Kkismettin

This was always going to be interesting, Cypriot composer and performer Antonis Antoniou is well-known from the amazing groups Trio Tekke and Monsieur Doumani, but here he breaks out on his own, bringing with him many of the eclectic and inventive approaches to music-making that characterised his earlier collaborations. To me it feels as though there is an undercurrent of anger coursing through the album, not only from the lyrics, which reference the division running through his home town of Nicosia, but also in the sound-world that is evoked (the title-track, which translates as ‘Fate’, or ‘Achtina’ are good examples of this).

There are lots of dark, heavy textures here; the notes talk of ‘a rusty/grimy quality’ which can definitely be seen as emerging from urban fabric that surrounds him. To achieve this some of the tracks are bass heavy, with electronics adding layers of noise and found sounds, which add to the gritty feel, aided by the slightly rough vocal style. Throughout the tracks, traditional Cypriot modes and rhythms are referenced (for example, on ‘Doulia’ or ‘Djinourkes Meres’) to underpin the music giving it a solid foundation on which the electronics and guitar can build and take in other directions. Overall the dark timbres create a claustrophobic feel to the album, fitting for the times in which we live.