composition of Nikos are utilized to create an amusing track.

♫ Είμαι ο παγκόσμιος πολίτης, είμαι της ζωής αλήτης... ♫

Concerning their current whereabouts, Dimitris Kottakis continues to produce occasionally new tracks as Evnus while living a peaceful life in his hometown Aegina, a popular weekend getaway destination for Athenians. On the other hand, Nikos Golfis is not visible in the social media...

Tune #110: Rammellzee vs K-Rob - Beat Bop

One of the most inspiring pieces of rap music.

RAMMELLZEE VS K-ROB - BEAT BOP
 

Beat Bop is the result from one of the most peculiar collaborations in music business. Three underground artists teamed up (or battled each other to be more precise) in order to create a hip hop track which sounded extremely different from the other songs of that era.

Jean Michel Basquiat (1960-1988) was an prominent graffiti artist and painter, famous initially for his cryptic epigrams incorporating punk, hip hop music, street art and his neo-expressionist paintings (valued today at millions of dollars).

Rammellzee (1960-2010) was also an influential visual artist with natural sleekness in rapping (you can tell from the track..,). He has been credited to introducing avantgarde elements in hip hop music. Even his (legal) name is pure art, which is stylized as RAMMΣLLZΣΣ and has the following breakdown:

- RAM

- M for Magnitude

- Σ for Sigma (the summation operator)

- L for Longitude

- L for Latitude

- Z for z-bar

- Σ for Sigma

- Σ for Sigma

K-Rob was the youngest member of the project and a gifted graffiti artist and rapper. At the time the track was recorded, he was still in his teens. In 2004, he recorded with Ram the sequel (Beat Bop Part 2).

Some interesting trivia covering the history of the track are the following:

- The rapping in the song is a actually a rap battle, presenting the alternate realms of two personas: the  street corner pimp (by Rammellzee) and the school boy (by K-Rob)

- Basquiat initially wanted to provide also his vocal contribution to the track, only to be rejected by the other members. Actually, he delivered the artwork for the cover and label of the vinyl, while it is debatable whether he produced the track (Ram had claimed that he supplied only the money).

- Beat Bop was released by Tartown in 1983, which was a one-off label funded by Basquiat to produce 500 units. It was re-released in the same year by Profile Records, curated by Cory Robbins.

- Due to small amount of units, the original pressings are highly sought by the collectors at huge prices. Sotheby's has sold a sealed copy in an auction at 126K USD (unbelievable!).

For additional info about Beat Bop, this link shares the view of Ram, K-Rob, Cory Robbins and Al Diaz (early collaborator of Basquiat). 

As most of hip hop listeners, I came across Beat Bop via the Street Sounds Electro compilation. The main difference from the typical hip hop sounds is the arrangement scheme; slow tempo, absence of 4 on the floor beat at various points (if my ears do not mistake me) and heavy use of sound effects (echo and reverb).

To conclude, you may listen a live version of the track (K-Rob's verses):