Guitarist and vocalist Thanos Goutanos traveled to Istanbul to study music, and was so inspired by what he saw that he returned to Greece to found the Baildsa Band, which is heavily indebted to the Gyspy sounds he found across the Arabian Sea. He now pays tribute to the entire Balkan region, of which traditional Turkish rhythms are heavily influential.
"Greek and Turkish music have very common things, but now I see them from a different point of view," Goutanos told Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review in a feature article on the Turkish influence on Greek musicians. "I now play like Turkish people do."
The cross-cultural exchange is not limited to Turkish musicians influencing Greek artists. There is a rembetika revival in Istanbul as well, as artists such as Tatavla Keyfi, Laterna, and Kafe Aman Istanbul are helping promote the classic sound of Greek folk music, albeit with an, at times, electric sound.
Watch a live performance by Baildsa Band after the jump.
