"Son Sistem Tsiftetelli Vol.1 (1933-1969)” by Souma Records is the first part of a selection of Greek and Turkish tsiftetéli – or çiftetelli – songs and instrumentals, some in Greek Rebetiko and Laikó style, others in the oriental folk tradition of Greece and Asia Minor led by Roma musicians.

For Greeks dancing tsiftetéli is a social thing, sometimes performed by couples. During the 60s and 70s in Greece and the US, live Laikó bands and oriental ensembles were often accompanied by a belly dancer, although this was not the case when the style first crept into the Greek repertoire when the repatriated musicians from Asia Minor expressed their pain and loss through this music. Mainly during the 60s the gloomy lyrics disappeared from the tsiftetéli and it morphed into a beguiling dance. Modern belly dancers hardly ever dance to tsiftetéli anymore but prefer instead the typical dance routines (raks sharqi) from the Middle East. The magic of tsiftetéli lies within its hypnotic grooves, intoxicating melodic scales and the extreme musicianship of the performers.
 
The term tsiftetéli derives from the turkish word çifte-telli, which means ‘double-stringed’ (diplóchordo in Greek) and refers to an authentic violin technique (cfr tracks 4,11,16 & 17) of running two strings through the same nut slot of the instrument creating tautophony (two strings playing at the same pitch) or tuning them an octave apart. This spaced-out effect generates a more oriental and sensual feel.

All tracks are recorded from Fred Kramer's (Souma Records, BE) collection of shellac and vinyl records he excavated over the last 10 years in Greece, Egypt and the US.

Tracklist in the comments below. 

Check out more from Souma Records here:: https://soumarecords.bandcamp.com/ and here: https://soundcloud.com/soumarecords

Son Sistem Tsiftetelli Vol.1 (1933-1969) - Fred Kramer (Souma Records) (RIAFC100)

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Son Sistem Tsiftetelli Vol.1 (1933-1969) - Fred Kramer (Souma Records) (RIAFC100)

RADIO IS A FOREIGN COUNTRY