Laïko

Laïkó (, , "song of the people"; "popular song"), or laïká (tragoudia) in its plural form, is a Greek music genre.Also called folk song or αστική λαϊκή μουσική "urban folk music"), or laïká (tragoudia) in its plural form, is a Greek music genre which has taken many forms over the years. As it was the case with éntekhno, laïkó emerged after the popularization of rebetiko; An influence of laïkó can be most strongly seen in 1960s Greek Meditteranean ''Μεσογειακη'.Although the term is used to describe the whole of the Greek popular music, when used in context it refers mostly to the form it took in the period from the 1950's to the 1980's.

Rebetiko and Elafró tragoudi

Until the 1930's the Greek Discography was dominated by two musical genres: the Greek folk music (demotiká), including Smyrneika, and the Elafró tragoudi (literally: "light song"). The latter was represented by ensembles of singers/musicians or solo artists like Attik and Nikos Gounaris. It was (and is) the Greek version of the international pop music of any time. In the 1930's the first Rebetiko recordings had an massive impact to the Greek music. As Markos Vamvakaris stated "we where the first to record laïká (popular) songs". In the years to follow this type of music, the first form of what we call laïkó tragoudi, became the mainstreem Greek music.

Elafró tragoudi Artists

1920s-1970s

Attik

Nikos Gounaris

Marianna Hatzopoulou

Mary Lo

Sotos Panagopoulos

Tonis Maroudas

Trio Belcanto

Trio Kitara

Jenny Vannou

Stamatis Kokotas

Rebetiko Artists

1930s-1950s

Markos Vamvakaris

Manolis Chiotis

Roza Eskenazi

Vassilis Tsitsanis

Giannis Papaioannou

Kostas Skarvelis

Classic laïkó

Classic laïkó as it is known today, was the mainstream popular music of Greece during the 60s and 70s. Laïkó was dominated by singers such as Stelios Kazantzidis and Stratos Dionysiou. Among the most significant songwriters and lyricists of this period are considered Akis Panou, George Zambetas and of course the big names of the Rembetiko era that where still in business, like Manolis Hiotis, Vasilis Tsitsanis, Apostolos Kaldaras, Giorgos Mitsakis, Babis Bakalis, Giannis Papaioannou, and Eftichia Papagianopoulos. Many artists have combined the traditions of éntekhno and laïkó with considerable success, such as the composers Mimis Plessas, Stavros Xarchakos, and Giorgos Mouzakis, and the lyricist Lefteris Papadopoulos.

Artists

1960s-1970s

Apostolos Nikolaidis (singer)

Christos Syrpos (better known as Christakis)

Doukissa

Giannis Kalantzis

Giorgos Kinousis

Giorgos Zambetas

Grigoris Bithikotsis

Keti Grey

Lakis Alexandrou

Marinella

Mary Linda

Michalis Violaris

Panos Gavalas

Poly Panou

Rita Sakellariou

Stelios Kazantzidis

Stratos Dionysiou

Tolis Voskopoulos

Vangelis Perpiniadis

Vicky Moscholiou

Contemporary laïkó

Contemporary laïkó (σύγχρονο λαϊκό) (also called Modern laïkó) is currently Greece's mainstream music genre. The modern pop music may be called in Greece Contemporary laïkó (σύγχρονο λαϊκό) (also called Modern laïkó with variations in plural form as Contemporary laïká. Along with Modern laïká in Greek) is currently Greece's mainstream music genre. Contemporary laïká emerged as a style in the early 1980s. An indispensable part of the contemporary laïká culture is the písta(πίστα - pl.: πίστες) "dance floor/venue". Night clubs at which the DJs play only contemporary laïká where colloquially known on the 90's as ellinádhika. The main Greek dances and rhythms of today's Greek music culture laïká are zeibekiko, hasaposerviko, kalamatianos and syrtaki. Renowned songwriters of contemporary laïká include Alekos Chrysovergis, Nikos Karvelas, Phoebus, Nikos Terzis, Giorgos Theofanous and Evi Droutsa.

Modern laiko is traditional Greek laïkó music mixed in with modern Western influences, from such international mainstream genres as pop music and dance. One of the first artists in Greece to pioneer this was Anna Vissi. She introduced rock elements in the early 1990s and dance pop elements in the early 2000s. The more cheerful version of laïkó, called elafró laïkó (ελαφρολαϊκό - elafrolaïkó 'light laïkó') and it was often used in musicals during the Golden Age of Greek cinema. Τhe big Greek Peiraiotes superstar Tolis Voskopoulos gave the after-modern version of Greek Laiko (Ελληνικο λαικο) listenings. Many artists have combined the traditions of éntekhno and laïkó with considerable success, such as the composers Mimis Plessas, Stavros Xarchakos, Giorgos Mouzakis and the lyricist Lefteris Papadopoulos.

Terminology

In effect, there is no single name for contemporary laïká in the Greek language, but it is often formally referred to as σύγχρονο λαϊκό , a term which is however also used for denoting newly composed songs in the tradition of "proper" Laïkó; when ambiguity arises, σύγχρονο ("contemporary") λαϊκό or disparagingly λαϊκο-ποπ ("folk-pop", also in the sense of "westernized") is used for the former, while γνήσιο ("proper, genuine, true") or even καθαρόαιμο ("pureblood") λαϊκό is used for the latter. The choice of contrasting the notions of "westernized" and "genuine" may often be based on ideological and aesthetic grounds. The term modern laïká comes from the phrase μοντέρνα λαϊκά (τραγούδια) "modern songs of the people".

Critical response

Despite its immense popularity, the genre of contemporary laïká (especially laïkο-pop) has come under scrutiny for "featuring musical clichés, average singing voices and slogan-like lyrics" and for "being a hybrid, neither laïkó, nor pop".

Artists

Some well known artists representing this genre include:

(1980s-2000s)

Angie Samiou

Anna Vissi

Antique (duo)

Antonis Remos

Apostolia Zoi

Chryspa

Despina Vandi

Dionysis Makris

Elena Paparizou

Elli Kokkinou

Giorgos Papadopoulos

Kelly Kelekidou

Katy Garbi

Marianda Pieridi

Nancy Alexiadi

Nikos Vertis

Notis Sfakianakis

Paschalis Terzis

Peggy Zina

Sabrina

Sarbel

Thanos Petrelis

Vasilis Karras

Giorgos Mazonakis

Dimitris Mitropanos

See also

Rebetiko

Greek folk music

Nightclubs in Greece

Notes

Category:Greek music