Daemonia Nymphe are bringing the might of Ancient Greece to our shores
Ancient Greece is one of the most influential and pivotal periods in human history. From philosophy to mathematics, science to music and arts, this period of humanity has proved to be fundamental in where we are today. Nobody knows this better than DAEMONIA NYMPHE, who are currently gearing up for their biggest ever UK show and present a soundscape that places you at the heart of the ancient world.
“I was fascinated by the visual arts of Ancient Greece and especially the classical and Archaic Era, I was born in Athens and visiting the Acropolis had a big influence in my vision of creation” explains founding member Spyros Giasafakis. “At that time I started studying sculpture at the School of Fine arts in Thessaloniki. My involvement in visual arts made me question the sound of ancient times.”
Indeed it was this curiosity to delve into the music of his country’s ancient world that ignited DAEMONIA NYMPHE. Since being established in 1994, the project have developed and expanded their musical pallet, consistently looking to expand their soundscape to make it authentic as possible. But surely, recreating the sound of a civilisation that dates thousands of years old is a difficult task? “The ‘ancient’ Greek instruments that we mainly use belong to three different families: percussion, wind and string instruments. The lyre (lyra) and the pandoura are the ones that have shaped our sound greatly, due to their very special colour that they bring to our works. The barbitos, the kitharis and the syrinx (pan pipes) have also beautiful qualities that we often use. Finally the askaulos (bagpipes) is another instrument that shapes some of our tracks, especially the more ecstatic ones, connected to Dionysus” says Spyros. “At times it is very challenging because we often combine contemporary instruments with ancient ones. For example combining floor toms with ancient lyres is not the easiest thing to do. The biggest challenge of all though is how to mic the instruments equally in order to make them sound as they should be. We feel very privileged to be working with all the musicians and artists that surround us; they help us make our sound richer.”
Quite the statement then. Indeed the sonics and theatrics that surround DEAMONIA NYMPHE are as unique as they are fascinating. And whilst the band are not a metal band by any stretch of the imagination, there is an appeal there for those who crave things to be heavy. The success stories of WARDRUNA and HEILUNG have proved that the recreation of ancient music can strike a big appeal in the mind of the metal fan and this is something that Spyros reinforces. “We believe that the metal audience is a very open minded one. We are not surprised to hear that they are fond of our music. We have also collaborated with ROTTING CHRIST for their track Demonon Vrosis and we have seen online that the audience goes wild when they hear it performed. The excitement of the metal audience is something that we admire a lot and have also experienced it when we perform in metal festivals.”
On record, the soundscape that DAEMONIA NYMPHE have forged is as formidable as it is epic and enchanting. It’s a mammoth sound that engulfs you and whisks you away to one of humanity’s iconic periods of history and live, this is something else entirely. As we talk, the project is currently gearing up for a very special show at the O2 Islington Academy in London, which will be their biggest UK show to date. And whilst the music is the core of what DAEMONIA NYMPHE explore, Spyros explains that they are planning to go the extra mile to mark the occasion. “We will be celebrating ten years in London, twenty years since of our first album The Bacchic Dance of the Nymphs was released and fourteen years performing around the globe, it is our largest show in the UK and me and Evi Stergiou are very excited about it” he says. “We will be nine musicians on stage, two dancers and puppeteers (Dread Falls Theatre) and we are playing at the largest venue that we have ever played in London. We will also have two guest musicians, the great Peter Ulrich former member of DEAD CAN DANCE, THIS MORTAL COIL and the fantastic Dessislava Stefanova who has sung in Hollywood films such as Troy, and The Brothers Grimm, participated in our Psychostasia album and she will sing with us for the first time ever on stage. Her voice is reminiscent of voices and you can imagine the atmosphere that she can bring to the show. This is a great opportunity for those who are not familiar with our music, to approach our universe. For those who are aware of our music and our work, this show will be a new theatrical and ceremonial practice, never experience before.”
DAEMONIA NYMPHE perform at the O2 Islington Academy on June 23rd. Tickets are available and can be purchased here.
For more information on DAEMONIA MYMPHE like their official page on Facebook.
