TEE "The Earth Explorer"

TEE is a five piece flute front progressive rock band from Tokyo, Japan. Their so-called 'European' sound is unique considering their far-east origin. The imaginative tunes with complex ensembles and rhythms will definitely catch the attention of prog lovers all over the world. Their sound will remind you bands like Camel, King Crimson, Asia Minor or even Frank Zappa on some parts. The band was formed in 2004 when... more

Kevin BARTLETT

You may not know his name but you have definitely heard his music more than once or twice in your life. Maybe on HBO, or on MTV, or on VH1, Comedy Central, Discovery Channel. Doesn't ring the bell? How about American Idol Rewind, or Dr. 90210? We had interviewed Kevin Bartlett a couple of years ago when his second solo album GLOW IN THE DARK was released. Bartlett has been quiet since that time but but he has been secretly brewing new projects. A few months ago he had put a new song...more

Peter Hammill, founding member of Van Der Graaf Generator, released his 28th solo album " nearly 3 months ago. He recently got back home from a short tour covering North America, Canada and Italy. In the 70's when bands like...more

FRIGHT PIG Barque At The Lune *** REVERSAL OF GRAVITY Scuba Gear ***

LÜÜP (Stelios Romaliadis) Athens, GREECE

Stelios Romaliadis is a young musician from Athens, GREECE, young but very talented. He studied flute with Sofia Mavrogenidou (born in Czeck Republic). Stelios is a member of the experimental/ambient band called "Yellow Elephant Ensemble". LÜÜP, the CD that was recently released by MUSEA Records is Stelios' first solo project. If you are a fan of flute and brass instruments let us tell you that you will really dig this album. Not only because it features David Jackson (AKA) "The Van Gogh of the Saxophone" (Van Der Graaf Generator / Peter Gabriel, Peter Hammill) but also because Stelios is an outstanding composer all by himself.

Joining Stelios on this CD are Lisa Isaksson from Sweden (vocals, acoustic guitar, flute, glockenspiel, percussion); Akis Boyatzis (vocals, bass guitar, piano, keyboards, electronics, "treated" drums); Eleni Adamopoulou (vocals, magnitophono, keyboards, samples); Nikos Fokas (mellotron, sythesizers); and of course David Jackson on soprano, alto and tenor saxophones, flute and loops. Stelios plays flute on the album and also wrote most of the loops.

We asked him how he got to work with David Jackson and what it felt like, and he said: "I e-mailed David and asked for a collaboration between us, since I was just starting work on the project and Jackson is my favorite woodwind player. He listened to some samples of the work and was excited about it and he agreed to fly to Greece and record with me. It is such an honor for me, since his work is really a milestone in progressive rock and experimental music in general".

David and Stelios are improvising as well on some songs like "Sketches For Two Puppets" and "Distress Signal Code" (which is also the title of this CD). Participating on these improvisations is Akis Boyatzis who is well known for his works with Robert Wyatt, Cat Power and Carla Torgerson. "Distress Signal Code" is influenced by ambient soundscapes that will blow you away. The album has a lot of elements of different genres not just ambient but experimental, folk and classical too.

When writing a song, Stelios usually comes up with the loops and moves from there with the other musicians he is working with. This CD has multiple layers of flute along with solos. Lisa Isaksson's vocals on the opening track "Through Your Woods" is mystical, foggy and very new agy. The 14+ minute long improvisational "Distress Signal Code" is constructed of 3 parts: "Blown With Life", "Dance Grotesque" and "Farewell" where you will witness the great interaction between Stelios Romaliadis and David Jackson.

LÜÜP's "Distress Signal Code" is being distributed in Europe, South Africa, USA, Canada and Asia. You can also purchase it through MUSEA Records' website at: www.musearecords.com. To hear samples from LÜÜP check out their myspace page at: www.myspace.com/steliosromaliadis. You can also find more information about Stelios on the Yellow Elephant Ensemble myspace page at: www.myspace.com/yellowelephantensemble