Rough Guide Rebetika

Rebetika is the music of the Greek underworld and it’s all about death, disease, hopeless love, jail, drugs, and other happy topics. Many of the early tracks suffer from scratchy sound, but there’s lots of passion that makes them worth a listen. Folk music w/influences from Eastern Europe and all over the Mediterranean. Fascinating notes about the history, artists & songs. Check out especially:

2. Midtempo male vocal duet w/great use of bouzouki.
3. Slow w/fragile female voice, strings, it’s just sad.
4. Guitar & kind of whining male vox. Slow & simple.
5. A lively dance w/good arrangements from the band.
8. Mid-eastern influence wail with nice use of oud. Slow.
12. Midtempo, male vox, good band w/an interesting sound.
14. Relaxed w/wailing male vox, strings,
15. Great growling male vox/bouzouki/chorus. Midtempo.
18. Strings, male vox, a midtempo song about dancing in hell.
20. Strings, good fem vox/chorus. Midtempo w/a nice sound.
22. Warm, rich fem vox/strings. Midtempo love song.
11/2004