The ecstatic and transcendental nature of drone melodies and repetitive rhythmic structures in music have always been considered a compelling means of mesmerizing and elevating the human spirit and have been present from ancient times to our days in various psychedelic and ethnic musical trends.
Tracing the origins of such traditions, the Dionysian Drone Festival offers its visitors the rare opportunity to experience music from the remote Greek islands of Crete and Karpathos, as well as music from the Black Sea. Leaving laptops and electronic instruments behind, the featured musicians will make use of the tsambouna (a kind of greek bagpipe), the lyra (a bowed three-string instrument), the laouto (a long-neck fretted instrument of the lute family) and large frame drums, to recreate this music as it is still practiced in those distant territories.
Inspired by the god of wine and ritual madness, the Dionysian Music Festival will present in the garden setting of Urban Spree music without boundaries or time limits.
Daulute | Cretan Kastrinos Reminiscence live
httpv://https://youtube.com/watch?v=DcO3b59VV20#t=51
Crete – Daulute
Daulute is a world music trio that presents a unique and dynamic interpretation of Cretan traditional music. It combines traditional instruments from the Eastern Mediterranean with Western whistles and the flute. Improvising on Greek traditional material the trio endeavours to develop an alternative sound style (Ioannis Papatzanis, Dimitrios Sideris, Georgios Zacharioudakis).
The Mesochorians | live
httpv://https://youtube.com/watch?v=zPzGDKY1XJ4
Karpathos – The Mesochorians
The Mesochorians is a band performing for the first time in Germany, the traditional tunes (skopous) from the remote island of Karpathos, where music is an everyday life necessity. One of the few performed without percussion instruments, the style involves a continuous improvisation, by shifting within hundreds of drone melodies and creating new ones of changing rhythmic frequencies , of improvised rimes and real dialogues between the musicians and the singers. The sessions are very long middling on 10 hours and are always accompanied by dancers (Giannis Sarris (lyra), Nikos Lykos (tsambouna), Fotis Lykos (laouto), Lytos Giannis (laouto) +special guest star)
Pavlos Tsavdaridis & Hariton Triandafilidis | live in Berlin
httpv://https://youtube.com/watch?v=KTLAhYuF-44
Black Sea – Pavlos Tsavdaridis & Friends
This is a local Berlin band playing traditional music that comes from the Greek inhabitants of the Black sea, now Georgia. Another remote area with a different type of lyra instrument, bagpipes and flutes whose music style is rooted both in the ancient Greek and Byzantine heritage. A very strong style with characteristic percussion rhythms and immense melodic speed but also of dramatic tale singing. The dances of this area are some of the most complicated in Greek culture and are exciting to experience. (Pavlos Tsavdaridis (lyra), Xristos Savidis (ageio/gaida – gavali) Hariton Triantafilidis (dauli))
David Flowerkraut | March of Lost Souls live
httpv://https://youtube.com/watch?v=3pzut3ke2JY
Berlin – Flowerkraut
A travelling musician currently based in Berlin, focusing on traditional European dance and folk music. His main instrument is hurdy-gurdy, a rarely-heard instrument nowadays with multiple drone strings which give a constant pitch accompaniment to the melody, resulting in a sound similar to that of bagpipes. He also plays the fiddle and the flute.
Istanbul – Erman Bölükcü
The organisers met this young fellow in Neukölln, playing a kanun (zither) on the street just one week after he arrived in Berlin. He performed with virtuosity and passion, so we are very excited to have him onboard and jamming with other artists. Special guest musicians and circle dancers to be announced!
For the first time in Berlin: Dionysian Drone Festival – A celebration of drone music and one of its ancient origins!
Dionysian Drone Festival w/ Daulute, The Mesochorians, Pavlos Tsavdaridis & Friends LIVE
Saturday, May 24th, 2014 | 18:00 CET
Urban Spree | Revaler Str. 99 | 10245 Berlin Friedrichshain
