Jan Van (de Engel) Angelopoulos and Fotis Siotas release a new album featuring instrumental, post-traditional, and contemporary folk music from Greece. The two musicians have collaborated on various music projects in the past, including “LP Streams” by Jan Van Angelopoulos and “Dio Lathi (Two Mistakes)” by Fotis Siotas, as well as live performances. Their common musical quest has led them to create an album together as a duet.

In “Folks Nowadays” the combination of rhythm and melody takes on a new perspective with the co-existence of drums and violin. The two musicians filter rhythmic and melodic elements mainly found in traditional music from the wider Northern Greek region, transforming them into a personal experience that connects the past and present, the familiar and unexpected.

The process of creating this album began during the spring of 2022 when Jan and Fotis collaborated on composing the soundtrack for Efi Theodorou’s theater performance “Cotton Roots” at the Athens & Epidaurus Festival 2022. Later, they developed and reinforced the idea of a duo limitation with the addition of synthesizers to the sound of violin and drums. An extra layer of complexity to the soundscape was achieved by the process of combining natural sources with analog and digital effects live during recording.

The title “Folks Nowadays” refers to folk as a music genre and also to the common journey that most people follow in search of personal purpose and fulfillment. This journey is often from one’s birthplace to a larger, more fertile place, with the final destination being the place that each person considers “home.” This driving force and concept inspired Jan and Fotis to create this piece of contemporary folklore.