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Reviews

Thanos Stavridis & Drom — Fygame
(Bandcamp no#, 2025, CD / DL)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2025-06-12

Fygame Cover art

Greek accordionist Thanos Stavridis (Θάνος Σταυρίδης) is an artist we have covered several times before here at Exposé — he has released solo recordings, duos, many collaborations, and as a member of ensembles, such as the one under review here, with his five-piece group Drom, a band that Stavridis has been working with for around ten years, though I believe this is their first release. “Drom”, translated means “The Road,” as that’s where this group finds itself most of the time, and the album title, Fygame, translates roughly to “Let’s Go.” The music they play is based on the folk and dance music of Macedonia, mainly the Greek side, and although the songs have been stripped of their words. Normally the traditional pieces that they play would be accompanied by lyrics, but perhaps in the interest of reaching a wider audience who don’t understand the language, the twelve songs here have been reinterpreted and distilled down to the music only, and of course electrified. The rich musical heritage, powerful melodies, dueling clarinet and accordion solos, the beat, and its ever shifting pace are all here in abundance, and most importantly, the joyous celebration and endless fun — every song will make the listener want to jump up on their feet and dance. Stavridis (accordion and production supervision) is joined by Vassilis Athanasiou on clarinet and saxophones, Marios Makris on electric guitar, Christos Tassios on drums and daouli (a double headed cylidrical drum that’s played with two beaters), and Giannis Karakalpakidis on electric bass, making the group a quintet on many of the tunes. Note that much of the instrumentation is electrified, and thus not purely traditional either, but the only thing here that could be considered rock is at the very end of “Poustseno” where they break into a few measures of Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir,” though this highly energized electric folk music will keep your feet moving and spirit jumping. Fygame is certainly like no other. 

Filed under: New releases, 2025 releases

Related artist(s): Thanos Stavridis

More info
http://thanosstavridis.bandcamp.com/album/fygame

 

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