Reviews

Daemonia Nymphe: The Modern Sound of Ancient Hellenic Music

by Spyros Giasafakis

Daemonia Nymphe were formed in the year 1994, and after an intense creative period of four years, they released their debut album in 1998, entitled "The Bacchic Dance of The Nymphs", under the German Record Label, Solistitium Rec. This album focuses on a lyrical theme that ranges between the myths of Hellenic antiquity and music that could easily be described as "theatrical".

1998 also found the project renewed, consisting of a strong core of musicians who compose music based on the aesthetic and theoretical borders of ancient Hellenic music. One year later, a meeting with Nikos Brass changed the course of the group. Nikos Brass is an instrument maker who has managed to reproduce almost every ancient Hellenic instrument by using his artistic skills, starting from the year 1980 up to the present day. Daemonia Nymphe, Nikos Brass and his assistants now constitute a team in which the musicians are inspired and create using the Lyre, Kithara and Varvitos, and the instrument-makers continually improve and refine the instruments. Within this co-operation, Daemonia Nymphe played their first concert-presentation of the instruments at the Medieval Festival of Rethymno, Crete. More concerts followed at the Interbalkan European Medical Center, in Tsagarada Pilio and N. Ionia of Volos.

In the same period, they released their first Mini-CD entitled "Tyrvasia." In 2002, they signing with French record label, Prikosnovenie. This Record label co-operates with bands from all over the world and Daemonia Nymphe, as their first Hellenic band, has become a vibrant member of Prikosnovenie's international company.

In October 2002, Daemonia Nymphe released their new CD under the homonymous title, an album in which a plethora of musicians participated besides the basic core of the band, among them a famous Greek singer Alkinoos Ioannides. In this CD, the band attained a more distinctive, with the majority of the tracks played on replicas of ancient Hellenic instruments.

In May 2003 they released a CD in which the band co-operates with other Prikosnovenie acts such as Louisa John Krol, Francesco Banchini (GOR - Italy) and Frédéric Chaplain (Lys - France), in a CD entitled "Love Sessions". In the same period, they participated in the new CD of an ambient band from London, Seventh Harmonic, as well in the debut CD of Symphonic Neoclassical Project "xARKANEx" from Athens, "Arcane Elitism".

In June 2003 Daemonia Nymphe played live at National Hellenic Research Foundation in Athens. In September, they also played in a Gothic/Electro Festival in Athens called Elfentanz Fest, along with Neurotic Fish, and And One, as well as some more performances in some small venues in Athens, and last but not least a performance with Louisa John Krol at the Mylos Club in Salonika on 12 November.

Daemonia Nymphe are: Spyros Giasafakis, Evi Stergiou, Maria Stergiou, Christos Koukaras, Dafni Kotsiani, Baggelis Pasxalidis

Dancing act: Zoe, Anastasia

Instrument manufacturer: Nicholas Brass www.prikosnovenie.com http://www.soundmag.gr/daemonia-nymphe/