REVIEWS
ΚΩΣΤΑΣ ΜΠΟΥΚΟΥΒΑΛΑΣ τραγούδια της νοσταλγίας κριτική του Φώντα Τρούσα
May 20, 2024
Ο Κώστας Μπουκουβάλας είναι ένας συνθέτης, που τώρα εμφανίζεται για πρώτη φορά και ως τραγουδοποιός μ’ ένα προσωπικό, ανεξάρτητης έκδοσης CD, το οποίο αποκαλείται «Τραγούδια της Νοσταλγίας» (δικό του πρέπει να ήταν το πιανιστικό άλμπουμ «φτάνουν λίγες νότες... για ν’ αλλάξει ο κόσμος» στην Protasis, το 2011 – αν δεν ήταν δικό του θα μου το πει και θα το σβήσω). Το άλμπουμ αυτό περιέχει δέκα τραγούδια σε μουσικές, στίχους, ηχογράφηση, παραγωγή και artwork από τον Μπουκουβάλα (που παίζει και διάφορα όργανα), ενώ τραγουδούν σ’ αυτά οι Δημήτρης Ερατεινός, Μήνα Παύλου και Τζωρτζίνα.
Στα «Τραγούδια της Νοσταλγίας» εν τω μεταξύ συμμετέχουν οι εξής μουσικοί: Κώστας Μπουκουβάλας πιάνο, ακορντεόν, συνθεσάιζερ, ντέφι, Στάθης Αποστολόπουλος κιθάρες, Μάνθος Παππάς ντραμς, Mary Ward βιολί και Στάθης Μαυρομμάτης σαξόφωνο.
Μπορείς να αντιληφθείς από το setting των οργάνων το ύφος των τραγουδιών του Μπουκουβάλα; Όχι και τόσο. Το βιολί και το ακορντεόν ίσως κάπου να παραπέμπουν, αλλά τα άλλα όργανα; Οι κιθάρες, τα σύνθια, το σαξόφωνο; Δύσκολο να πεις. Μα ακόμη και αν ακούσεις τα τραγούδια του Μπουκουβάλα πάλι είναι δύσκολο να τα κατατάξεις κάπου συγκεκριμένα. Σίγουρα γειτνιάζουν κάπως με το ευρύ «έντεχνο», σίγουρα πολλά εξ αυτών είναι μπαλάντες, αλλά το πιο βασικό στοιχείο θα έλεγα πως είναι η μινιμαλιστική συνοδεία τους. Ναι, ο Μπουκουβάλας με το πιάνο του δίνει την πρωταρχική κατεύθυνση και από ’κει και πέρα, το ένα μετά το άλλο με τα «γεμίσματά» τους, είναι όλα τα υπόλοιπα όργανα, που προσδίδουν στο άκουσμα αυτό το ιδιαίτερο ηχόχρωμα.
Τώρα, το ότι πάνω σ’ αυτά τα παράξενα μοτίβα κατορθώνει ο Μπουκουβάλας να συνταιριάξει ελληνικά λόγια, που να κυλάνε όχι όπως-όπως, αλλά γερά και πειστικά, δεν είναι κάτι εύκολο, ούτε μπορείς να το υποτιμήσεις. Είναι σαν επάνω σε μουσικές του Wim Mertens, ας πούμε, να προσπαθείς να κάνεις κάτι ανάλογο.
Έχει καταβληθεί λοιπόν μεγάλη προσπάθεια ώστε να δημιουργηθεί ένα διαφορετικού τύπου ελληνικό (ελληνόφωνο) τραγούδι, κάπως μελαγχολικό βεβαίως στην εκφορά του, το οποίο, σίγουρα, δεν το ακούς κάθε μέρα.
Μια ουσιαστική, συγκινητική και ό,τι άλλο θέλετε προσπάθεια, που πιάνει κορυφή με τα κομμάτια «Η ηλιαχτίδα», «Σύννεφα του Σεπτέμβρη», «Ό,τι μας γέμισε την ψυχή» και «Όσο υπάρχει μέσα μου ζωή», που δεν της πρέπει να περάσει απαρατήρητη.
Parallel Worlds & Kostas Boukouvalas "Intermodulations" review by UltimateLifeFrm
April 3, 2023
Fancy travelling to the dark realms of IDM?
Greek producer Parallel Worlds teams up with Kostas Boukouvalas to create 5 magnetic cuts that feel incredibly sinister to listen to in all the best ways.
Genre wise, every cut on this EP is a IDM / Electronic, with some experimental elements thrown into the mixture.
This artwork just caught my attention last week when I discovered it on Bandcamp, and I was captivated throughout this journey.
I love how everything is restrained in design, but always manages to convey a sinister vibe... a intergalactic universe that's dangerous.
The production on this is smooth, creepy & quite captivating. Mostly relying on reverbed melodies and warped synths, it has this dystopian computer game tone to it that makes me strangely nostalgic while equally creeped out.
I could either feel like relaxing, wanting to dance to its unsual rhythms, or occasionally get anxious from the dark territory it branches out to over time.
'Possible Chaos' (track 4) only relies on disorienting synths & reverbed bass to create a nightmarish soundscape that leaves you feeling gripped & restricted of air with it's cold & icy sting to your heart.
The two-part title tracks each seem to represent a light & dark side to this realm that starts & ends this project nicely.
Intermodulations is quite the compelling trip to explore, through the mysterious world of another dimension that's equally enticing but also scary. It may be quite long at just over 1hr, but if you get the time to hear it, I'd definitely recommend it.
Parallel Worlds & Kostas Boukouvalas "In Respect to the Chaos of Noise" review by Sylvain Lupari
May 12, 2022
Bakis Sirros continues to go from label to label in order to offer his music to his numerous followers who drink from his dark works propelled by the beauties of electronic music assisted by modular analog synths. It's the turn of the Belgian label Off-Records to propose us his last CD made with one of his old accomplices, during the shows of Parallel Worlds in the 90's and 00's, Kostas Boukouvalas. Between the rehearsals for these shows, the duo recorded enough material to fill 2 concerts. Recorded on the basis of studio improvisation, IN RESPECT TO THE CHAOS OF NOISE, a very appropriate title, is one of those recordings. Welcome to the gloomy and dark universe of the Greek musician-synthesist and Kostas Boukouvalas who propose here an album without rhythmic life ideal for a concert including a projection of a minimalist and expressionist film in black and white.
Drawn by Shadows offers an atmospheric opening disrupted by various clanging metal hoops that strike each other, tinkle and resonate under a buzzing breeze of synthesizers. These breezes become waves that clump together into a compact mass from which a multitude of lines and effects fray and detach. Some percussive bursts remain behind the ambiences, creating a counterbalance to a structure that fills by swirls and other effects with an organic dialogue. Without rhythms, the elements present in Drawn by Shadows move in ripples whereas these swirl effects are floating like jellyfish movements. An industrial haze rises in this context, enveloping what we hear and identify as rubbery pulses with an aura of misty mystery. Like those horror movies from silent cinema! Waves of sounds, intense buzzes and stereo effects continue to feed these ambiences that an atypical line of mechanical pulsations animates around the 13th minute. This line of beats progresses like an ascending procession with suction effects at each step that settles on the floor of the ambiences. It's a relatively stable setting with synth waves moving like ghostly chants and muffled gas explosions radiating this haze that still hides in its blury hazes random clackings.
Into the Abyss of Time is a track that highlights Kostas Boukouvalas' talent as a pianist who scatters a multitude of notes in ambiences flirting with darkness, madness and romance. Sometimes soft, sometimes brutal. Sometimes melodious, sometimes dissonant and often obscure, this piano weaves a fascinating twisted path around the themes often exploited by the gloomy, atonal and mysterious universe of Parallel Worlds.
The long title track builds slowly with waves and contoured synth lines bursting with reverberations and iris-colored squeaks. Although coming from a total void, the approach remains meditative as long as our ears contemplate the diversity of sound movements and their reflections that reverberate in dull echoes. The synth waves float with light impulses and surges of blue and buzzing lines. It reminds me of Klaus Schulze's early atonal works, both for the synth wails that stretch like the agonized ultrasonic cries of electronic bats, and for those layers that have that old organ texture. In Respect to the Chaos of Noise wanders between its phases, making the most of the sounds' ability to generate layers of echo in an atmosphere that sounds very close to the void. The shadows whisper from this void. Their humming is coupled to the scarlet colors of the lines of synthesizer and the murmurs of keyboard which return untiringly furnished the 29 minutes of a long and slow sound choreography where nothing happens and would make sleep well of the spectators. Hence the importance of treating this IN RESPECT TO THE CHAOS OF NOISE as the soundtrack of a minimalist and expressionist film in black and white where nothing comes to the end of imagination.
I won't lie to you by stating that this last effort from Bakis is one of his bests! IN RESPECT TO THE CHAOS OF NOISE is a pure atonal work of dark ambient music like I rarely heard from Parallel Worlds which always likes to breathe some beats into its dark music. Maybe the presence of Kostas Boukouvalas is for something. In any cases, the music is perfect for those dark nights when sleep never settles down.
"Lives" review by Steve Sheppard
December 7, 2021
Kostas Boukouvalas has been on my musical radar ever since the release of Memories from a Sea View last year, that one resonated with me, and this new album gives me a whole new playground of solo piano to investigate, and some of the most original and deep thinking music that I have ever heard.
This seven piece release is a vast work, one of mood and inspired by seven different philosophical aspects of life. The beginning point is named Epic as Life and is a grand opus that one flows into deep and dark areas of life’s rich pattern; perhaps a performance that salutes the greatness of each of our lives can be felt here on this most powerful of piano opuses, and one that is the longest at well over thirteen minutes in duration.
Live What You Are is our next offering, it is one of the most beautiful pieces from the album, the lightness of touch here for me, illustrates the sparkling radiance of life if we try to be no more than just ourselves. The fluency here on piano is translucent, and raises the mood with what is a truly breath-taking presentation, one that I could see myself listening to many times over.
It seems very strange writing about this track as I live in a country that likes to dance, but dancing is not allowed currently to due to the pandemic and the mandates that now are in place, but Greek
Dance for Life reminds me of better days, and ones that we can hopefully return to in the very near future. The performance here by Boukouvalas is indeed a dance that combines happiness and intensity, and all on one long fluidic movement of life unfurling, a wonderful crafted and clever piano presentation indeed.
The curiously entitled Half a Life After is up next, and ushers forth the arrival of the moment when we step into the latter half of the album, again the artists creative skills here are sublime and paint a wonderfully compelling narrative with his piano. This is a piece dedicated to those moments of reflection we all have, have I lived my life in the best way I can, or have I learned from my mistakes, and will I make the second half much better. Whichever, this is one of the most memorable pieces from the album, and the minor refrain it is created in, is deeply emotional and very listenable.
This is an album that has been manifested with a vast amount of thought and feeling, and Life Immortal is another example of this statement and a track that almost hovers across the mist filled skies of our musical landscape with a slight hint of anticipation and apprehension, this is a wonderfully clever composition, perhaps expressing the dichotomy of life and death, and the juxtaposition of them both to each other.
The pace and tempo picks up on our penultimate offering entitled Learning to Live, this is an intriguing opus as the artist creates such a fascinating performance, one could imagine two pathways of creation taking place here within the arrangement, as both the master and student, teach and learn from each other respectively.
For the Joy of Living is our final offering and here the pianist draws his final conclusion and delivers a masterful performance that in its title gives us the answer, life is for living and living is free. The dark and light aspects of performance here by Boukouvalas were wonderfully palpable, insightful and deeply felt. This was a journey beautifully delivered with passion and absolute honesty.
Lives by Kostas Boukouvalas is a vast body of work on piano that is both deep and thought provoking, it is one of those releases we all need from time to time to bring our thoughts back into balance and re-focus. Lives is an album of passion and truth, a musical pastiche of an almost philosophical proportion, and all from one very artistic performer and his piano.
https://stevesheppardmusicreviews.blogspot.com/2021/12/lives-by-kostas-boukouvalas.html
"Lives" review by Kathy Parsons
December 13, 2021
Lives is the third recording from Greek pianist/composer (and primary school teacher!) Kostas Boukouvalas and follows his 2020 album, Memories From a Sea View, which was more of an ensemble work. A collection of seven large-scale compositions for solo piano, the music for Lives was inspired by seven different philosophical aspects of life. The bold and dramatic piano solos on Lives range from nine to thirteen minutes in duration and are quite different from each other. I would say that the music on this album is in a much more contemporary classical style than new age or music for relaxation, so don't expect to fall asleep to this one!
Based in Athens (Greece), Kostas Boukouvalas’ music has been utilized in amateur theater performances, short films, commercials and school plays. He has also been a member of various art and electronic music groups. In 2016, he founded “The Last of the Romantics,” an ensemble that performs his music in various art venues in Athens.
Lives begins with "Epic as Life," a piece with a repeated pattern in the deep bass of the piano. Sometimes the right hand repeats the same pattern and sometimes it ventures into its own rhythmic or melodic lines. Quoting the liner notes: "Some lives of ordinary people are more epic than the greatest heroic deeds of history." The second movement changes to a different pattern in the bass that has a much livelier tempo and intensity. The last section of the piece quiets somewhat and seems to be looking inward before returning to the earlier theme and exploring that to the end.
The message in "Live What You Are" is: "The only way to happiness is to be yourself." Much lighter and more melodic, this piece has a beautiful dreamy, flowing quality that I really like. There are quite a few variations on the theme throughout the piece, and all are very sincere and expressed with candor. "Greek Dance for Life" comes with the quote: "Greek traditional music, as a whole, is a hymn to life." The piece begins very slowly with a strong rhythmic pattern supporting the very spare melody. About a third of the way into the piece, the tempo and spirit explode and all but dance out of the music player - a true celebration of life! "Half a Life after" is about reflecting back on what we have and have not accomplished in our lives. A bit gentler and more meditative, the haunting theme varies in intensity through its 11 1/2 minute playing time.
"Learning to Live" is quite different from the other pieces with a rapid left hand bass line that the right hand seems to dance around as it gradually moves up the piano keyboard (the left hand stays in the deep bass for all of the piece while the right hand eventually ends up in the high end of the keyboard). The meter for this piece seems to be constantly changing, much like the rhythm of life. "For the Joy of Living" was inspired by the quote: "We do not always have to set big goals to make our lives meaningful. Sometimes it is enough to just enjoy it." The main theme of this piece is transformed with variations that change in mood and intensity - a fascinating musical exploration!
If you are looking for music that is expressive and philosophical, Lives is a great choice! It is available from Amazon, Apple/iTunes and streaming sites such as Spotify.
"Memories from a Sea View" κριτική του Μάνου Μπούρα
6 Ιουνίου 2020
Ακούγοντας τη δουλειά αυτή του συνθέτη και πιανίστα Κώστα Μπουκουβάλα, μου δόθηκε η εντύπωση από τα πρώτα κομμάτια ότι θα επρόκειτο για μια σειρά από ασκήσεις για πιάνο που παραπέμπουν στους κλασικούς ρομαντικούς συνθέτες, με αναφορές σε κινηματογραφικά θέματα που αποτελούν για πολλούς από εμάς, που δεν έχουμε ασχοληθεί διεξοδικά με το συγκεκριμένο ύφος, την ηχητική μας βάση για τέτοιου είδους ακούσματα. Δεν είναι καθόλου έτσι τα πράγματα όμως, μιας που η συνέχεια επιφυλάσσει οργανικό εμπλουτισμό από βιολί και κιθάρες, που έρχονται να επαυξάνουν στο αδρό ηλεκτρονικό ακουστικό φόντο που έρχεται σαν συνοδεία του πιάνου. Το δεύτερο αυτό άλμπουμ του μουσικού έρχεται σαν έμπνευση της παραμονής του για ένα χρόνο στην Κρήτη, και ο τίτλος είναι η φυσική περιγραφή της όλης διαδικασίας, που ακροβατεί ανάμεσα στο μινιμαλισμό, το ambient και την κλασικότροπη μουσική έκφραση. Στο ‘Memory Waves’ μου έρχεται στο μυαλό ο Michael Nyman ενώ το ‘Party Beach Echoes’ κινείται με τη γλυκιά νωχελικότητα κάποιων σαν τους Boards οf Canada, ονόματα που παραθέτω για να δώσω κάποιο στίγμα για όποιον ενδιαφέρεται να ακούσει την εν λόγω δουλειά (που δεν κυκλοφορεί σε φυσική μορφή) στο Bandcamp του καλλιτέχνη.
http://www.mic.gr/record-review/microkritikes-leyki-symfonia-melentini-kostas-boukouvalas
"Memories from a Sea View" review by Steve Sheppard
April 28, 2020
This is somewhat of a truism for me, as out of my upstairs balconies I have several sea views, so I can really appreciate this album from Kostas Boukouvalas called Memories From a Sea View completely, and all that it brings to my senses. This is a musical journey of many styles, influences and instrumentation.
We start our journey with the opener entitled Star Dance; this is a piece with depth and a whole lot of passion, one that weaves a sense of true movement into its arrangement with ease.
We now drift into the arms of the next offering entitled Imprisoned in a Dream; there is a beautiful sense of ambience with the construction of this composition that is utterly delightful, both the piano and guitar bring us an energy of a mystical quality. This is one addictive song; one I found hard to truly leave behind me as it was so well performed.
Sand Paintings had a blissful energy of innocence in its tones that I found most graceful indeed, but below that there was a somewhat mysterious layer of minor magic that kept the attention firmly on the composition, and its tremendous presentation.
In Cyprus, normally we tend to spend a lot of time on the beach, and that is where we are going virtually within this track called, Listening to Bach on the Beach. Whilst we do so, we can listen to Bach in this meditative offering that contains some perfectly balanced sounds of the ocean lapping up to the warm sands of the aforementioned beach. The Violin here is both haunting and soothing in its musical narrative.
The fluency of the piano on Memory Waves is something to be admired, one can literally drift along with this up-tempo offering with ease. The melody and mood of this arrangement is indeed sun kissed and warming to listen to.
A Little Cancer Attacks may sound like a curious title, but as were on the beach I am hoping this refers to the Crab of the Zodiac, the fast paced and jagged keyboard performance would lead me to think so, and indeed, if you listen to its compositional structure, this is rather a clever song, pretty much mimicking the movement of this oceanic creature.
The delightful strings of Sea & Sky Mating had an almost mesmeric effect upon me as I listened. There was something classical, perhaps in the style of Vaughn Williams, but the mood and melody was so picturesque and colourful, and for me at times depicted a view where perhaps the land meets the sea itself!
The gentle refrains of the piano float around us with a gentle calming sense of serenity now, as we listen to Far Away but Still Here. The ambience created here is idyllic, the addition of the guitar created a little extra dimension of musical craft to the proceedings, one that indeed added an extra sense of musical colour to the piece.
Beach Party Echoes is next, it is time to change the energy on this extremely warm afternoon, the deep plunging bass line here is powerful and profound, whilst the keyboards of Boukouvalas wend a fascinating shimmering narrative of fun days that seemed endless and would never change, but now are just echoes across a windswept landscape.
As the boats in Paphos harbour head for their moorings, you can usually hear on the tourist boats, the waves of sound carrying the world famous Zorba and his dance echoing around the port. However here on this offering entitled Zorba’s Gaze, we get a moment to listen to a memory packed guitar performance that reminds me of those precious meditative moments sitting far away from the crowds, watching the glistening on the blue horizon, and the shimmering of the waves as they crash upon the rocks. This is one of the most tranquil, yet picturesque performances on the album, and utterly delightful.
With each passing of a day, our lives evolve into special segments to be remembered, these are moments and memories and this penultimate creation is a testament to those mental perambulations, it is entitled Requiem for a Moment. The artist with this offering has created a masterful composition of musical genius, one packed with so many memories, with so many emotions and feelings, this is one of those tracks that you might well find yourself playing on repeat for hours, and not even noticing.
The last portal to this dimension is called The Irreversibility of Time and in a way is almost a testament to the last piece. It’s deep moving and slow tempo allows the listener to bathe in the memories of time itself, this is an outstanding performance to finish with, and easily one of the most emotive off the album, both keyboards and piano are in complete harmony here, and ending what has been a fascinating, and at times an incredibly thoughtful and passionate album.
Memories From a Sea View by Kostas Boukouvalas is an fine example of how to create a truly fascinating album, one that utilises the options of multi-instrumentation, but at all times managing to hold each and every composition into a format so listenable and perfectly balanced. This is music to be completely enjoyed whether you have a sea view like me, or not.
https://stevesheppardmusicreviews.blogspot.com/2020/04/memories-from-sea-view-by-kostas.html
"Memories from a Sea View" review by Kathy Parsons
April 27, 2020
Memories From a Sea View is the second album from Greek pianist/composer Kostas Boukouvalas, following his 2011 debut, Few notes are enough to change the world. The music for Memories From a Sea View was composed during a one-year stay on the island of Crete and tells quite a compelling story. The “savage and mystical environment” as well as the beauty of the island inspired Boukouvalas to compose (originally for solo piano) the twelve “minimal-neoclassical-ambient pieces” that grace the album. A few years after returning to Athens, Boukouvalas arranged the music to capture his moods and experiences from his year on Crete. In addition to piano, Boukouvalas plays synth, various samples and electronics; he also made field recordings that are incorporated into some of the music. Stathis Apostolopoulos plays acoustic and electric guitars, and Matthew Dakoutros plays violin. The colorful titles offer just enough of a suggestion of what the music is “about” to ignite the listener’s imagination without telling the whole story. Several of the tracks are on the quiet side, but a few are bolder and quite lively, painting a more complete picture of the composer’s impressions and experiences of Crete as well as showing his versatility as a composer.
Based in Athens, Kostas Boukouvalas’ music has been utilized in amateur theater performances, short films, commercials and school plays. He has also been a member of various art and electronic music groups. In 2016, he founded “The Last of the Romantics,” an ensemble that performs his music in various art venues in Athens. He is also a primary school teacher.
Memories From a Sea View begins with “Star Dance,” a piece that starts as a poignant and very simple piano solo with a distinctive Greek flavor. Strings enter after about a minute, adding a mysterious yet shimmering element. When a slow but steady rhythm is added on the piano, the piece gradually builds in drama while keeping the melody very simple and evocative. “Imprisoned in a Dream” is much darker. Piano, guitar and various ambient sounds create a mood that is almost mournful. The piano is once again very simple and poignant for much of the piece, but there are a few passages that are much bigger and more dancelike - a fascinating mix of moods and styles. “Sand Paintings” is very fluid and gracefully performed with mostly piano with light strings, guitar, and ambient sounds. A violin solo, “Listening to Bach on the Beach” includes the soothing sound of ocean waves. “Memory Waves” is possibly the most accessible and radio-friendly piece on the album. Upbeat and rhythmic, piano, guitar and synth suggest sea breezes and a peaceful calm. Not surprisingly, “A Little Cancer Attacks” is agitated and uncomfortable. “Far Away But Still Here” is mostly piano and guitar with some synth and feels very much like being lost in thought. Parts of the piece are dreamy and others are more turbulent - intriguing! “Zorba’s Gaze” is an electric guitar solo that is very slow, spare and atmospheric. “Requiem For a Moment” is very still and even more emotional. Piano, strings and subtle effects beautifully express sadness and loss. On the amazing “The Irreversibility of Time” piano and atmospheric sounds create a very slow, dark beginning passage that borders on heartbreaking. At the halfway point, the acoustic guitar enters and the music becomes peaceful and relaxed, perhaps indicating acceptance. The last minute of the album is the sound of ocean waves and sea birds with a very gradual fade out to the end of the album.
Memories From a Sea View is an outstanding piece of musical art and is available from Amazon and iTunes as well as Spotify, Bandcamp and Google Play.
https://mainlypiano.com/reviews/kostas-boukouvalas-memories-from-a-sea-view
"Memories from a Sea View" review by Jim Paterson
April 17, 2020
"Memories from a Sea View" is a new album by Kostas Boukouvalas. While not strictly a film score, it is very much in the tradition of that genre and it's easy to imagine a dramatic narrative to the overall album. Piano dominates several tracks and earlier tracks suggest the minimalist music of Einaudi or Nyman with hints of Tiersen and Glass. However other instruments and stylistic differences hint at broader influences. The music is always evocative on a scale from dreamy to emotional, and these tracks could easily accompany film and television dramas. The album is released on the "Off" record label and you can listen to it or download it here on the Off website