Bongos, bouzouki and Farfisa organ galore! The explosive cocktail of rock’n’roll and traditional Tsifteteli hailing from 1960’s Greece is still alive thanks to Deli Teli: the Marseille-based quartet performs a string of forgotten hits that once set Athens on fire, with a contagious energy and a subtle dose of Mediterranean drama.
Half a century ago, while French seasiders would dance to Yéyé sounds and dig the Beatles or Pink Floyd, a whole other scene was happening further along the coastline. Notably, Greek artists were a huge influence beyond the Mediterranean cradle. Far from being an exclusive Greek sound, Tsifteteli music has travelled through borders for centuries and means ‘double string’ in Turkish. In the 1960’s, it mixed with rock’n’roll, surf and Latin-american influences, and gave birth to the typical Laïko sound.
With their powerful electric bouzouki (Greek lute) and the distinctive sound of the Farfisa organ, Deli Teli have carved their style while digging through the incredible goldmine of the late 60’s and early 70’s Tsifteteli/Laïko singles. The 4 musicians met in 2019 with a burning desire to dive into electric sensations – bassist Christos Karypidis used to play oud and keyboardist Arthur Bacon played accordion in most of his former projects – and made the most of 2020’s lockdowns by building their repertoire and thinking up Deli Teli.
On this mini-album, they interpret Aris San’s version of “Boum Pam” (a.k.a.”Bros Gremos Kai Piso Rema”) which was a n°1 hit from Southern Europe to the tip of India ! Also a groovy belly-dance mover cover version of Koko’s “Chily Chily”; “Ekso Dertia Kai Kaïmi” an intoxicating and frenetic floor shaker ; “Tsiftetelli 1969”, a cool organ-lead surfing instrumental ; and 2 slightly freer and more psychedelic compositions, “Taksim Deli” ( an improvisation) and “Bournelis”, a creative re-arrangement of 2 compisitions by Leonardos Bournelis.
Deli Teli preach a collective, sensual and solar hip-wiggling across the continents and beyond; they are ready to shake our minds and bodies until we all gel together… Join the Tsifteteli Club now!
Watch the new video “Ekso Dertia Kai Kaïmi” here >>>
youtu.be/J-HhvL7lvd8
Expected vinyl delivery date; early january 2022
released November 5, 2021
track 1,2,3,5 recorded by Mathieu Cornu @ La Gare de Coustellet (September 2020)
track 4,6 recorded by Mister Brown & Benjamin Deleuil @ Le K’fé Quoi, Forcalquier (May 2021)
Mixed by Mathieu Pelletier @ Downtown Studio, Strasbourg
Mastered and Lacquer cut by Frédéric Alstadt @ Ångström Mastering, Brussels
Artwork : Poil aux Dents
Cover Photography : Alexandre Frigoult
Vinyl available end of January 2022
