ANNABOUBOULA is a Greek expression meaning a confusing, mixed-up noise-- or "brou-ha-ha". It was thought up in the late '80s as a potential band name by Greek- American producer- turned- anthropologist CHRISTOPHER LAWRENCE, who promptly enlisted Greek singer ANNA PAIDOUSSI to front a downtown New York-meets-Athens experimental recording project.After hearing demos of Anna backed by a psychedelic trance-rock band, guitarist/ composer/ producer GEORGE SEMPEPOS came on board. In 1986 a debut EP "Hamam" was issued by Virgin Greece; exported to the US, France, and England, it became an underground cult classic. In the years that followed, the project evolved into a proper band with an international following especially in what would come to be called "World Music" circles. They appeared at festivals such as WOMAD, on US and UK network television, and their US releases on Shanachie generated reams of critical praise and college radio airplay-- even though almost all of their material was sung in Greek. In Greece they were a well-regarded novelty radio act; their influence continues to be heard today in numerous Hellenic dance music and would-be "World Beat" productions. Ironically, the group went into hibernation in 1993 just as the concept it had pioneered-- fusing contemporary electro-pop and rock with traditional music from so-called "exotic" sources-- was becoming an accepted genre. Anna, George and Chris however had already started recording a third full-length CD, and some of those tracks will be part of a forthcoming ANNABOUBOULA release in the months ahead. WHAT ARE THEY? As mentioned, ANNABOUBOULA means "noisy confusion"-- and that goes some way in explaining their decidedly non-puristapproach to traditional music. Drum machines, funky loops, guitars and African percussion underscore Anna's soaring vocals, but the songs are the real stars of this Mediterranean sideshow. Some of their tunes are covers or radical re-workings of pop and folk songs; others are original compositions inspired by the modes, textures and rhythms of old genres. In some cases, older songs were "retro-fitted" with new Greek lyrics that expressed the irreverent attitude of an imaginary youth culture that could create this sort of imaginary modern Greek pop. (In the real world, most Greek rock and hip-hop fans usually ignore rebetika and traditional Greek music). For all their modernist attitude, ANNABOUBOULA members have done their homework and exhaustively researched the more obscure corners of Greek and neighboring musical cultures.These include Rebetika--the so-called Greek Blues, originally the songs of hashish clans and outlaws; and Smyrnaika, the elaborate oriental cafe music of the refugees from Greek Asia Minor. ANNABOUBOULA's noisy confusion has embraced deliciously vulgar belly-dance tunes, romantic oriental tangos, pentatonic dirges from the mountains of Epirus, crypto-Turkish laments, proto-feminist rants, sampled Orthodox clerics, wailing clarinets and drunken baghlamas, --but out of a perverse sense of contrariness, ANNABOUBOULA's recordings typically featured NO BOUZOUKIS! (The bouzouki is the instrument most closely associated with Greek popular music-- at its worst, as well as at its best!) Through it all, ANNABOUBOULA have used their position as Greek-Americans to an odd advantage; unlike many native Greek artists, they are not intimidated by generations of tradition. If there's something bizarre that can be done to a nice old Greek tune to make it less nice and more twisted, they'll do it before you can say "ouzo, parakalo!". Time for an ouzo. Seeya! yia hara! Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.