Laïko or laïkó ( el, λαϊκό �ραγούδιlaïkó 'tragoúdi'' ; “ ongof the people", "popular ong, pl: ''laïká'' 'tragoúdia'' is a

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

music genre composed in

Greek language Greek ( el, label= Modern Greek, Ελληνικά, Elliniká, ; grc, Ἑλληνική, Hellēnikḗ) is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages, native to Greece, Cyprus, southern Italy ( Calabria and Salento), souther ...

in accordance with the tradition of the

people. Also called "folk song" or "urban folk music" ( ''astikí laïkí mousikí''), in its plural form is a Greek music genre which has taken many forms over the years. Laïkó followed after the commercialization of Rebetiko music. It is strongly dominated by Greek folk music and it is used to describe Greek popular music as a whole. When used in context, it refers mostly to the form it took in the period from the 1950s to the 1980s.

Rebetiko and elafró tragoudi

Until the 1930s the Greek

discography Discography is the study and cataloging of published sound recordings, often by specified artists or within identified music genres. The exact information included varies depending on the type and scope of the discography, but a discography entry ...

was dominated by two musical

genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other f ...

s: the Greek folk music ( ''dimotiká'') and the ''elafró tragoudi'' (, literally: "light eightsong"). The latter was represented by ensembles of singers/musicians or solo artists like Attik and

Nikos Gounaris Nikos Gounaris ( el, Νίκος Γούναρης; Zagora, 1915 – 5 May 1965 in Athens) was a Greek tenor who was enormously popular as a "pop" singer in the 1950s. Biography Gounaris began playing the mandolin at the age of four. He attende ...

. It was the Greek version of the international popular music of the era. In the 1930s the first rebetiko recordings had a massive impact on Greek music. As

Markos Vamvakaris Márkos Vamvakáris ( el, Μάρκος Βαμβακάρης; 10 May 1905 – 8 February 1972), was a ''rebetiko'' musician. He is universally referred to by ''rebetiko'' writers and fans simply by his first name, Márkos. The great significance ...

stated, "we were the first to record ''laïká'' (popular) songs". In the years to follow this type of music, the first form of what is now called ''laïkó tragoúdi'', became the mainstream Greek music.

Classic laïkó

''Classic laïkó'' as it is known today, was the mainstream popular music of Greece during the 1960s and 1970s. Laiko music evolved from the traditional Greek music of the ancient and the medieval Greek era and was established until the present day. Laïkó was dominated by singers such as

Nikos Xanthopoulos Nikos Xanthopoulos ( el, Nίκος Ξανθόπουλος; 14 March 1934 – 22 January 2023) was a Greek actor, known for his roles in the 1960s era Greek Drama Cinema. He was also a singer of Greek folk bouzouki, having released many albums an ...

and composers such as

Mimis Plessas Mimis Plessas ( el, Μίμης Πλέσσας; born 12 October 1924) is a Greek composer born in Athens. He began his career in 1952 and has written music for over 100 films, television and radio programs, and theatrical events. He has worked wit ...

. Among the most significant songwriters and lyricists of this period are George Zambetas and the big names of the Rebetiko era that were still in business, like Vassilis Tsitsanis and Manolis Chiotis. Many artists combined the traditions of éntekhno and laïkó with considerable success, such as the composers Stavros Xarchakos and

. Legendary figures associated with Laiko (specifically Zeimpekiko) are Dimitris Mitropanos and

Stelios Kazantzidis Stelios Kazantzidis (Greek: Στέλιος Καζαντζίδης; 29 August 1931 – 14 September 2001) was one of the most prominent Greek singers. A leading singer of Greek popular music, or Laïkó, he collaborated with many of Greece's fore ...

Contemporary laïkó

Contemporary laïkó ( ''sýnchrono laïkó'' ), also called ''modern laïkó'' or ''laïko-pop'', can be called in Greece the mainstream music genre, with variations in plural form as ''contemporary laïká''. Along with moderna laïkó, it is currently Greece's mainstream music genre. The main cultural Greek dances and

rhythm Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular re ...

s of today's Greek music culture ''laïká'' are Nisiotika, Syrta, Antikristos,

Rebetika Rebetiko ( el, ρεμπέτικο, ), plural rebetika ( ), occasionally transliterated as rembetiko or rebetico, is a term used today to designate originally disparate kinds of urban Greek music which have come to be grouped together since the s ...

, Hasapiko, Zeibekiko, Kalamatianos, Kangeli and

Syrtaki Sirtaki or syrtaki ( el, συρτάκι) is a dance of Greek origin, choreographed for the 1964 film ''Zorba the Greek''. It is a recent Greek folkdance, and a mixture of "syrtos" and the slow and fast rhythms of the hasapiko dance. The dance ...

. The more cheerful version of laïkó, called ''elafró laïkó'', was often used in musicals during the Golden Age of Greek cinema. The Greek Peiraiotes superstar Tolis Voskopoulos gave the after-modern version of

laïko () listenings. Many artists have combined the traditions of éntekhno and laïkó with considerable success, such as the composers

and Stavros Xarchakos. Contemporary laïká emerged as a style in the early 1980s. An indispensable part of the contemporary laïká culture is the ''písta'' (, pl. ; "dance floor/venue"). Night clubs at which the DJs play only contemporary laïká where colloquially known on the 90s as ''ellinádika'' (). Modern laïkó is mainstream Greek laïkó music mixed in with modern Western influences, from such international mainstream genres as

pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former descri ...

and

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire ...

. Renowned songwriters or lyricists of contemporary laïká include Alekos Chrysovergis,

Nikos Karvelas Nikos Karvelas ( el, Νίκος Καρβέλας; born Nikos Leonardos on 8 September 1951) is a Greek songwriter, producer and singer. He has sold millions of records as a producer and is most recognizable for his three-decade-long collaborat ...

Phoebus Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...

, Nikos Terzis,

Giorgos Theofanous Giorgos (George) Theofanous (, ) (born in Larnaca, Cyprus on 9 January 1968) is a Greek Cypriot composer and producer. He has sold more than two million records and written more than 500 songs in the 1990s and 2000s. Recording artists for whom ...

and Evi Droutsa.

Terminology

In effect, there is no single name for contemporary laïká in the Greek language, but it is often formally referred to as , a term which is however also used for denoting newly composed songs in the tradition of "proper" laïkó; when ambiguity arises, ("contemporary") or disparagingly (''laïko-pop'', "folk-pop", also in the sense of "westernized") is used for the former, while (''gnísio'', "proper, genuine, true") or even (''katharóaimo'', "pureblood") is used for the latter. The choice of contrasting the notions of "westernized" and "genuine" may often be based on ideological and

aesthetic Aesthetics, or esthetics, is a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of beauty and taste, as well as the philosophy of art (its own area of philosophy that comes out of aesthetics). It examines aesthetic values, often expressed t ...

grounds. Laïko interacted more westernized sounds in the late of 2000s. The term ''modern laïká'' comes from the phrase , "modern songs of the people".

Criticism

Despite its immense popularity, the genre of contemporary laïká (especially ''laïko-pop'') has come under scrutiny for "featuring musical clichés, average singing voices and slogan-like lyrics" and for "being a hybrid, neither laïkó, nor pop".http://www.e-orfeas.gr/singing/editorial/854-article854.html Article by Tasos P. Karantis on e-Orfeas.gr

Notes