Blend Mishkin & Roots Evolution
Having spent most of his professional music career behind a computer screen, a mixing desk or a pair of turntables, the Athens based musician, producer and DJ has been putting in work since the mid-90s in seminal labels such as Nice Up!, True Thoughts, Cookin Records, Good Looking, Pork Recordings, Shadow Records and Instinct Records.
Blend Mishkin (aka Giorgos Mantas) began playing the electric bass at 15 and a few years later landed his first record deal with his band Bella Union. In 1995 he set up his first home studio consisting of an Atari computer and a master keyboard from where he recorded his first tracks, later to be released as the Spectro album. His work started to get signed and by 2004 he had produced four albums under the artist name Blend, one of them for Shadow Records (USA) and one for Seirios (GR), the label of the late great Greek composer Manos Hadjidakis.
In 2006 he co-founds Cast-a-Blast, an artist collective and independent record label, home for artists such as Larry Gus and Sugahspank! as well as his own Palov and Mishkin project, an innovative at the time fusion of Cumbia and electronic rhythms, which landed releases with labels such as Tru Thoughts, Gamm and Resence.
In 2011 he shifts his focus to producing reggae and bass music, and by 2020 has released multiple albums and has composed and produced music for internationally renowned artists such as Tippa Irie, Screetchie Dan, Jamalski, Gappy Ranks, Skarra Mucci and Carlton Livingston to name a few. In addition to these productions, he remixes work for bands and artists like Ward21, Luciano, Dub Pistols, Mr. Williamz, Max Rubadub, Rukus, DJ Spooky and Wax Tailor.
His 2015 album Survival of the Fittest (Nice Up! Records) gains international popularity and also marks the birth of his Roots Evolution band, featuring a cast of talented Athenian musicians and BNC (Jeff Gonzalez) on vocals. Together they record and release three more albums, including Wildfire which reaches #23 on the Best Reggae Album of 2019 Regaville.com chart and Paint Everything White with Sugahspank!.
His music has received rave reviews and prominent radio airplay from the likes of David Rodigan (BBC1Xtra), the late Andrew Weatherall (NTS), Toddla T (BBC Radio One) and Seanie B (BBC1Xtra).
While garnering international recognition, Blend Mishkin and Roots Evolution benefit from a consistently busy live schedule throughout Greece and Europe with performances in clubs and the festival circuit including Boomtown Fair(UK), Uprising Festival (Slovakia), Overjam Reggae Festival (Slovenia), Exit Festival (Serbia), Ozora (Hungary), Gampel Open Air (Switzerland), One Love Festival (UK), Neversea (Romania) and more.
In 2021 Blend Mishkin marks 25 years into music production and celebrates the occasion with a remarkable performance at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus (161 AD), the most notable amphitheater and prestigious stage for live performances in Athens, featuring Roots Evolution and the El Sistema Greece Youth Orchestra and Choir.
2022 awaits the release of his upcoming album Unity of Opposites where alongside his band Roots Evolution and guests, embraces new musical directions that integrate new influences and reflect the band's unity, the artist's vision and his growth as a composer.
Official website blendmishkin
Eisvoleas Full Band
Eisvoleas is coming and you can't miss it!
With a highly dynamic live show, with songs from his latest EP "Heroes", but also from the album "Liakos vs Eisvoleas", the most successful crossover album of the previous years, along with the recent hit singles "Lathi Metrao" and "Fysa Siopila" and of course favorite songs from his entire recording career.
Full band, full positive energy, full optimism!
Elias, Eisvoleas, Liakos, Eisvo.
The many "faces" of the hip hop veteran need no introduction. Sometimes in dynamic rhymes inspired by society, sometimes in melodic rebetiko rhythms, but always in unforgettable live performances.
Coming from the hip hop mother of Athens, Galatsi, Elias Papanikolos was there from the beginning. One of the main representatives of Greek hip hop, he brought the necessary American influences to the stage, harmonizing them with the modern Greek reality. And he became Eisvoleas and Alpha Gama. In the late 90's, Eisvo starts Alpha Gama together with Taraxias and Gelo and together with the other Athenians ZN, they give voice to a whole generation. A few years later, in 2003, Eisvo forms Tigre Sporakia with Taki Chan, while at the same time he starts his solo career.
And because, as he says, music is one and has no boundaries, since 2010, Eisvo introduces Liakos to us. Rembetika and hip hop meet and through unexpected collaborations, Eisvoleas brings bouzouki and baglama to contemporary music and shapes his own genre, rap-betiko. Opa Lala, Banistirtzou, Bahaliazomai and so much more, stir up the audience at every live performance and establish the crossover of Greek music with rap.
In May '19, Elias releases after four years of absence "Liakos vs. Eisvoleas", where he presents his own crossover music proposal, with "Realistis", "Americanica" and "Dictyosi" becoming the crowd's favorites at first listen.
In May '20 he releases the EP "Heroes", a collection of 6 songs with blues and funk influences, inspired by quarantine and the heroes next door, to be followed by the singles "Lathi Metrao" and "Fysa Siopila".
EISVOLEAS
Full Band
Elias Papanikolos (Eisvoleas): singing, rhymes
Andriana Achidzhanova: singing
Vangelis Karapetros: mandolin, violin
Spyros Vryonis: guitar
Nikolas Kanas: piano
Konstantinos Spiliotopoulos: bass
Sotiris Douvas: drums
Sound engineering: George Verykakis
Production Organization: Fishbowl Music Tank
L.O.S
Laiki Orchestra Samou (Samos People’s Orchestra) was created at the beginning of 2021 by a group of friends and young musicians who have as a common point of reference their Samian origins, but mostly their love for folk and traditional music of eastern Mediterranean region.
This orchestra is willing to create an open communication and cooperation channel between the musicians of the island, in order to promote and share traditional and folk music of this region, by contributing in large music ensembles, highlighting various instruments, songs and sound colors. Through collaboration and communication between musicians, who are likely to have very different musical incentives, we aim at knowledge share, repertoire and musical aesthetics sharing. Aesthetics of a music, which was formed by combining people of different cultures, who lived for a long time peacefully with each other and chose to communicate, influence and get influenced by their neighbors; Bridging this way the distances between eastern and western music, classical and traditional, equal temperament scales and maqams.
During 2021, the band presented a 2-hour tribute to the great rembetiko singer Kostas Roukouns (Samiotaki) in concerts, radio shows (Lyra FM) and the television (ERT1, “Alati tis gis”). They also gave a couple of concerts about “Songs and tunes for boats and the sea”, presented a short music trip “From Balkans to the Middle East” and collaborated with “Idylle Choir” on a tribute to modern Greek composers. This year, the orchestra has given concerts in Athens (Michael Cacoyannis Foundation) and Ikaria (Rahes Ikarias Citizens' Movement), participated in events and festivals in Samos, while the very first event of Music Workshops and Concerts at Ormos Marathokampou is underway, in which the orchestra is in charge of the art direction.
Thanasis Papakonstantinou
Four years after the common performances with Socratis, Thanasis Papakonstantinou is preparing to return to the summer musical events with the longing of music and songs to lift us above the misfortunes, the numbness to give way to joy, the night to become easier and the day to become more auspicious.
Participants:
Dimitris Mystakidis: guitar, lute, singing
Konstantinos Pistiolis: clarinet, guaida, caval, hang drum, singing
Yannis Litainas: guitar, lute, singing
Giorgos Angelakis: trombone, accordion
Nikos Diminakis: saxophones, flute, didgeridoo, keyboards, beatbox
Apostolos Giagos: keyboards
Leonidas Kyridis: electric bass
Phoebus Anthis: drums
.........
Clement Pelopidas - Themistoklis Dimitrakopoulos: Sound recording
Christos Lazaridis: Light design & handling
Constantis Papakonstantinou: Stage Manager
...........
Production
Novel Vox
Email: novelvox@novelvox.com.gr
Tel. 210 6452420
Magic De Spell
Magic de Spell is an electrified rock'n'roll project, which signals upheavals and surprises.
They were created in 1980, but since the early 90's they have been established as genuine exponents of Greek rock music and rock guitar sound.
Some of their assets all over the years:
- Four records in English language, eight in Greek language and six digital singles.
- Collaboration with Stranglers bassist JJ Burnel, "teased" covers and compositions
poets such as Katerina Gogou, Costas Karyotakis and others.
- Large number of concerts in Greece, Cyprus and all over Europe.
"Diakopes sto Sarajevo", "Emena oi filoi mou", "Nipson anomimata", "kyr Pantelis", "Terma to
dialeimma"," Otan nyxtonei ","Den thelo tipota spoudaio telika","Progone pithike, esy ti les?",
"Eimai". The songs of Magic de Spell, represent two generations until today!
Magic de Spell line up:
Thodoris Vlachakis ➢ drums
Giorgos Archontakis ➢ bass
Dimitris Botis ➢ keyboards
Michalis Skarakis ➢ vocals
Vaggelis Theodorakis ➢ guitars
Official website Magic De Spell
1000mods
Having risen from smokey basements to packed arenas, children of the now-legendary Greek underground heavy rock scene of the mid 00’s, 1000mods can be considered no less than the most successful Greek rock band of the past decade.
It was September of 2011, when “Super Van Vacation” paved the way. The debut full length album of the Greek heavy rock rollercoaster had it all: Heavy low-end guitars, laid-back groovy-as-fuck rhythm section and trippy vocal lines, resulting in what is now considered to be a classic for the European heavy rock scene, as well as a game-changer for Greek rock music which would never be the same again. Bands and fans came and go but 1000mods stood strong, following their dream, leading by example and inspiring an entire generation of musicians.
Their second album, titled “Vultures” (2014), continued the “Super Van Vacation” legacy, consisting of some of the band’s most thick grooves to date, as well as the elements that would later be used as raw material for the creation of their unique personalized sound. A sacred pact was cast in stone: The Greek scene would take over and 1000mods would lead the way to it!
Praised by fans, as well as by heavy traffic music media outlets around the globe, their third release “Repeated exposure to…” (2016) was considered by many as a masterpiece of the heavy rock scene, and is strongly rumored to be one of the albums that changed the face of European heavy rock music, once and for all.
With an ever-growing fan base all around the globe, taking repeatedly European, US and Australian soil by force, due to their relentless touring schedule (having also participated in the biggest European rock & metal festivals), armed with dedication and non-stop commitment, the Greek rock quartet is fairly considered to be the new-found power of the European (some say “worldwide”) rock scene.
Being extraordinarily explosive on stage and always delivering material of high quality on record, as far as both songwriting and sound production is concerned, it’s no surprise that 1000mods have managed to create a core of die-hard fans that only grows bigger day-by-day.
…Year 2020 changes it all. Their highly anticipated fourth full length album “Youth of Dissent” produced by legend Matt Bayles (Pearl Jam, Mastodon, Isis, Soundgarden etc) breaks the spacetime continuum and achieves the impossible: 1000mods meet their childhood heroes, by performing a time travel to the glorious 90’s, when fused elements of punk rock and heavy metal, changed the face of music industry and lead to the legendary grunge rock explosion. Primitive, original and inspiring, the songwriting of their new release not only is their best to date, but also appears to be inevitably leading to their mighty breakthrough.
The best is yet to come.
DISCOGRAPHY:
Albums
(2020) Youth of Dissent
(2016) Repeated exposure to...
(2014) Vultures
(2011) Super Van Vacation
EPs & Singles
(2012) Valley of Sand
(2007) Blank Reality
(2009) Liquid Sleep
Splits
(2010) 1000mods vs Wight
Official website 1000mods.com
The event is co-organised by the Cultural Association of Ireon and the North Aegean Region Administration
A great thanks to our sponsors and partners for the 2022 festival support
Media Sponsors for the 2022 festival support
With the support of
Με την στήριξη
© 2004 / 2022
The cultural Association of Ireon, Samos | Co-organised by the North Aegean Region Administration
Πολιτιστικός Εξωραϊστικός Σύλλογος Ηραίου Σάμου | Συνδιοργάνωση με Αντιπεριφέρεια Πολιτισμού - Περιφέρεια Βορείου Αιγαίου