Alex Zethson / Nikos Veliotis- CRYO
"0" is a prequel to the Greek-Swedish duo's album CRYO, exploring the origins of its frozen depths. This single weaves electrified cello with haunting prepared piano.
Alex Zethson — prepared piano & E-Bows
Nikos Veliotis — cello
Recorded by Clyde Jabra at Artracks Recording Studios, Athens.
Mixed by Nikos Veliotis.
Mastering by Mell Dettmer.
Cover photo by Arne Andersson [Bohusläns Museum].
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CRYO is the first album by the duo of cellist Nikos Veliotis (GR) and pianist Alex Zethson (SE). Veliotis is best known for the pioneering electronic group In Trance 95, MMMD and his collaboration with Giannis Aggelakas of the rock group Tripes. Zethson is a member of groups such as Goran Kajfes’ Tropiques, Martin Küchen's Angles, Fire! Orchestra, Vathres, and more. The duo met in Athens when Tropiques played at the legendary record store, gallery and concert venue Underflow, where Veliotis was invited for an opening solo set. The day after, the duo entered the Athens studio Artracks and created CRYO, consisting of two long pieces in which the duo explores slowly evolving forms and complex cascades of sound, with the piano's bass register creating rumbling clouds and sparkling overtones that the cello blends into and transforms. Together, they’ve crafter an organically undulating, intense, heavy and dark drone music. The album was meticulously mastered by Mell Dettmer, who has collaborated with drone metal bands like Earth and Sunn O))).
Biographies
Nikos Veliotis was born in Athens in 1970. He studied classical piano until the age of 16. He became an active member of the underground electronic music scene and in 1988 with Alex Machairas he founded In Trance 95. At the age of 21 he started playing the cello and devoted himself to the experimental music, performing solo and with several groups (such as Skogen, Looper (with Ingar Zach and Martin Küchen) Rhodri Davies, Angharad Davis, John Butcher and many more), touring all around the world. During the early 2000s he started a collaboration with Giannis Aggelakas from the legendary rock band Tripes. In 2008 he founded Mohammad (MMMD) together with ELIOS and Coti K. He has composed music for dance, theatre and films.
Alex Zethson (b 1988) is a Stockholm-based keyboardist and composer. He’s been active as a touring and recording artist since 2009, when he graduated from the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, and first started touring with free-jazz sextet Je Suis! Apart from his solo work and his own ensembles (like Vathres, Yokada, VÖ and Alex Zethson Ensemble), he’s a member of Angles, Goran Kajfes Tropiques, Vilhelm Bromander Unfolding Orchestra and Fire! Orchestra and he’s frequently playing with acts such as Sven Wunder and Mariam the Believer.
Since 2017 he’s a frequent collaborator of Fire! Orchestra, and part of their recent ECHOES line-up. He’s also current as the producer of the recent Rotem Geffen-album; and as the string arranger in the ambitious, experimental opera project “The Death of Kalypso” by Martin Küchen, featuring vocalist Elle-Kari Sander and a string quartet. Both were released April 2024. As a composer, he’s written and arranged music for Trondheim Jazz Orchestra, as well as having penned several scores for silent movies and works for choirs and various ensembles.
To this day, Zethson participates on more than 45 albums. His own works have been published on, e.g., SUPERPANG, disorder, Relative Pitch Records, Supertraditional, Hubro and Clean Feed; while his playing is also heard on recordings published by labels such as Repeat Until Death, Umlaut Records, Piano Piano, Headspin and WeJazz.
Drawn to wider community-building musical activities, Zethson is running the label Thanatosis produktion since 2016. He’s also continuously organizing concerts and festivals – such as MONOPIANO festival and Stockholm Nu Festival – plus dedicated label nights in Sweden and abroad.
Thanatosis produktion is a Stockholm-based record label and concert & festival-organization founded in 2016 and operated by Alex Zethson.
