This evening brings together two duos who have explored the digital deconstruction of the Greek blues 'rembetika' for an evening of Rembetronika - an attempt to unite the acoustic traditional form 'Rembetika' with electronics and digital culture whilst maintaining the passionate expressive elements usually associated with the tradition. Mike Cooper (guitar/electronics) and Viv Corringham (vocals) re-invigorate their 'Avant Roots' duo alongside Yannis Kyriakides (computer) and Andy Moor (Guitarist with The Ex) who released their own collection of rembetika reimaginings on 'Rebetika' in 2009.
Rembetika is an urban subcultural musical form similar to blues, flamenco, fado, and tango, but only in that it grew out of particular urban circumstances. The lyrics reflect the harsher realities of a marginalized subculture's lifestyle...themes such as crime, drink, drugs, poverty, lost love, prostitution, violence, and other themes expressing life at the cultural margins.
Musically its roots are in Turkish Cafe Amanes music from Istanbul and Izmir (Smyrna) and Jewish, Armenian and Greek folk music.
The word "aman" is Turkish in origin and is an expression of unrequited longing, the howl of the wolf at the moon - connected to the traditional lament of women folk - a true amane requires no other lyrics other than the word "aman" sung in a trill of pure lament. The aman is the Oriental/Greek blues.
On Avant Roots:
“..a small work of perfectly flawed genius.” (Ian Anderson-fROOTS magazine - UK)
