Meadow Rituals
‘Meadow Rituals’ has been a constant listening experience at Fluid HQ over the past month or so and looks set to take Experimedia to new heights. Whilst Katie. E gets the review wrapped up we thought an early teaser would be the perfect tonic for those looking for something a little different on this wet and gloomy afternoon…
Foregoing traditional genre boundaries, defying categorization, and embracing the distinct talents of its 19 participants, Luup involves a reexamination of convention by a thorough exploration of the instrument. Led by flautist Stelios Romaliadis, whose direction of the musicians allows for shimmering folk tendencies to mingle with fragile string arrangements and uplifting voice, Luup combines disparate elements of modern musical tendencies to examine man’s primitive nature.
Meadow Rituals presents 8 paeans to unite man’s overwhelming distance from nature and self and a celebration of the reunion. Lilting melodies mix with ambient and new age directions; propulsive swells of strings and effervescent electronics make way for profound vocal harmonies to create a universal and timeless experience.
Luup are…
Lisa Isaksson comes from Sweden. In 2009 she released her first album with her band Lisa O Piu called “When This Was the Future” from Subliminal Sounds and got internationally praised as her 2010 EP “Behind the Bend” also released from Subliminal Sounds. She has made a live album with Roger Wooton the singer/guitarist of the legendary Comus. David Svedmyr & Jennie Ståbis are also members of Lisa O Piu band.
English musician and songwriter Andria Degens has released five albums with her project Pantaleimon (now published on Domino records). She has collaborated with Current 93, James Blackshaw, Nurse with Wound, Hugo Race, Jeff Zentner to name a few. Although her personal creative resurgence, as Pantaleimon, propelled her across Europe performing at shows with Antony and the Johnsons, Baby Dee, Lightning Bolt, James Blackshaw, Six Organs Of Admittance, Current 93, 16 Horsepower, Matt Sweeney and Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Andria also carved out time to pursue other lines of creative flight, including her musical contribution to Cam Archer’s (director of Pantaleimon’s ‘We Love’ video) film, ‘Wild Tigers I Have Known’, as well as providing narration for a series of Archer’s short films.
In 2008, for ‘Heart Of The Sun’, Andria gave her album ‘Mercy Oceans’ back to the universe, entrusting artists such as Andrew WK, Stephen O’Malley, CarterTutti, Lilum and Fovea Hex, to ‘remix’ her songs.
David Jackson musician, composer and saxophonist for the legendary Van Der Graaf Generator. He has worked right across the musical spectrum, with artists including Peter Gabriel, Keith Tippett, Howard Moody and Peter Hammill. Today he is primarily concerned with using technology to enable severely disabled people to make music – ideally music for performance. Christened by The Guardian ‘Soundbeam Guru’, David Jackson has been featured on the Radio and TV, appearing on Tomorrow’s World. He is also an inspired Soundbeam trainer, system designer and builder.
Lefteris Moumtzis composer, multi-instrumentalist and singer Lefteris Moumtzis comes from Cyprus. He has released two personal records under the name of J. Kriste, Master of Disguise. He is a member of numerous projects (including Masters of Disguise, Trio Tekke, Rite of Passage and more).
Greg Haines is an English musician and composer currently living in Berlin, who specializes in exploring the middle-ground between the academic world of contemporary classical music and the freedom found in the desire to manipulate and experiment with sound itself. He has many releases on different labels, including his debut album “Slumber Tides” on Norwegian Miasmah label, “Until the Point of Hushed Support” on German Sonic Pieces.
Fotis Siotas composer, violin/viola player from Greece. Siotas has worked with numerous artists in Greece including Thanassis Papakonstantinou, Dimitris Baslam, Giannis Aggelakas and many more. Member of the experimental band Sancho 003 (debut album “we buy gold”).
Akis Boyatzis founded SIGMATROPIC in 1997. Aptly named after a chemical reaction type, it soon blossomed from a single person home-studio project into an exciting full blown live band. SIGMATROPIC released a single “Air” & an album “Random Walk”, both on cool Greek indie label Hitch Hyke. In 1999 the EP “If You Were Me” helped to enhance their profile with a heavy airplay rotation. In 2002 SIGMATROPIC released to an unsuspecting public the Greek original version of “Sixteen Haiku And Other Stories” which was based on the poetry of the late great Nobel laureate George Seferis. The next instalment by SIGMATROPIC was the international version of “16 Haiku And Other Stories”, produced by Antonis Livieratos and Akis Boyatzis. This project was the English version of the previously mentioned Greek-sung album featuring 18 guest vocalists from both sides of the Atlantic. An astonishing list of musicians like Robert Wyatt, Cat Power, Lee Ranaldo, Carla Torgerson, James Sclavunos, Pinkie Maclure, Laetitia Saddler and more graces this enhanced version, delivering their own vocal interpretation to an English translated poetry over the same music. The next major step for the band and Akis especially was its participation in the production and songwriting of Carla Torgerson’s first album “Saint Stranger” released by Glitterhouse. in 2007 SIGMATROPIC released “Dark Outside” album.
Nikos Fokas composer, mellotronist, keyboard player of Yellow Elephant Ensemble, Tension Villa, Common Sense, Roasted and many more.
“Magnitophono” is the music project of Eleni Adamopoulou, created on May 2007. Samples of the city’s noise create melodic stories and depict electronic dreams. She has collaborated with many artists, like Atom Numb, Harold Nono, Moabi, Pleq, Lüüp, etc. There are also another two music projects by Eleni Adamopoulou, “Manekinekod” with releases by Berlin labels, Monika Enterprise and Brigade music, and her new alias “Giganta”.Her online radioshow “My PC belongs to daddy” is broadcasting every Monday (20:00-22:00 GR time) http://www.tripradio.gr/
Releases: Crest 0003 Audio magazine (Japan), Playtime EP (Minuta records), Playtime album (2009), Homeparty (2011).
Katerina Papachristou songwriter and bass player for numerous Greek bands including Closer, Common Sense, Travel Mind Syndrome and many more. With her personal project “Tango With Lions” she has released her first album “Verba Time”.
Release date: May 17 2011
