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| Cultural origins | Greece |
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Laïko[a][b] is a Greekfolk-pop music genre. Also referred to as a "folk song", or "urban folk music"[c] in its plural form, Laïkó changed forms over the decades after thecommercialization ofRebetiko music.
Until the 1930s the Greekdiscography was dominated by two musicalgenres: theGreek folk musicdemotica[d] and theelaphro tragoudi.[e] The latter was represented byensembles of singers/musicians or solo artists likeAttik andNikos Gounaris. It was the Greek version of the international popular music of the era. In the 1930s the firstrebetiko recordings had a massive impact on Greek music.Markos Vamvakaris stated that they "were the first to recordlaïka songs". In the years to follow this type of music, the first form of what is now calledlaïko tragoudi, became the mainstreamGreek music.
Classic laïko, as it is known today, was the mainstream popular music of Greece during mainly the 1960s and 1970s. Laïkó evolved from the traditional music of theancient and themedieval Greek era and was established until thepresent day.[1][2] Laïkó was dominated by singers such asNikos Xanthopoulos and composers such asMimis Plessas. Among the most significant songwriters and lyricists of this period areGeorge Zambetas and the big names of theRebetiko era that were still in business, likeVassilis Tsitsanis andManolis Chiotis. Many artists combined the traditions oféntekhno and laïkó with considerable success, such as the composersStavros Xarchakos andMimis Plessas. Legendary figures associated with laïko (specifically Zeimpekiko) areDimitris Mitropanos,Stratos Dionysiou andStelios Kazantzidis.
Contemporary laïko,[f] also calledmodern laïko or sometimeslaïko-pop, can be called in Greece the mainstream music genre, with variations in plural form ascontemporary laïka. Along with moderna laïko, it is currently Greece's mainstream music genre. The main cultural Greek dances and rhythms of today's Greek music culturelaïka areNisiotika,Syrta,Antikristos,Rebetika,Hasapiko,Zeibekiko,Kalamatianos,Kangeli andSyrtaki.
The more cheerful version of laïko, calledelaphro laïko, was often used in musicals during theGolden Age of Greek cinema. The Greek Peiraiotes superstarTolis Voskopoulos gave the after-modern version of Greek laïko[g] listenings. Many artists have combined the traditions of éntekhno and laïkó with considerable success, such as the composersMimis Plessas andStavros Xarchakos.
Contemporary laïká emerged as a style in the early 1980s. An indispensable part of the contemporary laïka culture is thepista.[h] Nightclubs at which the DJs play only contemporary laïká where colloquially known on the 1990s and 2000s ashellinadika.[i] Modern laïko is mainstream Greek laïko music mixed in with modern Western influences, from such international mainstream genres aspop anddance music. Renowned songwriters or lyricists of contemporary laïka after 1990 include Alekos Chrysovergis,Nikos Karvelas,Phoebus, Nikos Terzis, Spyros Giatras,Giorgos Theofanous.
In effect, there is no single name for contemporary laïka in the Greek language, but it is often formally referred to assýnchrono laïkó, a term which is also used for denoting newly composed songs in the tradition of "proper" laïko. The choice of contrasting the notions of "westernized" and "genuine" may often be based on ideological and aesthetic grounds. Laïko interacted more westernized sounds in the late of 2000s.[3] The termmodern laïka comes from the phrase "modern songs of the people".[j]
Despite its immense popularity, the genre of contemporary laïka (especiallylaïko-pop) has come under scrutiny for "featuring musical clichés, average singing voices and slogan-like lyrics" and for "being a hybrid, neither laïkó, nor pop".[4]
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