Guilty Pleasures
We all have them, and it is difficult to admit! Maybe only our closest friends know about them!
My guilty pleasures are connected with music mostly. I am a child of pop and disco, as I grew up on an island of the Aegean Sea, with a mother of a very young age, who painted in her free time while listening to music. There was always music playing in our house. The good old 80s and 90s later. As I grew up, I discovered many other genres that touched and inspired me. I started listening to Jazz when I was 16 years old, while I "discovered" the instrumental music of Yanni and Vangelis when I was 13 - 14 years old, and then I had the urge to listen more. Later on, within my high school years, Classical music / Opera came into my life. In the meantime, my major favorite genres were international pop, house, dance/Eurodance, Greek modern pop, and modern folk. The 90s especially, was the golden era of folk/modern fold Greek music, with unforgettable melodies, voices, and instrumentations. Plus, the good old vinyl. I remember spending ours in our vinyl shops, named Metropolis back then.
Nowadays I enjoy mostly electronic music, from artists like Schiller & Royksopp, or my favorite Bent and Simon Mills, whose creations have vintage elements/samples. They create a feeling of nostalgia and melancholy which I love. Artists like Boozoo Bajou, Thievery Corporation, Common Saints, and Moderator, are filling up my playlists, while I have been so thrilled for the last decade, to discover artists who represent the synth/retro wave genre or the pop that bring back the 80s feeling like FM-84, Timecop 1983, Trevor Something, Night Tapes, Tokyo Tea Room, Deco, and others.
Music is a lifesaver factor for me, and I consider it as one, no matter the genre. I still listen to many kinds, oldies, or even music which is considered 'trash' to some people. I refer to Greek music at least. But, any kind of melody can create emotions or can be combined with moments or periods of our lives, or moods. I am always open to listening to anything, and I keep what can speak to my soul.
The music industry in Greece has reached rock bottom in the last ten years, I can hardly find something new to like. New, talented artists, are not supported by big record companies, with YouTube the only tool to share their music. Nothing to compare with what we had in the 80s 90s and early 00s.
Then, not only the lights were greater this time, but the music as well. Speaking of guilty pleasures on this page, there is an artist, who releases time to time singles and albums, with no success regarding the views, or listens he gets. This person is the proof that hitting the notes correctly is not enough to become a singer. I have never heard such dry and emotionless performances, ever. There are songs that you can listen to just shouting. Well, I follow this artist, just to see the progress of this "unique talent", and to "check out what else will this guy release". I have to admit that I listened to many of his songs, where he is "performing", asking constantly "Does he listen to himself?" I am always surprised by his newest release and performance... it's something I love to hate.
There is another example of the cringeness of the shows we had during the 90s here. I haven't had the chance to listen to something like this live, but I discovered such moments after the flourishing of YouTube in my country when many people uploaded recorded broadcasts from the past. As I was observing how the Cyberlights were used in the Rex Theatre, when I came across a moment, where the songs Bohemian Rapsody and Show Must Go On from Queen performed, even Phantom of the Opera. Awkward, considering the type of vocals and performance venue, in which the people below are eating stakes, and drinking wine, while the previous minute they were dancing to eastern type of folk music.
Watch at our own risk. You will definitely cringe. At least you can see Cyberlights in action. It is a guilty pleasure for me to watch these videos when I feel nostalgic about the Cyberlights, but always, on that point, I am like "wtf they doing, who had this idea". Thankfully, in all the shows I happened to be present, there were no such... surprises.
Music and stage lighting is a unified aspect for me, and since I discovered MPC (now Onyx), I experimented and created a few timecodes to mostly pop songs, that I considered fun to play with. Of course, in many cases, there is an overreaction to a lighting show, which I wouldn't probably do on a stage.
I didn't want to expose those online, as even the thought embarrassed me, or I consider them boring for someone to watch. They have some mistakes I never cared to correct, and the views in the attic are not the best for video recordings. I made them just for fun, to test the programming abilities and reaction of such old fixtures, in terms of speed, and to enjoy and discuss with my friends, with whom we have equal views regarding music. I was also trapped in the thought, that since I made a YouTube channel, I should present only programming in musical pieces of a wider acceptance and eclectism. But after all, music is one, and it can express various stages or moments of our lives. Now I am old enough not to care about criticism of what I listen to, or how I use my old lights, so at least, I decided to present them to you through this page, and I hope you will have some fun, cringe, or even like them!
Eurovision is another guilty pleasure, which I mostly enjoy nowadays for its lightshows. There is always different and inspiring shows to check out. Here, a timecode based on our entry from 2021. Demetres Kontopoulos, the composer, is one of my favorite Greek composers of modern pop music. He gave us through the years of his carrier beautiful melodic ballads, and powerful pop beats.
Another gem from Eurovision, which I enjoyed making a timecode for my little scanners and the Stage Lights. Ukraine's entry from 2008, with Ani Lorak. Music is again written and produced by our own Demetres Kontopoulos, who have collaborated frequently with artists from other countries as well, creating their contest entry song.
This is a major hit of the 90s, from Sakis Rouvas, a singer for whom thousands of girls have lost their voices, screaming their lungs out his name at his live performances. He was, and still is a great pop singer, I enjoyed many of his songs though the years. Music is by another popular and recherche Cypriot composer, George Theofanous, who created handrends of golden hits in our music industry, many of them in pop music genre.
Katy Garbi has a beauitful soul (apart from her natural beauty), very modest person, considering her very long and successful career, and she is one of the few I've seen live many times through the years. She started in the late 80s and continues to thrive. Here, another playfull timecode with the scanners in one of her older hits. Music by Demetres Kontopoulos. Katy in this song, is furious, and she will tear it all down, from jealousy. F yeah.
I was still going to school when this song released. Greek Composer Phoebus, the Midas of music, for whom many singers would kill for just one of his hits in their albums, brought back again the 90s, adapting the base of Bomfunk MC's Freestyler in to a Greek pop track. Cringe? Yes, I would say, even when the song released. However, no matter if people blamed him for copying the style of the original song, it became a hit for its lyrics as well, and George Lembesis career reached its peek. I have bought this album one day after my classes. This is one of my biggest guilty pleasures!
Kylie Minogue is one of my favorite female pop idols -the second after Madonna-, whose older songs bring me memories of the summers on the islands. I like her live shows she has released throughout her career, as I consider her one of the few artists I follow for so many years, who still are singing with live vocals on their performances. Here, Stage Lights and Miniscans are reacting to the newer hit, "Say Something".
A track from a unique film, which goes from opera to beat. I always liked such twists in musical pieces and I have been so impressed the first time I heard it. Miniscans and Stage lights are creating a smooth atmosphere for the operatic part of the track, and when the time comes, they go in full attack mode. Way to go.