OUR ARTISTS
Mediterranean Sounds offers a range of bands from across the Mediterranean.
AMARATERRA
Pizzica Tarantella from Puglia,
Southern Italy
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10 piece band
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Formed in London in 2011 by passionate Italians from Puglia, Amaraterra is an award-winning band dedicated to pizzica, the music of Salento. A crossroad of civilisations, Salento has preserved its ancient Greek-Roman folk roots with Dionysian festivals and the mythological poisonous bite of the tarantula, inducing an irresistible urge to dance oneself into a trance-like state at the relentless pace of the traditional tamburello frame drum.
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Since it inception, Amaraterra has evolved into a multinational ensemble with additional musicians from France, Greece and the UK without losing its traditional southern Italian roots. Amaraterra’s songs speak of love, happiness, longing and passion in a simple, unsophisticated way that breaks through language and cultural barriers. The energetic and joyful music invites the audience into dance and togetherness.
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Amaraterra has played over 150 concerts including at WOMAD, BBC radio 3, Rhythm Tree Festival and Musicport. Amartarra plays regularly in London to sold-out crowds, recreating a village-style celebration with dance and music late into the night, pairing up with World Music DJ Ali Prince. The band has held monthly residencies since 2013 at Jamboree, Balabam and Jam in a Jar, and regularly plays at Rich Mix, Hootanany, Post Bar, Brixton Jamm, The Green Note, The Forge, Bedroom Bar, Café Barcelona, Arch 365, Dialogue, Mythopolis and more.
GUIRI
ATTITUDE
Bringing together bagpipe traditions from Mallorca and Galicia
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2-4 piece
Website
THODORIS
ZIARKAS'
USCITA
Polyphonic trio with Middle Eastern and experimental influences
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Trio
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Bassist and composer Thodoris Ziarkas presents a series of compositions entitled ''USCITA'' alongside Oliver Dover on the clarinet and Gizem Altinordu on the percussion.
The idea of ''Uscita'' - the exit- framed in a form of liberation to find one's own journey.
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The compositions balance on the borderline between the traditioÂns of the Eastern Mediterranean and free improvisation. A recollection of sounds that unfold at times in polyphonic layers and at times in silence, forming a "exiting" and allowing the mind involuntarily to be drawn into a meditative state. Melodies and echotopia that derive from the processional celebrations and draw inspiration from ritual dances and the cyclical events of life.
BONNENDIS
Music from the Aegean Islands
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Quartet
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Bonnendis is a London-based quartet featuring the raw sounds of the Greek islands with the iconic tsambouna (bagpipes), lyra and laouto. Bonnendis – the mist hovering over the mountain villages on the island of Karpathos – navigates from island to island, performing traditional melodies as you would hear them back home: genuine, powerful and uplifting.
Thodoris Ziarkas (Valia Calda, London Improviser’s Orchestra) brings wild dance and rhythm with his karpathian lyra and bell-fitted bow; Nikos Ziarkas (Balothizer, Valia Calda, Theon Cross) entrances us with his virtuoso laouto playing; Cassandre Balosso-Bardin (Världens Band, Amaraterra) flies with the overarching sounds of the recorder and the earthy melodies of the bagpipes; and singer Pavlos Mavromatakis (The Turbans, Balothizer) moves us mysteriously with his deep vocals and the beat of the davoul.
Bonnendis was formed in 2015 and has since played at venues and festivals such as Rich Mix (London), Musicport Festival (Whitby), Bath Spa University concert series, Saint Ethelburga’s Church (London), as well as in Belgium, the Netherlands and Berlin.
FOLLOW
THE RATS
Lush duo with Klezmer, French, Galician and English influences
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Follow the Rats is a dynamic and vibrant duo featuring accordion, recorders and bagpipes. Cassandre and Phil blend the traditions of Galicia, Eastern Europe, the British Isles and France into a thrilling, surprising and moving musical journey. This is a world where Mallorcan jotas meet Irish mazurkas, bagpipes play klezmer horas and Northern English slip jigs are enchanted by Scandinavian water nymphs. Follow the Rats recently performed at the BBC Proms Extra Late and Cambridge Big Weekend festival.