Nexus (Greek band)
Encyclopedia
Nexus was a Greek industrial rock band formed by vocalist/keyboardist Mike Pougounas
. He was joined by guitarist Lefteris Strouggaris, drummer Vangelis Papachristopoulos, and bassist Costas Spanos. Pougounas and Strouggaris were fresh off of membership with The Flowers Of Romance
, a pioneering Greek
gothic rock
band.
Nexus built on The Flowers Of Romance’s innovations; they were the first industrial group of the Greek rock underground. While Nexus had a more mainstream sound than the Flowers Of Romance, Nexus continued The Flowers Of Romance’s tradition of incorporating countless musical styles into one base style. Nexus received critical and fan acclaim across the European and U.S. underground industrial scenes, making Nexus the second consecutive Mike Pougounas-formed group to become internationally renowned.
In 1999, Nexus released the self-titled single, Nexus (EP), through FM Records. In December of that same year, ex-The Drops drummer Dimitris "Sidhéog" Steves replaced Vangelis Papachristopoulos.
Nexus left FM Records and Pougounas created Cyberdelia Records on March 9, 2000, immediately adding Nexus to its stable. On May 19, 2000, Nexus released their debut album titled 6 and fans were witness to a bold move by Nexus: unlike albums of The Flowers Of Romance, 6 was entirely in Greek. On the same day of 6’s release, Nexus opened for world-famous The Mission
in Thessaloniki after being invited to play by The Mission’s frontman Wayne Hussey
, who was instrumental in the success of The Flowers Of Romance’s final album.
February 28, 2001 saw the release of Nexus’s second album, Cybernaut. Nexus reverted back to English-language songs with Cybernaut, and this proved to be a wise decision, as Cybernaut was possibly Nexus’s most well-received album by media and fans in both Greece and abroad.
Cybernaut had a wider European release than any Mike Pougounas-band album since the Flowers Of Romance’s Brilliant Mistakes, and even saw limited release in the United States.
Lefteris Strouggaris left Nexus in 2001, and the remaining members of the band decided to keep the full-time roster to a trio while using a part-time guitarist. Former Flowers Of Romance guitarist Panos Economakis, a close friend of the full-time Nexus members, was chosen.
The 2002 release of Nexus’s third album Wrapped In Cellophane showcased a further evolution of the band’s sound, mixing aggressive guitar riffs with an electronic harmony. George "Rakos" Kagialedakis directed the music video for the song “Wrapped In Cellophane”, Nexus’s first music video, and it was placed into rotation on Greek national television as well as foreign market television.
In the year of Wrapped In Cellophane’s release, Nexus appeared on the July/August issue of German Music Magazine ZILLO which featured an interview with the band and the track "These Tears Again" in the magazine’s sampler.
Former Flowers Of Romance member George Bousounis and sound engineer George Ginnis aided in the creation of what would be Nexus’s final album, December 2004’s The Beat Syndicate. For reasons that aren’t clear to the fans, the Nexus trio called it quits in May 2005, and Cyberdelia Records ceased operations not long after.
The trio wouldn’t sit still for long; in 2006, Pougounas, Spanos, and Steves formed post-punk band New Zero God
.
Mike Pougounas
Mike Pougounas is a vocalist, songwriter, keyboardist, record label owner, and independent filmmaker who is most notable for his contributions to Greek rock during his time as the frontman for Greek punk and gothic rock pioneers The Flowers Of Romance from 1981 to 1998...
. He was joined by guitarist Lefteris Strouggaris, drummer Vangelis Papachristopoulos, and bassist Costas Spanos. Pougounas and Strouggaris were fresh off of membership with The Flowers Of Romance
The Flowers of Romance (Greek band)
The Flowers Of Romance was a pioneering punk and gothic rock band of the underground Greek rock scene from 1981 to 1998. The Flowers Of Romance’s energetic sound and combinations of several styles of rock led to their prevalence within the underground Greek rock scene for nearly two decades, and a...
, a pioneering Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
gothic rock
Gothic rock
Gothic rock is a musical subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes...
band.
Nexus built on The Flowers Of Romance’s innovations; they were the first industrial group of the Greek rock underground. While Nexus had a more mainstream sound than the Flowers Of Romance, Nexus continued The Flowers Of Romance’s tradition of incorporating countless musical styles into one base style. Nexus received critical and fan acclaim across the European and U.S. underground industrial scenes, making Nexus the second consecutive Mike Pougounas-formed group to become internationally renowned.
History
Internal strife and undesirable management placed so much strain on The Flowers Of Romance that in 1998, frontman Mike Pougounas and guitarist Lefteris Strouggaris left the band. Pougounas formed Nexus and was joined by Strouggaris, ex-Divorce drummer Vangelis Papachristopoulos, and Costas Spanos.In 1999, Nexus released the self-titled single, Nexus (EP), through FM Records. In December of that same year, ex-The Drops drummer Dimitris "Sidhéog" Steves replaced Vangelis Papachristopoulos.
Nexus left FM Records and Pougounas created Cyberdelia Records on March 9, 2000, immediately adding Nexus to its stable. On May 19, 2000, Nexus released their debut album titled 6 and fans were witness to a bold move by Nexus: unlike albums of The Flowers Of Romance, 6 was entirely in Greek. On the same day of 6’s release, Nexus opened for world-famous The Mission
The Mission (band)
The Mission are a gothic rock band formed in 1986 from the splinters of the freshly dissolved rock band The Sisters of Mercy.The band was started by frontman Wayne Hussey and bassist Craig Adams , soon adding...
in Thessaloniki after being invited to play by The Mission’s frontman Wayne Hussey
Wayne Hussey
Wayne Hussey is a British musician, best known as lead singer of The Mission and guitarist with The Sisters of Mercy....
, who was instrumental in the success of The Flowers Of Romance’s final album.
February 28, 2001 saw the release of Nexus’s second album, Cybernaut. Nexus reverted back to English-language songs with Cybernaut, and this proved to be a wise decision, as Cybernaut was possibly Nexus’s most well-received album by media and fans in both Greece and abroad.
Cybernaut had a wider European release than any Mike Pougounas-band album since the Flowers Of Romance’s Brilliant Mistakes, and even saw limited release in the United States.
Lefteris Strouggaris left Nexus in 2001, and the remaining members of the band decided to keep the full-time roster to a trio while using a part-time guitarist. Former Flowers Of Romance guitarist Panos Economakis, a close friend of the full-time Nexus members, was chosen.
The 2002 release of Nexus’s third album Wrapped In Cellophane showcased a further evolution of the band’s sound, mixing aggressive guitar riffs with an electronic harmony. George "Rakos" Kagialedakis directed the music video for the song “Wrapped In Cellophane”, Nexus’s first music video, and it was placed into rotation on Greek national television as well as foreign market television.
In the year of Wrapped In Cellophane’s release, Nexus appeared on the July/August issue of German Music Magazine ZILLO which featured an interview with the band and the track "These Tears Again" in the magazine’s sampler.
Former Flowers Of Romance member George Bousounis and sound engineer George Ginnis aided in the creation of what would be Nexus’s final album, December 2004’s The Beat Syndicate. For reasons that aren’t clear to the fans, the Nexus trio called it quits in May 2005, and Cyberdelia Records ceased operations not long after.
The trio wouldn’t sit still for long; in 2006, Pougounas, Spanos, and Steves formed post-punk band New Zero God
New Zero God
New Zero God is a Greek Punk/Post Punk rock band formed in 2006 by frontman and vocalist Mike Pougounas, bassist Costas Spanos, drummer Dimitris “Sidheog” Steves, and guitarist Averkios Hadjiantoniadis....
.
Trivia
- Mike Pougounas and George Kagialedakis, who made Nexus’s first music video, worked together again in conceptualizing, directing, and producing the 2009 documentary “Back in Black: History Is Made By The Bands, Vol.1.”
- Nexus is named after the androids in the Ridley Scott movie “Blade RunnerBlade RunnerBlade Runner is a 1982 American science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, and Sean Young. The screenplay, written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples, is loosely based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K...
".
Discography
- 1998 - Nexus (EP) (CD Release / Released in Greece, Distributed Internationally)
- 2000 - 6 (CD Released / Release in Greece, Distributed Internationally)
- 2001 - Cybernaut (CD Release / Released in Greece, Distributed Internationally)
- 2002 - Wrapped In Cellophane (CD Release / Released in Greece, Distributed Internationally)
- 2004 - The Beat Syndicate (CD Release / Released in Greece, Distributed Internationally)