Club Maqam

Oceanen presents: Club MaqamClub Maqam: Live + dabke workshop Damaskus — Skopje -- Thessaloniki: “show and tell” session 16.00–18.00 – Kulturköket (free entry)

Vangelis Kohilis & Nadia Pavlidou + Club Maqam 20.00–01.00 - Scenlokalen (200 kr)

Vangelis Kohilis and Nadia Pavlidou: live rebetiko from Thessaloniki, 20.00–01.00 + dabke workshop and Club Maqam DJs Vangelis Kohilis and Nadia Pavlidou come straight from Thessaloniki’s live rebetiko scene, where they perform regularly as a duo and in other ensembles.

Rebetiko emerged in the early 1900s among refugees from Asia Minor in the Greek urban underworld. This music sounds unlike anything you hear in Europe or the USA: its Eastern scales, rhythms and harmonies differ markedly from Western music.

Since its formative period from the 1920s to the Second World War, rebetiko has undergone several revivals. Today, new generations continue to return to, play, interpret and listen to old-school rebetiko.

Vangelis and Nadia are part of the young music scene in Greece today, sharing a love of rebetiko and Greek urban folk music.

Vangelis grew up on the island of Skopelos and began playing the baglamas at the age of five and the bouzouki at nine. Since 2015, he has worked as a professional musician in Thessaloniki and Athens. For Vangelis, his relationship with rebetiko is inseparable from the bouzouki as an instrument. The further he explored rebetiko through his bouzouki, the more he appreciated the richness, simplicity and depth of the musical style.

Nadia comes from a family of musicians in Mariupol and has studied guitar, accordion and singing since the age of seven. She has played rebetiko professionally since she was sixteen and moved to Thessaloniki in 2017. She was drawn to rebetiko’s direct and emotional storytelling.

Thessaloniki is a very inspiring city for rebetiko. It has a vibrant live music scene, an audience that truly appreciates the genre and a long musical tradition. Historically, the city has played an important role in the development of rebetiko and its subsequent revivals. Great composers and musicians such as Vassilis Tsitsanis spent some of their most creative years here, leaving a lasting mark on the city’s musical identity. Thessaloniki connects Nadia and Vangelis to the rebetiko tradition while they are also part of a vibrant contemporary community of musicians who keep the music alive.

As a duo, Vangelis and Nadia focus on interpreting rebetiko with respect for tradition while bringing their own musical personalities to it. Their sound is based on the dialogue between voice, guitar and bouzouki, with an emphasis on communication, spontaneity and musical interplay.

Damaskus—Skopje--Thessaloniki: “show and tell” session at Kulturköket Oceanen, 16.00–18.00

A “show and tell” session with musicians, dancers and organisers in connection with a Club Maqam * live event at Oceanen on 24 October, during this year’s Planetafestival.

Musicians from scenes influenced by the Balkans and the Eastern Mediterranean play examples of Dabke, Rebetiko and Roma music and discuss developments and conditions in Gothenburg’s music scene. These musicians, dancers and audience members, with backgrounds in different parts of the world, often live as neighbours in the same areas of Gothenburg.

Musicians/dancers talk about the context and history of the music and dance, and how these music scenes have developed in Swedish contexts over time and across generations.

We talk about what these music and dance traditions mean to people in transnational contexts. We discuss the conditions for music and dance from the Balkans and the Eastern Mediterranean in Gothenburg, and the opportunities for collaboration across traditions and generations.

What is the level of interest among different groups? What is missing among the city’s venues/stages and bookers? How can those of us with roots and contacts in other regions create musical settings that cross borders? How can we work towards a diverse and vibrant live, club and music scene?

Moderator: Olav Fumarola Unsgaard (Göteborgs Litteraturhus)

Session participants:

Samir Mehmed (Balkan and Greek music) Alismir Jugo (Bosnia Express) Nuri Selim (Svarta Safirer) Dubravko Grdic (formerly a member of Svarta Safirer and Croatian groups) Maria Stellas and Robert Fölsch (Pireus) Anna Gavanas and Peter Gavanas (Thessaly Hifi and Club Maqam) The session takes place in the afternoon (16.00–18.00) on 24 October in the restaurant area at Oceanen, before the club gets started in Oceanen’s concert space (20.00).

Club Maqam explores musical and cultural meeting points in the Balkans and the Eastern Mediterranean region. We bring together live musicians, dancers and other music lovers, creating spaces for people to meet. Since 2021, Club Maqam has organised events in Stockholm (Antikvariat Verklighetsflykt, Kulturhuset Cyklopen, Time Bar) and Gothenburg (Folk, Bivac, Cyrano, Kulturhuset Oceanen, Bubblan).

The club night, live session and “show and tell” take place in collaboration with:

Planeta Festival, Göteborgs Stad and Oceanen

More information: https://club-maqam.carrd.co/#

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