Syriana – Ipiros
Real World Records – 21 July 2017
Ten years have passed since the mesmerizingly haunting and thematic sounds of Syriana‘s Road To Damascus was released on Real World Records.
In those ten years the warfare and tragedy that has taken over Syria has affected the futures and histories of the people there, and the instigators of Syriana – Nick ‘Dubulah’ Page and Bernard O’Neill – have looked on helplessly as the civilian districts they had walked peacefully around when recording some of the original album in Damascus have been ravaged. Sadly, they have also learnt of the deaths of musicians they worked with and members of their families.
In response to this and to help the Greek island communities who are dealing directly to help the daily needs of the huge influx of refugees from Syria, the Ipiros Remixes EP has been put together with 100% of profits from sales going towards International Rescue: Greece and all the musicians giving their work free of charge.
Nick, who is half-Greek, the guitarist/bassist of Transglobal Underground and the visionary behind Dub Colossus, is the Greek connection here, and it was he who had the idea for this project.
Watch the film to ‘Ipiros (Somo Arco Iris Mix)’ filmed and edited by Nico Piazza.
Syriana, then, is more than just a band. It’s a concept. An attitude. A perspective. A place where themes of tolerance, liberty and hope come wrapped in Arabic rhythms and played through a Western filter. Where free musical interaction is a given – despite the ironies bestowed by political reality. It’s a project without a single dominant instrument. In Syriana, the whole really is greater than the sum of its parts.
To find out more and to download and stream the album visit: https://realworldrecords.com/release/673/ipiros/