08/12/2023 - 22:15 @ Art Studio 55
Nikos Charalambous
The piece mostly consists of improvisational music with guitar and electronic effects. The title In Reverse refers to the reverse effects on which the musician has lately been focusing, especially on the reverse delay effect. The experimentation is made in an attempt to push the boundaries of guitar playing/processing.
Nikos Charalambous is a guitar player born in Limassol in 1991. He started playing the guitar around the age of 16 mostly as a self-taught player. He initially surrounded himself with rock/metal music, created his own band while composing his own songs and eventually started performing in rock clubs and festivals around the island. Gradually, his interest and musical search in jazz and the improvisational aspect of music grew deeper. In 2013 he enrolled at ArtEZ University of the Arts Arnhem from which he graduated with a BA in Jazz & Pop guitar performance. During this time, besides leading his own groups with original compositions, being a sideman for various projects within jazz, pop and free improvised music, he has also performed for dance, film and art productions in Germany, Belgium, Poland, Cyprus and the Netherlands. After completing his Master's degree in Jazz Guitar at Codarts, Rotterdam, he continued to compose new material and further develop with various band formations through genres like jazz, blues, rock, funk, pop, latin, free-impro and electronic music.
Nikos Charalambous: Guitar/Electronics
Alexis Sunder
Alexis Sunder: Vocals, Guitar
Andreas Epaminonda: Electric Guitar
Andreas Papageorgiou: Bass
Fragkiskos Petrides: Drums
Simos Tziakouris: Saxophone
The band will present songs from Alexis Sunder’s own catalogue, including works from his eponymous debut EP (released 2022), the Eurotoire On a Red Thursday LP (released 2022) and the Island Seeds Beginnings EP (to be released in November 2023), for which he has been a leading songwriter, vocalist and performer. Flanked by his steady collaborators and jazz musicians, the live band will approach the compositions in a more experimental approach, accentuating jazz and world music elements, to present a fresh interpretation on the soul compositions. Jazz improvisation, slow jams and syncopated grooves will create a different sonic ambience to the usual energetic Sunder set, which is often characterised by dance-infused long jams and dynamic vocal performances. The proposed set will focus on highlighting the musical heritage of soul and Tuareg blues in the songs and providing the audience with a unique new interpretation of the classic soul forms and vocal qualities.
Alexis Sunder is a Cypriot singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose signature sound is defined by head-bobbing grooves, introspective lyrics and sunny melodies. Combining elements from jazz-akin genres such as soul, neo-soul and funk, as well as inspirations from world music, such as Tuareg blues, Sunder and his live band deliver a unique offering of soul music with fresh impressions on retro vibes. Sunder and his live band have built a loyal audience, with appearances at Fengaros Reacts (2021), Fengaros Festival (2022) and various venues across the island.
09/12/2023 - 22:15 @ Art Studio 55
Nama Dama
Nama Dama: vocals, keys, synth, percussion, recorder, looping
Nama Dama leaves the piano behind and takes on the synths, the recorder, percussion and a loop station to create new worlds with songs and stories that she composes in three languages (English, Russian and Cypriot). A unique journey where the audience will hear choirs dancing to traditional rhythms and flutes marrying with electronics. Her influences range from Russian lullabies and dances of Epirus, to the English folk, as well as Cypriot everyday life. Ηer sound is a rich amalgam that at times resembles a lament and at other times a pagan ritual.
Nama Dama is a performance artist from Nicosia. Her music is a combination of folk and electronic elements, accompanied by both atmospheric and intense vocals. Using live looping as her compass, she turns her one-woman act into a unique experience full of poetry and colours. She released her first EP titled Confessions to My Songbird in 2021. Nama Dama began writing and performing in 2019, slowly building a loyal fanbase. She has since performed at Tremor Festival in the Azores, twice at Fengaros Festival, the University of Cyprus Cultural Festival at Axiothea, TEDx Limassol, Savino Live as well as other smaller venues around Cyprus. Today, she is mainly involved in theatre productions. This year she was nominated for two awards: “Female Musician of the Year” (Madame Figaro) and “Young Artist of the Year” (THOC). She is currently presenting her latest show SAPIENS, a psycho-political performance that discusses human roots and today’s world order, shedding more light on events such as the ongoing war in her second mother country, Ukraine.
Chunky Funky Electro Funk Quartet
This specific format version of Chunky Funky will be performing three new original compositions by Giorgos Morfitis in the style of electro funk fusion. The audience will experience the uplifting and playful interaction between the two drummers, a guitar player and a keyboard player. Elements such as intense and explosive grooves, chord sequence and a basso continuo encourage movement. The propulsive yet sweet melodic themes in combination with improvisation and contagious good vibes “electrify” and “recharge” the soul.
Created by Giorgos Morfitis in August 2019, Chunky Funky perform original compositions arranged by Morfitis himself, mainly in the style of funk and based on funky music of the 70’s and 80’s fused with a jazz vocabulary and a noticeable modern soul sound. The band was created as a playground for the musician with the key ingredients being imagination and improvisation. This year, Chunky Funky has been modified into an electro funk quartet consisting of two drummers, a keyboard player and an electric guitarist.
Stelios Xydias: Drums
Omiros Miltiadous: Drums
Odysseas Toumazou: Guitar
Giorgos Morfitis: Musical Director/Keyboards