Metamodal CD

There's a unique juxtaposition with Sokratis Sinopoulos and his quartet. The Athenian modern classical-folk outfit are well-known for mixing late night jazz, folk-dance and ambient in their arrangements, which is all very now, but there's also the weight of aeons of musical tradition audible in much of what they do. Which is fitting considering the long history of their homeland.

Sinopoulos is a master lyre player; a three stringed instrument played with a bow. If that's news to you, the sound can be as mournful and reflective as festive and ceremonial, invoking gatherings long since lost to the sands of time, now merely vague deja vu recollections that prick our sense of belonging. Truly intoxicating, combined with pianist Yann Keerim, Dimitris Tsekouras on bass and drummer Dimitris Emmanouil the result is powerful and propellant stuff.