Coti K. brings 5 tracks of Balearic-ambient sweetness to Dark Entries. Italian-Greek musician Costantino Luca Rolando Kiriakos has been a pioneering force in the Athens electronic music scene since the mid-80’s, wearing hats as diverse as composer, sound engineer, and installation artist. His countless projects and collaborators include Tuxedomoon, Stereo Nova, In Trance 95, and RAW (previously reissued by Dark Entries). 1994’s Theros, Kiriakos’s first release as Coti K., was comprised of three tracks of breezy downtempo beats, brimming with smooth breaks, boomy 808’s, and cosmically chill pads & pianos. In tune with the global vibes of the emerging ambient electronica movement, Coti K. brings a dose of his Hellenic heritage with tracks titles like “Argonauts” and “Theros.” The title track includes spoken word contributions from Konstantinos Bhta of Stereo Nova and is built off of a drum loop from Greek goth outfit Flowers of Romance. The sauntering “Blue” features vocals by Christina Moraki which were captured on a portable tape recorder, while the instrumental “Argonauts” is bolstered by cello from Nikos Veliotis. This reissue also includes two tracks from Coti’s 1997 debut LP - “Shoal” and “Notte Estiva” - which have never before appeared on vinyl, and show Coti experimenting with ambient and IDM styles. The cover art for Theros is a photo of the ocean by Giannis Papaioannou of RAW featuring early digital processing done on a Macintosh LC. Coti’s Theros is a timely slice of 90’s nostalgia with a uniquely Mediterranean twist.
credits
released April 5, 2024
Composition, Programming, Sound Engineering: Coti K.
Guitar: Kostas Parissis on "Oépos"
Vocals: Konstantinos Bhta on "Oépos"
Vocals: Christina Moraki on "Blue"
Cello: Nikos Veliotis on "ApyovaútEs"
Drum loop on "Oépos" courtesy of Flowers of Romance
Production: Coti K. & Stavros Moufluzelis
Remastering: Frédéric Alstadt
Recorded at Praxis Studio
Except for the vocals in "Blue" captured with a portable tape recorder at Valia's house
Cover graphics: Giannis Papaioannou
Portrait: Alexis Delistathis
Layout production: Eloise Leigh