Chainides


Chainides is a Cretan folk music group who are inspired by
the vast legacy of traditional Cretan music and whose lyrics borrow words
from the Cretan Greek dialect. The group's name comes from the word chainis
, meaning the fugitive rebel.

History

The group was formed in March 1990 by a group of friends, namely Dimitris Apostolakis, Dimitris Zacharioudakis, Giorgos Laodikis, Miltos Pashalidis and Kallia Spyridaki. Most of
them were then students at the University of Crete. Their discographical debut was in
1991 with the album Chainides that was warmly received by the public. Chainides
rapidly grew to seven members and released three more albums before being temporarily
dissolved in 1997. One year later, Dimitris Apostolakis and Dimitris Zaharioudakis
reinstated the group that was joined by the new members Maria Koti, Alexis Nonis,
Periklis Tsoukalas and Antonis Skamnakis.
Over the years, Chainides have collaborated with several well-known musicians and singers.
They have performed in several locations both in Greece and abroad and have recorded seven
studio albums. In their live performances, Chainides blend their own compositions and songs
with new arrangements of themes and songs from traditions such as those of Turkey,
Afghanistan and Bulgaria.

Group Members

Discography

Chainides have treated the Cretan music tradition with love and respect,
considering it as something very much alive rather than a thing of a gone past.
The group's success is considered to have paved the road for other young artists
to embrace the Cretan music tradition and attempt to enrich it with new elements.