Music of Turkey and Greece

Time for some Rembetika, the urban music of the Greek underground, originating from Asia Minor. The refugees from there brought their music to Greece, and greatly affected music here. Poverty, industrial urban surrounding, drugs, love, sorrow, were all basic elements of the Rembetika, a diverse musical genre loosely equivalent to the blues.

Drawing from the millennia old musical tradition of Byzantine music, Eastern Mediterranean traditions and moving westward (musically and geographically), peculiar musical idioms developed, coupled with the particular subculture of the Rembetes.

[ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebetiko"]Rebetiko - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXJQmTSptCc"]Rembetiko : kaigomai-kaigomai - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7C9pX25SgP4"]Isouna ksipoliti ( paksimadokleftra ) 1930 Kostas Mpezos (A. Kostis) - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvMLxl4PZKg&feature=related"]Το μινορε του τεκε - Ιωαννης Χαλκιας - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-K5D_lVMYDE&feature=related"]ολοι οι ρεμπετες του ντουνια-μαρκος βαμβακαρης - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ORYyGtpkYU&feature=related"]Filakes Tou Oropou - Giorgos Batis - Rebetiko Original - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAl9FRTwauo&feature=related"]Γιώργος Μπάτης - Ο θερμαστής 1934 - YouTube[/ame]

From a later rembetis, Vasilis Tsitsanis:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VZT6FK1NcI"]sotiria mpelou - YouTube[/ame]

"Like an outcast" - "San Apokliros"

I wander like an outcast
in this hostile foreign land -
wandering miserable
away from my mother's embrace.

The birds cry for air,
for water cry the trees.
An I cry too, my dear mother, for you
for I haven't seen you in years.

Death, take my soul
so I can find peace at last
Since the black fate wanted me
never to feel joy in my life.



[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jufLcQ7cdrI&feature=related"]Τσιτσάνης-Της Γε�ακινας Γιος - YouTube[/ame]

No mattress to sleep on
No light to read
your sweet letter
oh, my dear mother.

Summer, and it is cold
one meter by two
is my cell,
oh, my dear mother.

But I don't live on my knees
I am the son of the hawk (2)
What if they open wounds at me
I can stand the fire, I can stand the fire.

Mother don't be sorry, mother don't mourn me.

A bloody cloth I unfold
on the wet cement to rest
oh, my dear mother.

In the cell right next door
they brought a brother of mine
what hardships await him,
oh, my dear mother.

But I don't live on my knees
I am the son of the hawk (2)
What if they open wounds at me
I can stand the fire, I can stand the fire.

Mother don't be sorry, mother don't mourn me.



[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Bq_j9Oi9g8"]Το κουÏ�ασμÎ*νο βήμα σου (Your Tired Footstep) - Αθηναϊκή Κομπανία - YouTube[/ame]

A hasty translation:

Slowly, heavily, I hear your tired footsteps
crawling in the darkness each night.

Your heart races, you talk to yourself in front of her window
and with a bitter complaint you sing her tune to her.

Dawn break catches up to you, while she sleeps
don't torment and pain yourself in vain, she doesn't feel sorry for you.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3E6yLOZWd0"]Ο καιξης - Χατζηχ�ηστος- Βαμβακα�ης - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvcuKUeBiCE&feature=related"]Î*Î*ντε μάγκες στο Î*εÏ�αία - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0fuJgVxdYU"]ΜΕΣ ΤΗΣ ΠΟΛΗΣ ΤΟ ΧΑΜΑΜ Α ΔΕΛΙΑΣ ΡΕΜΠΕΤΙΚΟ - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K37zwunBFhk&feature=related"]Μά�κος Βαμβακά�ης - Μα��α μάτια μα��α φ��δια - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CeGogPy6fw&feature=related"]Markos Vamvakaris FRAGOSYRIANI original -[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJeB6zAsKx0&feature=related"]τα ματοκλαδα σου λαμπουν-μα�κος βαμβακα�ης - YouTube[/ame]

The very first song that I posted, "Kaigomai, kaigomai", is from "Rembetiko", the best film regarding rembetika.

[ame="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086182/"]Rembetiko (1983) - IMDb@@AMEPARAM@@http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTY3OTAyMTU5Nl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMTg0NDA4Mg@@._V1._SX100_SY140_.jpg@@AMEPARAM@@BMTY3OTAyMTU5Nl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMTg0NDA4Mg@@@@AMEPARAM@@SX100@@AMEPARAM@@SY140[/ame]

The soundtrack of the film, most of it not original rembetika but later compositions in tribute to the genre, was a true masterpiece. Here is a rough translation.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXJQmTSptCc"]Rembetiko : kaigomai-kaigomai - YouTube[/ame]

When man is born, a sorrow is born
and when war flares up, blood cannot be measured

I'm burning (2)
throw more oil into the fire
I'm drowning (2)
throw me into a deep sea

I have sworn by your eyes that were a gospel to me
the stab that you gave me to turn into laughter

I'm burning (2)
throw more oil into the fire
I'm drowning (2)
throw me into a deep sea

But you, deep in hell, break the chain
and if you draw me next to you, blessed be thou.

I'm burning (2)
throw more oil into the fire
I'm drowning (2)
throw me into a deep sea


Some more songs from the same film:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsC9nahBnv8&feature=related"]Rembetiko #2 (movie,1983) - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8nLLqMibc8"]rembetiko Mana Mou Ellas - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxDwwXMzoWE&feature=related"]Rembetiko - Mpournovalia/Marika - Instrumental (Full Versiyon) - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKEHf9HwVv4&feature=related"]Μπου�νοβαλιά - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwLxQ3m1MiU&feature=related"]Rembetiko (1983) adriana & marika scene (türkçe altyaz[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QR4avmuBDhY&feature=related"]Rembetiko #4 (movie,1983) - YouTube[/ame]

Ending scene
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epWY3qDGow8&feature=related"]Rembetiko #6 (movie,1983) - YouTube[/ame]

Afrasiyab said:

Rembetiko is a marvelous movie. I remember we talked about it way back in the past, solidaire. Two weeks ago or something, a Greek-American friend of mine who recently returned from Istanbul came to visit and as we got drunk, we started listening to Rembetiko and embarrassingly danced Horon, haha (she is Pontic - Cappadocian). Mana mou Ellas - I love the song - is very anti-nationalist, especially for the period. Why is that? And kaigomai is very soulful.

Click to expand...

Yes, we did talk about it, a marvellous movie. The lyrics of "Mana mou Ellas" were written by [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikos_Gatsos"]Nikos Gatsos[/ame], one of the most prominent Greek poets. He was not an average lyrics writer, and nationalism wasn't his cup of tea.

I would love to sneak on your Pontic dance and have a laugh, man, ain't it difficult?

Afrasiyab said:

I'd like to share Imam Baildi here. I love the genre and their music. Imam Baildi is an aubergine dish very popular in the area, as you might know. Imam Baildi (Imam Bayildi in Turkish) literally means 'imam fainted'. The band makes a great fusion of rembetiko and modern beats. Here is one of their songs:

Den thelw pia - I do not want any more

Imam Baildi - Den thelo pia -


And one Turkish song I love very much. 90s were the golden age of Turkish pop and music industry back then was very bold. This song 'gemiler - the ships' by Orhan Atasoy was covered later but I love this version more. The video is very bold for the time depicting the life of a transvestite acted by a famous actor/showman Cem Ozer. I love the symbolism of 90s which is like the reincarnation of 60s cinema. To make such a video even today in Turkey takes balls.

This song is like a homage to Charles Aznavour's Comme Ils Disent:

Orhan Atasoy' Gemiler - YouTube

Click to expand...

For a moment I thought you wanted to share the recipe for the dish.

Nice songs, BTW.