Σμύρνη 1875 – Εντυπώσεις Μελωδιών
IMS Publications
The musical ensemble Checkmate in 2 Flats performs recordings of folk songs that the French composer Luis Albert Bourgault Ducoudray transcribed in Smyrna in 1875. Ducoudray’s historical material is transformed by the contemporary approach of Checkmate in 2 Flats, without the members ever meeting in person!
Checkmate in 2 Flats were founded in 1999.
They have released four albums (Mat se dio ifesis [Checkmate in Two Flats] – Ihotron Records 2003, Psema san Alithia [A Lie that Sounds True] – Universal 2005, Trypio Feggari [Hollow Moon] – Parousia Records 2009, Ta Tessera Tragoudia tou Miltou Sahtouri [Four Songs by Miltos Sahtouris] – EP 2011) and have featured in many more recordings in Greece and internationally.
Their music brings into dialogue eastern and western musical idioms, well-tempered and micro-tonal instruments, and an electric with an acoustic sound.
The current release is powered by the band members’ combination of performative skill and research expertise, with an emphasis on cultural theory and musical analysis. Motivated by an appreciation of Ducoudray’s transcripts, in this project Checkmate in 2 Flats revisit their unique sound-mark while standing by their long commitment to contemporary musical creativity.
