Alcalica is a self-produced band from the Island of Lesbos (Gr) and Berlin (D).
The duo of multi-instrumentalist Leonidas Danezos and painter/poet Julie Loi play the Persian santoor, Greek baglamas, African Kalimba, hardware electronics and deep vocals in five languages.
In twelve years they have released six vinyl albums and given hundreds of concerts across Europe. Alcalica has opened the concerts of Baba Zula, Dirtmusic, A Hawk and a Hacksaw, Giannis Aggelakas etc and collaborated with Brenna MacCrimmon and Baba Zula on stage as well as in the studio. Recent tours in the Aegean have woven a dream-catcher of aficionados of most varied horizons.
Live Dream'n'Bass music and poetry performance
"The music of Alcalica abolishes several pseudo-dilemas such as "East-West". It resolutely brings into equitable dialogue the baglamas and the santoor with contemporary electronics, the aptaliko of Mytilene and the interwar rembetiko with drum'n'bass and urban industrial." (Xagas)
Impressionistic polyglotte poetry plays with words across languages, collisions of words which create meanings in dadaist site-specific improvisations..A feel of global justice inspires both the lyrics and the way precious instruments and electronics are woven into a flying carpet.
"An accrobate's journey playing with borders, provingde facto that borders exist precisely to be overcome".(Antonis Xagas)
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Following the release of our sixth vinyl album ΥΔΟΡ, underground and national radio shows played Alcalica's tracks on air accross Europe. Below, on-line and paper reviews from Greece, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Holland, Italy, Sweden, Poland, Turkey and the U.K.
MIC Feb 2014 (Greek)
"...κανένα κομμάτι δεν περισσεύει, κανένα δεν υστερεί, κάθε ένα είναι αφόρμηση για ένα νοερό ταξίδι, το δε τελικό σύνολο αφήνει μια αίσθηση πληρότητας χαρακτηριστική των σπουδαίων καλλιτεχνικών δημιουργημάτων."
CHAIN D.L.K Jun 2015 (English)
"The daily trial of strenght between Greece and Germany, which is going to leave deep grooves on European contemporary history, (...), the emotional portrait of stark reality within a world where rich people get richer and richer at the expense of the poor ones on "Fear" or the title-track (...) makes their impressive stylistical crossbreed even more attractive"
HIFI World Feb 2015 (English)
"Highly recommended to any fans of Ninja Tunes’ classic releases."
Trebuchet Jan 2015 (English)
“Alcalica’s “industrial world music” is both melancholic and uplifting, tragic and hopeful.”
"In its best moments this a dignified and bravely European work, steering between the poles of Eurocentric exclusivism and the reactionary contempt for European culture displayed by too much of the European radical left. By turns tragic, spirited and and (perhaps somehow consciously) naïvely idealistic, this unusual and memorable collection of songs leaves a lasting impression and is a valuable document of Europe under conditions of imminent neo-feudalism."
"Zwischen der griechischen Insel Mytilene und der zentraleuropäischen Insel Berlin irgendwo und niergendwo zuhause, kollaborierend und konspirierend mit dem musikalischen Untergrund (Mastering rashad Becker) ist das Duo naturgemäß politisch konkret."
Zitty Jan 2015 (Germany)
"Ihre Tracks klingeln so rastlos, wie sich reisen anfühlt."
Alcalica zitty Jan 2015
Sound Of Music Jan 2015 (Swedish)
"Personligen tycker jag att Alcalica skapar en musik som är mycket sympatisk. Och då tänker jag inte bara på de idealistiska texterna utan hur deras taktdrivna experimenterande verkligen lyfter i mötet med de traditionella instrumentens poetiska kraft. Det gör musiken både magisk och levande."
Rif Raf Feb 2015 (French)
"la voix de Julie Loi réveille bien des connections auprès des fans de Stereolab (la ressemblance vocale avec Laetitia Sadier est dingue)"
Laif Jan 2015 (Polish)
"Wydaje sie, ze bycie oryginalnym twórca w dzisiejszych czasach jest rzecza wrecz niemozliwa. Niektórym ta sztuka sie udaje – dobrym przykladem jest grupa Alcalica."
"Mozecie byc pewni, ze to, co prezentuje grupa Alcalica, wymyka sie wszelkim klasyfikacjom."
Rockerilla Jan 2015 (It)
"I due hanno già alle spalle una mezza dozzina di album ma è per i loro concerti che si sono fatti notare."
Blow UP Feb 2015 (It)
Gonzo Circus Jan 2015 (Dutch)
Wound Spring 2009 (English)
"Alcalica's music thrives to show that despite hidden political agendas and generalised scepticism, technology and tradition can work together for better musci, better dancing and, maybe, a better world."
AlcaLicaWound 2009
