Locomondo
Encyclopedia
Locomondo is a seven member band based in Athens
, Greece
. Their name loosely means "Crazy World," from the Spanish
word "loco" (crazy) and the Italian
word "mondo" (world). Their music can be tagged as reggae
or ska
. It is the first band in Greece that fused the Caribbean
sound together with Greek musical elements. Locomondo often incorporates traditional Greek instruments in their sound such as the violin, the gaida (the Greek version of the bagpipes) and the baglama, producing a fresh sound and a new approach to the already known forms of the Caribbean
as well as the Greek music. In their live shows, Locomondo captures the energy and the feel of a party, where the crowd and the band share the common experience of a great “fiesta.”
, the Skatalites, Chumbawamba
, Alpha Blondy
, Ojos de Brujo
, the Wailers, Aswad
, and Ska Cubano
, among others. They have collaborated with Amparo Sanchez from Amparanoia
and Natty Bo from Ska Cubano
, the German group Beat n’ Blow, and Vin Gordon
of The Skatalites
.
Their first album entitled Enas Trelos Kosmos (Crazy World) was released in March 2004 by Music Box International. Their songs, "Trendy Litsa" and "100 Afro" had solid air-play on almost all Greek radio stations. Their song "Stin Athina" was on the play list of Radio France Internationale
for two months.
Locomondo traveled to Jamaica
after an invitation from the Skatalites' trombone player, Vin Gordon
, to record their second album. A former member of the Skatalites and Studio One veteran--Deadly Headley Bennett
--is among the other Jamaican musicians who participated in the Locomondo recording. The outcome of this collaboration can be found on their CD entitled 12 Meres stin Jamaica (12 Days in Jamaica) released in July 2005 by Music Box International. The songs, sung both in Greek and English, are heavily influenced by the sound, "energy," and "feeling" of Jamaica. Locomondo had huge success in the summer of 2005 with their cover of the traditional rembetiko song "Frangosyriani."
The Greek element continues to play an important role in the formation of Locomondo's sound. Locomondo released their third album, Me Wanna Dance on May 14, 2007, and scored a big hit in the summer of 2007 with their parody of student life "Πίνω μπάφους και παίζω προ" ("Pino bafous kai pezo pro") (="I smoke joints
and play Pro
"). Locomondo was included in the CD of the German reggae magazine Riddim in the August 2008 issue and has been part of the “Radio Chango” family since 2007.
Their popularity continued to rise with their song "Γαμήλιο πάρτυ" ("Gamilio party") (="Wedding party"), which was also the soundtrack of the movie with the same title. The song won the prize for best alternative video clip from Mad Video Music Awards on June 17, 2008. In addition, Locomondo participated with the German group Beat n’ Blow on the single "Hey Girl (Greek version)," which received ample airplay on Funkhaus Europa and Radio Multikulti.
In November 2009, Locomondo released a double live CD--Locomondo Live!--recorded during their summer 2009 tours in Greece and abroad. During this time period, they released a video for their song "Magiko Hali" ("Magic Carpet"). The video was filmed at Germany's Chiemsee Reggae Summer Festival, Fusion Festival, and Stemweder Open Air Festival. They also had the honor of having their cover of the traditional rembetiko song "Frangosyriani" included in a movie from Fatih Akin
, titled Soul Kitchen (film)
. The film won the Special Jury Prize award at the Venice Film Festival
in 2009. In 2010, Locomondo recorded the song, "Goal!" in anticipation of the 2010 FIFA World Cup
games in South Africa. The video clip of "Goal!" featured Dimitris Salpigidis
from the Greek national team.
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. Their name loosely means "Crazy World," from the Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
word "loco" (crazy) and the Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
word "mondo" (world). Their music can be tagged as reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
or ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
. It is the first band in Greece that fused the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
sound together with Greek musical elements. Locomondo often incorporates traditional Greek instruments in their sound such as the violin, the gaida (the Greek version of the bagpipes) and the baglama, producing a fresh sound and a new approach to the already known forms of the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
as well as the Greek music. In their live shows, Locomondo captures the energy and the feel of a party, where the crowd and the band share the common experience of a great “fiesta.”
Career
Since 2004, Locomondo has released five albums and has toured extensively in Greece, Germany, and the Netherlands with great success. They have shared the stage with bands such as Manu ChaoManu Chao
Manu Chao , is a French singer of Spanish roots . He sings in French, Spanish, English, Italian, Galician, Arabic and Portuguese and occasionally in other languages...
, the Skatalites, Chumbawamba
Chumbawamba
Chumbawamba is a British musical group who have, over a career spanning nearly three decades, played punk rock, pop-influenced music, world music, and folk music...
, Alpha Blondy
Alpha Blondy
Alpha Blondy is a reggae singer and international recording artist. Alpha Blondy was born Seydou Koné in Dimbokro, Côte d'Ivoire. He sings mainly in his native language of Dioula, in French and English, and sometimes in Arabic or Hebrew...
, Ojos de Brujo
Ojos de Brujo
Ojos de Brujo is a nine-piece band from Barcelona, Spain, who describe their style as "jipjop flamenkillo"...
, the Wailers, Aswad
Aswad
Aswad are a long-lasting British reggae group, noted for adding strong R&B and soul influences to the reggae sound. They have been performing since the mid 1970s, having released a total of twenty-one albums.-History:...
, and Ska Cubano
Ska Cubano
Ska Cubano is a London-based group which combines ska and Cuban music such as son and mambo, with elements of other genres including cumbia and calypso.-History:...
, among others. They have collaborated with Amparo Sanchez from Amparanoia
Amparanoia
Amparanoia is the pseudonym of Spanish singer/guitarist Amparo Sánchez combining her first name with the word 'paranoia'. It was also the name of the band she fronted from 1996 to 2006. Debut album, El Poder de Machín, has been described as being "bright, exuberant.....
and Natty Bo from Ska Cubano
Ska Cubano
Ska Cubano is a London-based group which combines ska and Cuban music such as son and mambo, with elements of other genres including cumbia and calypso.-History:...
, the German group Beat n’ Blow, and Vin Gordon
Vin Gordon
Vin Gordon is a Jamaican trombone player.-Biography:Gordon grew up in Jones Town, Kingston, Jamaica as one of eight children. He went to Kingston's catholic Alpha Boys School where he learned to play trombone and string bass. One of his tutors was Lennie Hibbert...
of The Skatalites
The Skatalites
The Skatalites are a ska band from Jamaica. They played initially between 1963 and 1965, and recorded many of their best known songs in the period, including "Guns of Navarone". They also played on records by Prince Buster and backed many other Jamaican artists who recorded during that period...
.
Their first album entitled Enas Trelos Kosmos (Crazy World) was released in March 2004 by Music Box International. Their songs, "Trendy Litsa" and "100 Afro" had solid air-play on almost all Greek radio stations. Their song "Stin Athina" was on the play list of Radio France Internationale
Radio France Internationale
Radio France Internationale was created in 1975 as part of Radio France by the Government of France, and replaced the Poste Colonial , Paris Mondial , Radio Paris , RTF Radio Paris and ORTF Radio Paris...
for two months.
Locomondo traveled to Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
after an invitation from the Skatalites' trombone player, Vin Gordon
Vin Gordon
Vin Gordon is a Jamaican trombone player.-Biography:Gordon grew up in Jones Town, Kingston, Jamaica as one of eight children. He went to Kingston's catholic Alpha Boys School where he learned to play trombone and string bass. One of his tutors was Lennie Hibbert...
, to record their second album. A former member of the Skatalites and Studio One veteran--Deadly Headley Bennett
Headley Bennett
Felix Headley Bennett OD , more often known simply as Headley Bennett or Deadly Headley, is a Jamaican saxophonist who has performed on hundreds of recordings since the 1950s.-Biography:...
--is among the other Jamaican musicians who participated in the Locomondo recording. The outcome of this collaboration can be found on their CD entitled 12 Meres stin Jamaica (12 Days in Jamaica) released in July 2005 by Music Box International. The songs, sung both in Greek and English, are heavily influenced by the sound, "energy," and "feeling" of Jamaica. Locomondo had huge success in the summer of 2005 with their cover of the traditional rembetiko song "Frangosyriani."
The Greek element continues to play an important role in the formation of Locomondo's sound. Locomondo released their third album, Me Wanna Dance on May 14, 2007, and scored a big hit in the summer of 2007 with their parody of student life "Πίνω μπάφους και παίζω προ" ("Pino bafous kai pezo pro") (="I smoke joints
Joint (cannabis)
Joint is a slang term for a cigarette rolled using cannabis. Rolling papers are the most common rolling medium among industrialized countries, however brown paper, cigarettes with the tobacco removed, and newspaper are commonly used in developing countries. Modern papers are now made from a wide...
and play Pro
Pro Evolution Soccer
Pro Evolution Soccer is a series of football video game developed and published by Konami...
"). Locomondo was included in the CD of the German reggae magazine Riddim in the August 2008 issue and has been part of the “Radio Chango” family since 2007.
Their popularity continued to rise with their song "Γαμήλιο πάρτυ" ("Gamilio party") (="Wedding party"), which was also the soundtrack of the movie with the same title. The song won the prize for best alternative video clip from Mad Video Music Awards on June 17, 2008. In addition, Locomondo participated with the German group Beat n’ Blow on the single "Hey Girl (Greek version)," which received ample airplay on Funkhaus Europa and Radio Multikulti.
In November 2009, Locomondo released a double live CD--Locomondo Live!--recorded during their summer 2009 tours in Greece and abroad. During this time period, they released a video for their song "Magiko Hali" ("Magic Carpet"). The video was filmed at Germany's Chiemsee Reggae Summer Festival, Fusion Festival, and Stemweder Open Air Festival. They also had the honor of having their cover of the traditional rembetiko song "Frangosyriani" included in a movie from Fatih Akin
Fatih Akin
Fatih Akın is a German film director, screenwriter and producer of Turkish descent.- Personal life :Akın was born in 1973 in Hamburg to parents of Turkish ethnicity...
, titled Soul Kitchen (film)
Soul Kitchen (film)
Soul Kitchen is a 2009 German comedy film directed by Fatih Akın, with a screenplay by Akin and Adam Bousdoukos. Bousdoukos based the story on his own experiences as the owner of a Greek tavern named "Taverna", where Akin was a regular customer. Akin filmed the movie entirely in the Hamburg...
. The film won the Special Jury Prize award at the Venice Film Festival
Venice Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
in 2009. In 2010, Locomondo recorded the song, "Goal!" in anticipation of the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
games in South Africa. The video clip of "Goal!" featured Dimitris Salpigidis
Dimitris Salpigidis
Dimitris Salpigidis Dimitris Salpigidis Dimitris Salpigidis (Greek: Δημήτρης Σαλπιγγίδης, (born 18 August 1981, Thessaloniki) is a Greek football striker. He plays for PAOK FC and the Greek national team.-Playing career:...
from the Greek national team.
Current
- Markos Koumaris - Vocals/GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Yiannis Varnavas - GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
/Vocals - Stamatis Goulas - KeyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
/SamplerSampler (musical instrument)A sampler is an electronic musical instrument similar in some respects to a synthesizer but, instead of generating sounds, it uses recordings of sounds that are loaded or recorded into it by the user and then played back by means of a keyboard, sequencer or other triggering device to perform or... - Spyros Mpesdekis - BassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Stratos Sountris - Drums
- Mike Mourtzis - Percussion
- Thanasis "Spogos" Tampakis - Sound Engineer
Additional musicians
- Antonis Andreou - TromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
- Vasilis Panagiotopoulos - TromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
- Manos Theodosakis - TrumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
- Nikos Vlahos - TrumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
- Dimitris Gasias - ViolinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
- Giorgos Makris - GaidaGaidaThe gaida is a musical instrument, aerophone, using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag.The gaida, and its variations, is a traditional musical instrument for entire Europe, Northern Africa and the Middle East....
/KavalKavalThe kaval is a chromatic end-blown flute traditionally played throughout Azerbaijan, Turkey, Hungary, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo, southern Serbia , northern Greece , Romania , and Armenia... - Natasa Mindrinou - Vocals
Discography
- Ένας Τρελός Κόσμος (A crazy world)
- 12 Μέρες στην Τζαμάικα (12 days in Jamaica)
- Me Wanna Dance
- Το γαμήλιο πάρτυ (The wedding party)
- Locomondo Live CD 2009