Locomondo is one of the most known and successful bands in Greece.
The 6-member band fronted by Markos Koumaris, the main songwriter and composer of the group, fuses Reggae, Ska and Caribbean sounds with Greek lyrics and Greek traditional musical elements.
Career
* They have released 8 albums, including Locomondo Live!, an album which turned
gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile ...
in December 2011. Two of their video clips have received the "Best Alternative Video Clip" award from
Mad-TV Greece (in 2007 and 2010).
* Locomondo is the most known Reggae band in Greece, as well as the only Greek group that has recorded in
Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispan ...
. This happened in 2005, when the band followed an invitation of ex
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 oth ...
trombonist and
Studio One Studio One or Studio 1 may refer to:
* Studio One (software), digital audio workstation software, developed by PreSonus
* ''Studio One'' (American TV series), a 1948–1958 American television anthology series
* ''Studio One'' (Emirati TV progra ...
legend
Vin Gordon
Vin Gordon (a.k.a. Trommie, Don D. Junior or Don Drummond Jr) (born 4 August 1949) 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 Sc ...
to the "island in the sun" and recorded the album "12 meres stin Jamaica" (12 days in Jamaica). The album contained two songs that meant to be great hits in Greece, but also attracted attention beyond the Greek borders.
* The first was a reggae cover of the
Rembetiko song Frangosyriani composed in 1935 by the legendary
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 ...
.
Taking notice of this interesting musical mixture the German film director, screenwriter and producer of Turkish descent
Fatih Akin
Fatih Akin (Turkish: Fatih Akın, born 25 August 1973) is a German film director, screenwriter and producer of Turkish descent. He has won numerous awards for his films, including the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival for his film '' Hea ...
included the song in his
Venice Film Festival
The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival h ...
Special Jury Prize winning film
Soul kitchen in 2009, and used it as the soundtrack for the red carpet event of his film.
* The second hit of this album was Den kani kryo stin Ellada (its not cold in Greece), a hymn to a positive way of thinking. The song's chorus became a slogan in Greece and is considered the band's most known song.
* In the next album “Me wanna dance” the band collaborated with Spanish singer
Amparo Sanchez (Amparanoia) in Barcelona and
Natty Bo (Ska Cubano) in Athens.
* In 2010 Locomondo recorded "Goal", a romantic song about football, which turned out to be an unofficial soundtrack for the
Greece National Football Team
The Greece national football team ( el, Εθνική Ελλάδας, ) represents Greece in men's international football matches and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece play mos ...
qualifying for the second time in its history in the final phase of the
World Cup
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
. The video clip of the song featured Greece national player
Dimitris Salpingidis who scored the qualifying goal against Ukraine. Although the Greek team disqualified in the first round in South Africa, the band considered it as a strike of luck as Salpingidis scored against Nigeria in the 2nd match, becoming the first player to ever score for Greece in a World Cup final phase.
* In 2012 the Italian rap band
Club Dogo
Club Dogo was an Italian rap group from Milan ( Lombardy) that consists of Guè Pequeno and Jake La Furia, and beatmaker Don Joe.
The group was born in 1999 from the friendship between rappers Gué Pequeno (whose stage name was Lucky Luciano) ...
released the single titled P.E.S. which was based on Locomondo's song “Pro” and reached platinum. The song became a summer hit in Italy. The album containing the song P.E.S. became platinum as well.
* In 2015 Turkish singer
Ziynet Sali
Ziynet Sali Safter (born 29 April 1975) is a Turkish-Cypriot singer who also holds British citizenship. Her later works contain pop elements while her earlier works also had rebetiko and classical Turkish music themes.
Sali was born in Nicosia ...
Ziynet Sali releases a Turkish version of Locomondo's song “Magiko Hali” which achieves respectable success .
*In 2017 Locomondo collaborate with Spanish singer-songwriter
Tonino Carotone and release the song "La Mulata". A song that Locomondo frontman, Markos Koumaris, and Tonino Carotone co-wrote.
*In 201
Vinyl Is Backchooses to record Locomondo live at one of their shows to later release a collectable vinyl record titled "Vinyl Is Back Live Sessions Vol.2". On the same year, the band releases two albums at the same time. The album "Star" in their homeland Greece and the album "Radio" in Germany. Both albums have a very similar track list. The band's summer tour of 2019 was the most successful in their history.
*In March 2020 the band performed on a well known Greek show named ''
Stin Ygeia Mas'' (Στην Υγειά Μας).
Other interesting facts
* In 2007 the band collaborated with Greek American director Christine Crokos, composing and recording the sound track for the comedy "Gamilio Party" (wedding party). The film sold over 250.000 tickets and the song "Gamilio Party" became one of the most beloved wedding songs.
* They have shared the stage with artists and bands such as
Manu Chao
Manu Chao (; born José-Manuel Thomas Arthur Chao on 21 June 1961) is a French-Spanish singer. He sings in French, Spanish, English, Italian, Arabic, Catalan, Galician, Portuguese, Greek, and occasionally in other languages. Chao began h ...
,
Patti Smith
Patricia Lee Smith (born December 30, 1946)
is an American singer, songwriter, poet, painter and author who became an influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album ''Horses''.
Called the "punk poet ...
,
the Wailers
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...
,
Alpha Blondy
Seydou Koné (; born January 1, 1953 in Dimbokro), better known by his stage name Alpha Blondy, is an Ivorian reggae singer and international recording artist. Many of his songs are politically and socially motivated, and are mainly sung in h ...
,
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 ot ...
,
Chumbawamba
Chumbawamba () were a British rock band formed in 1982 and disbanded in 2012. They are best known for their 1997 single " Tubthumping", which was nominated for Best British Single at the 1998 Brit Awards. Other singles include "Amnesia", " En ...
,
Culture
Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these grou ...
,
Mad Professor
Mad Professor (born Neil Joseph Stephen Fraser, 1955, Georgetown, Guyana) is a Guyanese-born British dub music producer and engineer known for his original productions and remix work. He is considered one of the leading producers of dub music ...
,
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 ...
,
Ojos de Brujo
Ojos de Brujo was a nine-piece band from Barcelona who described their style as "jipjop flamenkillo" ( hip hop with a little flamenco). The band sold over 100,000 copies of their self-produced ''Barí'' album and received several awards, among t ...
,
Ojos de Brujo
Ojos de Brujo was a nine-piece band from Barcelona who described their style as "jipjop flamenkillo" ( hip hop with a little flamenco). The band sold over 100,000 copies of their self-produced ''Barí'' album and received several awards, among t ...
,
Tonino Carotone,
Shantel,
Aswad
Aswad are a 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 21 albums. Their UK hit singles include the number one " Don't T ...
,
Thievery Corporation
Thievery Corporation is an American electronic music duo consisting of Rob Garza and Eric Hilton. Their musical style mixes elements of dub, acid jazz, reggae, Indian classical, Middle Eastern music, hip hop and Brazilian music, including bo ...
and
Ska Cubano among others.
* In 2010 the Band recorded a reggae cover of the popular German song Griechischer Wein (Greek wine) of the Austrian composer and singer
Udo Jürgens
Udo Jürgens (born Jürgen Udo Bockelmann; 30 September 1934 – 21 December 2014) was an Austrian composer and singer of popular music whose career spanned over 50 years. He won the Eurovision Song Contest 1966 for Austria, composed close ...
. The song was produced by Marco Baresi, drummer of the Far East Band that used to play for German Reggae star Gentleman, and is included in Locomondo's release "Locomondo- Best of".
* The band has supported a lot of environmental and humanitarian organizations in the past such as Greenpeace, Amnesty International, A21 and the Greek homeless street paper “Shedia”.
* In their recordings, the band uses a great variety of Greek traditional musical instruments such as
bouzuki
The bouzouki (, also ; el, μπουζούκι ; alt. pl. ''bouzoukia'', from Greek ), also spelled buzuki or buzuci, is a musical instrument popular in Greece. It is a member of the long-necked lute family, with a round body with a flat top and ...
,
baglama,
violin
The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...
,
Gaida
A gaida is a bagpipe from Southeastern Europe. Southern European bagpipes known as ''gaida'' include: the , , (), () () or (), ''(')'', , also .
Construction
Bag
Gaida bags are generally of sheep or goat hide. Different regions have ...
,
Tsampouna
The tsampouna (or tsambouna; el, τσαμπούνα) is a Greek musical instrument and part of the bagpipe family. It is a double-chantered bagpipe, with no drone, and is inflated by blowing by mouth into a goatskin bag. The instrument is widespr ...
(Greek bagpipe),
Kaval
The kaval is a chromatic end-blown flute traditionally played throughout the Balkans (in Albania, Romania, Bulgaria, Southern Serbia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Northern Greece, and elsewhere) and Anatolia (including Turkey and Armenia). The k ...
,
Santouri
The santur (also ''santūr'', ''santour'', ''santoor'') ( fa, سنتور), is a hammered dulcimer of Iranian origins.--- Rashid, Subhi Anwar (1989). ''Al-ʼĀlāt al-musīqīyya al-muṣāhiba lil-Maqām al-ʻIrāqī''. Baghdad: Matbaʻat al-ʻU ...
,
Cretan Lyra
)
* Lira da braccio
* Rabāb (Arabic الرباب)
* Lijerica
* Violin
, musicians =
* Andreas Rodinos
* Alekos Karavitis
* Antonis Papadakis (Kareklas)
* Kostas Mountakis
* Nikos Xilouris
* Psarantonis
* Ross Daly
* Yiorgos ...
and
Laud which gave the Caribbean sound a special Mediterranean touch.
* Today the band is working together with Dimitris Gasias (Violin), Christos Spiliopoulos (trombone), Nikos "Tattoo" (trumpet) and Christos Kalaitzopoulos (akkordeon)
Band members
Current
* Markos Koumaris -
Vocals
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or witho ...
/
Guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...
* Yiannis Varnavas -
Guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...
/
Vocals
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or witho ...
* Spyros Mpesdekis -
Bass
Bass or Basses may refer to:
Fish
* Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species
Music
* Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range:
** Bass (instrument), including:
** Acoustic bass gu ...
* Stamatis Goulas -
Keyboards/
Sampler
* Stratos Angelos Soundris -
Drums
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...
* Thanasis "Spogos" Tampakis -
Sound Engineer
An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproduction, ...
Additional musicians
* Antonis Andreou -
Trombone
The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrat ...
* Vasilis Panagiotopoulos -
Trombone
The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrat ...
* Manos Theodosakis -
Trumpet
The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standar ...
* Nikos Vlahos -
Trumpet
The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standar ...
* Dimitris Gasias -
Violin
The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...
* Giorgos Makris -
Gaida
A gaida is a bagpipe from Southeastern Europe. Southern European bagpipes known as ''gaida'' include: the , , (), () () or (), ''(')'', , also .
Construction
Bag
Gaida bags are generally of sheep or goat hide. Different regions have ...
/
Kaval
The kaval is a chromatic end-blown flute traditionally played throughout the Balkans (in Albania, Romania, Bulgaria, Southern Serbia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Northern Greece, and elsewhere) and Anatolia (including Turkey and Armenia). The k ...
* Natasa Mindrinou -
Vocals
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or witho ...
Former members
*Stefanos Psaradakis -
Drums
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...
Discography
* 2004 Enas Trelos Kosmos (A crazy world)
* 2005 12 Meres Jamaica (12 days in Jamaica)
* 2007 Me wanna dance
* 2008 Gamilio Party (OST) (The wedding party)
* 2009 Locomondo Live
* 2010 Goal (digital single)
* 2011 Locomondo Best Of
* 2013 Οδύσσεια
* 2013 New Day Rising
References
Imdb - soundtracksThe band's official web siteThe myspace page of the bandThe last.fm page of the bandThe Facebook page of the band
External links
The band's official web siteThe myspace page of the bandThe last.fm page of the bandThe Facebook page of the band{{Authority control
MAD Video Music Awards winners
Greek ska groups
Greek reggae musical groups
Musical groups from Athens