An Anthology of Greek Experimental Music [coll] – [Sub Rosa]

Thurston Hunger   1/24/2022   12-inch, A Library

2017 collection covering artists’ pieces ranging from 1966 (Michalis Adamis) to 2017 (Ilan Manouach). Nearly all artists making their KFJC debut here, Iannis Xenakis (RIP 2001) is an exception having been spun hundreds of times at our station, from his drum-driven work to orchestral to electronics (like his “Voyage” here to lead off side D.) That is followed nicely by a blitzy electronic noise-fax from Marinos Koutsomichalis. There is definitely a sense of the curation in the *lp* track segues, even as the detailed liner notes discourage any sort of specific “flavour” to the works. Ending side C, the connection from an almost hiphop “BRUT” (and brut-al in its cutting up Billy Holiday to a Holocaust theme) followed by a gorgeous somber tonic from Panayiotis Veliantis – like a sonic canopic Grecian urn. Side A launches a long form with a chime-y vortex of oscillation by Anestis Logothetis and ends with an aptly titled “Sense” by Panayiotis Kokoras – where mere sound is used to mirror touch/taste/sight and a whiff of a nature walk. Side B covers much territory drumming a wind-up monkey on meth, through a guitar piece like a slow homage to old no-wave Theoretical Girls, over to Manouach and a sax-tet calliope before a scraping meeting of minds before ILIOS sends barking dogs into an electronic hive mind and Side B then closes with Michalis Adamis and what feels like EVP for ghost birds. Just a whole lot of diversity, even more if we include the MP3 download boni. Sub Rosa further uncovers the weirdness of the world!

-Thurston Hunger