“Rembetiki Company Barcelona” is a project of Yannis Papaioannou that began in 2015 with the aim of promoting the Rembetiko music. The Rembetiko genre is perhaps one of the most unique musical styles of Greece. It was born in the 20s in the ports of Piraeus, Siros and Thessaloniki among Greek refugees from Turkey. Although since its beginning it was considered a marginal music because the songs talked about aspects that were taboo in the Greek society (drugs, free-love, poverty) and even it became censored by the authorities, the “Rembetiko” continues 100 years later touching people, since both music and language breathe a freshness and a strength that few musical styles are able to get.
Yannis Papaioannou
Originally from Salonica, Greece, Yannis Papaioannou has become a reference in the Mediterranean music scene of Spain. He began studying music at a very young age, specializing on the oud, perhaps the most common instrument among the musical cultures of the Mediterranean. His deep interest in the oud led him to Istanbul and various Arab countries where he studied with great masters of this instrument.
In 2004 he moves to Barcelona where he is soon established as a prominent musician. There he records several works with groups such as “08001” and the “Orquestra Árab de Barcelona”. Amongst his numerous activities is the creation of the group of Mediterranean music “Asíkides” and the trio “Yannis Papaioannou, Aniol López, Franco Molinari”. He is also the co-founder of the groups “Yacine & the Oriental Groove” and “Trio Feta Orquestra”. Yannis Papaioannou has worked and collaborated with such greats as Omar Faruk Tekbilek, David Dorantes, Omar Sosa, Haig Yazdjian, Samira Kadiri, Amparo Sanchez, Gerard Quintana and Mamak Khadem amongst others. In 2009 & 2014 he represented Greece at the International Oud Festival of Tetouan (Morocco). Yannis Papaioannou´s oud sound moves between the deeply traditional and the very modern, offering a new vision on the Oud and the Mediterranean music.
Official website
