The music group of “Parapetamenoi” “Neglected ones”

The musical magic course of “Parapetamenoi” (neglected ones) has been working on preserving and spreading the rebetiko song since its founding in 1999. Light house and common place for our effort was the love for the rebetiko and folk song, as well. Observing, as far as possible, modern music streams we believe that the language of music is unified and free from obstacles and artificial barriers, so that it can be produced consistently and morally. Our choice to play rebetika and folk songs until 1955 is based on our decision to have fun and enjoy ourselves first, because we feel more intimate and friendly with the origins of this urban music genre.
Rebetiko has a major impact on the history of Greek song, being the connecting link of Greek folk music of the 19th and 20th centuries. Rebetiko was not born suddenly from nothing. Its creation and evolution have been influenced by a number of social factors. It is an integral part of our national music influenced by the orthodox Ecclesiastical music, the Eastern scales (maqam), the western music, as it used to be played in the major urban centers of Greece, with a particular emphasis on Constantinople and Izmir and of course by the Greek music tradition. A race where each player added his own style to the field.

Its dissemination was done by the listeners (from mouth to ear), but also by discography later. The first recordings were made in Izmir and Constantinople in the late 19th century and America in the early 20th century.
All these years we have been striving, with our means and with our love for this musical idiom, to reproduce the original performances of his creators, without imitation and exaggeration, using our expressive means in the simplest possible way. To study the socio-political conditions that fueled its development but most importantly to preserve and transmit to the youngest, as far as possible, the morality and style of the young people of that time who gave us this musical wealth.
Our permanent collaboration with the great musician and teacher Spyros Goumas has further strengthened us and today altogether we are developing new actions to better and more directly capture the history of rebetiko song, such as:

• Τhe International Seminar-Meeting for Rebetiko song (Urban folk song) on the beautiful island of Skyros on the third week of July every year from 2009 until today. In the seminar-meeting, anyone who has a relative ability to play bouzouki or guitar, whether professional or amateur, whether or not reads music is able to attend it providing us with a completed participation form after the annual announcement. 

• Musical-theatrical performances:
  “Once upon…at Lemonadika” (2019-2020) 
  “The Minore of America” (2018-2019) 
  “Opou Giorgos ke malama” “Where George and Malama” George Mitsakis story (4-2017/1-2018)
  “The Nostalgy of a Rebetis” (2013-2017) 

• Musical and biographical tributes to composers of rebetiko (for example Dimitris Gogos-Bayanderas, Ioannis Papaioannou, George Mitsakis, Grigoris Asikis etc.) and tributes to special thematic of songs (for instance, the fingerprints of rebetiko in the neighborhoods of Piraeus, “Mortes- koutsavakia- magkes”, Rebetika songs of war and occupation etc.)

• Rebetika concerts in small music venues without electricity for the instruments.
  www.parapetamenoi.gr, www.makari.gr, www.dieleusis.gr https://www.facebook.com/WillysMusicafe

We have the privilege of playing our music when we want, where we want, to whomever we want. At a time when “experts” are creating miserable patterns of fun, “Parapetamenoi” (neglected ones) are trying first and foremost to entertain themselves and their friends by playing, singing and trying to persuade others to take their own hands their fun. We believe that we can all participate by having the main