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Greg Hadjiyorki Georgiades has carved a name for himself as a brilliant soloist and fine composer in groups like Fly By Night, The Passengers, Bazaar and others. His early interest in rock and fusion took a turn when he encountered the acoustic guitar and a passion and understanding of World music. Apart from playing with the Aquarian Quartet, he also fronts The Mutant Harmony Trio and Strings ‘n Skins with Tabla exponent Ashish Joshi, both of which groups have albums out on the Digital Cupboard label. Greg lives in Pretoria and will be performing with Ernest Mothle, Ashish Joshi and Madala Kunene. - Unknown
"Is this an invisible band? I can't see them," someone piped up during a recent Strings 'n Skins performance in Pretoria .
They are just sitting down on the floor, because the drums are small Indian drums and well, that's just the way Greg Georgiades and Ashish Joshi do it - relaxed.
Georgiades has been a musician for many years, but only teamed up with Joshi about two years ago. They met through a sound engineer and realised that the strange little drums and fretless guitar is a perfect musical mix.
Although Strings 'n Skins is a duo, Georgiades regards the audience as part of the band. "The audience experience the music so they perform as well," says Georgiades.
Their music is different. They have a strong Eastern, Arabic sound and use instruments like Indian drums and a fretless guitar, called an Oud. But not even Georgiades can really describe the music. "It is picture music. We are telling a story, it has attitude. The music is like telling an adventure story very well," Georgiades says as he illustrates the concept with huge eyes and big movements.
"The people like it because it is rhythmic," he says and add that their following started at the August Oppikoppi 1998 festival - Pretoria News
................. Anyway, great show. That young Indian percussionist ( are they called percussionists) and the Flamenco guitarists, especially the Indian dude who played this stuff on a carpet, ahh, ahh, may Allah bless him some more.
That boy's sound 's so, so beautiful, so talented, so spirited, it really messed up so (beautifully, though ) my feelings , while evoking my own African cultural spiritualism, all throughout the show and beyond. Somehow he reminded me of the music of West African genius, Adame Dramme as well as the Qawali giant, Pakistan's Nusrat Fateh- Ali Khan.
Grrrrrrrrrrreat show.
Blessings
Bongani Madondo
Sunday Times Lifestyle - Bongani
Discography
Strings 'n Skins
Oppikoppi (Single)
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Bio
Strings 'n Skins play rhythmical interpretations of North African and South African improvisational styles. Their Afro-Asian hybrid beats are played on traditional instruments, such as the Indian percussive drums (Tabla & Dhol), Egyptian (Darbukah) and African (Djembe), played by Ashish, and the North African fretless lute (Oud), Bouzouki and nylon string Flamenco guitar, played by Greg. Their CD Strings 'an Skins, was voted Best CD of the year by Pretoria News readers. They have played extensively around South Africa from Swartruggens to Rustlers Valley, Splashy Fenn and Oppikoppi, where audiences have
been thrilled by their driving rhythms and catchy melodies. Their collaborations have included shows with metal-rap group Not My Dog, the Tony Cox band and DJ's Krushed & Sorted and Hyser, as well as the acclaimed Aquarian Quartet show The World in a Guitar.
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