Music Review – KONSTANTINOS DILZAS PETRA – PETRA KI EFH
This track is worthy of much adoration, it’s of a very traditional style in many ways, but it’s so beautifully performed, and so unlike much of what is put out into the world these days. From the moment you press play there is this unexpected scene being set, you feel transported somewhere far more exotic and relaxed; it feels like the kind of town that sleeps late and eases into the day with lots of fresh food, good company, maybe even a glass of wine or two.
The accordion is an uncommon instrument in much of today’s music, so this was a stand out part of the track. The melody is lush, really getting into your mind and your soul. The language is one that I’m not hugely fluent in, but regardless – it’s the kind of music and the kind of vocal performance that is comforting and greatly welcomed – the singer could sing like this all day and it would make perfect sense.
It’s great how towards the end of the track the second vocal, that of Sofia Arvaniti, becomes more involved – the two together sound quite striking, the effect is very powerful and memorable – it feels like an immense piece of music as opposed to just a peaceful sounding acoustic song. This transition is really nice to hear, a great bit of song writing and structure within the music. Both vocals are beautiful, gentle and melodic, soft and lovely to listen to.
This is music that I feel would be fantastic to hear performed live. I’d look out for a live performance from all the artists involved in this one. It would be a joy to hear more songs in this kind of style. The musicianship involved is brilliant, everything from the piano to the accordion and the gentle beat is really wonderfully and creatively played. Definitely a beautiful arrangement of music and talent.
By Rebecca Cullen
Travelling musician and writer from Manchester, UK.
Exclusive Interview:
Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?
Konstantinos Dilzas: Well, first of all I would like to thank you for this interview. Actually I don’t consider myself as an artist. I started singing as a hobby (you know all the Greek people have a singing tendency in our DNA – This is so magic!)
Exposed Vocals: What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why?
Konstantinos Dilzas: I always give my music away for free. I agree and disagree with that. I think the truth is always in the middle. As you know the recording of a track needs many studio hours, musicians playing and all this procedure has a cost. If everything is free, then how this cost will be covered? On the other hand I recognize that the recording labels made very serious mistakes the last decades especially at the pre-internet era like the high prices of cds and pushed people who really like music to find other methods for getting the music they like, like the free downloading – do you remember the first Napster, the Audiogalaxy etc? I remember I was so excited then by the fact I could get my favorite music for free without giving 20 or 30 Euros for buying a cd!
So, I give my music away for free but I also make official releases under a label in order to cover some of the production costs!
Exposed Vocals: Do you ever make mistakes during performances? How do you handle that?
Konstantinos Dilzas: I always make mistakes during live performances. There is a strange mechanism in my mind (!!!) that is being activated in every live performance making me forget parts of the original lyrics and replace them with others or singing la la la…. hahahahahaaa
Exposed Vocals: Do you tour? Anything interesting happen on tour that you think our readers would enjoy hearing about?
Konstantinos Dilzas: Not yet. As I told you before I am not a professional artist. I used to sing as a hobby when a close friend of mine and a great musician and actor (Dimitris Kiklis) decided to compose a track for my voice 3 years ago. The song titled “skotadi” (darkness) reached 10000 views at YouTube without any serious promo and became hit in Japan (the power of internet).
We now released our new song which is a great production featuring the virtuoso accordionist Jim Papadamis, the great sound engineer Petros Petropoulos at Polyphoniki Studio Athens and the famous Greek pop rock star Sofia Arvaniti who came to support my voice making the vocals in my track. An honor for me…
The song is titled “Petra ki Efhi” (Stone and Wish) and I am so excited it reached #81 at international iTunes Latin Chart and #56 at USA Latin iTunes Chart.
Exposed Vocals: Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process?
Konstantinos Dilzas: My life… Actually is full of experiences…especially the last 3 years…
Exposed Vocals: Do you have a band website? What online platforms do you use to share your music?
Konstantinos Dilzas: My YouTube channels
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCng4tPS1EoYeBi6sBTfbkMg
https://www.youtube.com/user/kosdil” https://www.youtube.com/user/kosdil
and my label’s official site where you can find my new official releases:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQlwssoOl3rsqrsBuWA9mUA
Exposed Vocals: What are some really embarrassing songs that we might find on your mp3 player?
Konstantinos Dilzas: well…my mp3 player is full of songs of my favorite Greek artists Anna Vissi, Sofia Arvaniti and Bessy Argyraki.
Some songs that I really love and are always in my mp3 player are:
Believe in me – Bonnie Tyler (a song that changed my whole life 3 years ago…)
Leap of Faith – Anna Vissi & Dave Stewart ( I am always so proud of “my Anna” for doing this duet)
Masterpiece – Madonna (a very sad song dedicated to all “killers” who come into our lives to steal whatever they can and who in fact don’t know neither how to love nor to be loved… )
In this life – Ronan Keating (a song that somebody dedicated to me making me feel so unique cause I believed that then.. oh my god… life is so sad sometimes…
Let’s go please to other question…
Exposed Vocals: If you were given half a million dollars and a year off, what would you do? How would you spend it?
Konstantinos Dilzas: What? Half a million dollars and a year off??? (laughs!!) . Let me think…hmmm….
Well, first of all, I would offer some amounts of money to all my family members
Then…. hmmmm… I would buy a home music studio just for myself. So I would have the opportunity to record every day the songs I like without asking my label to fix some hours at other studios to pay for that etc etc…
I would also travel a lot and of course do thing that are related to music like new productions, video clips etc
And of course, due to the crisis in Greece I would save a large amount of this for the forthcoming years…
Exposed Vocals: Any planned studio upgrades? What are you working with now?
Konstantinos Dilzas: Yeap! I am really very very excited because I work on a new project which will Break the boat! I have written some poems and they are «dressed” with electronic / house and dubstep tunes and the result is more than amazing! I have already uploaded at my YouTube channel some tracks from this project and the feedback I receive makes me so happy…
Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?
Konstantinos Dilzas: Well, my label do a super promo for my new single “Petra ki Efhi” communicating this to every part of the world! I am so excited reading wonderful review at great music magazines and blogs about me and of course listening my song to some radios all over the world. Hey…it is like a fairytale for me… sometimes I cannot believe it!! So, so happy….
Exposed Vocals: If you could perform anywhere and with any artists (Dead or Alive) where and who would it be with? Why?
Konstantinos Dilzas: Melina Mercouri, Anna Vissi, Katerina Gogou, Stereo Nova and Bonnie Tyler (she has recorded an amazing duet with the Greek pop rock star Sofia Arvaniti – The desert is in your heart)
Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?
Konstantinos Dilzas : As I told you before I am working on my new music project (poems dressed with electronic tunes) which will be released in 2016). Additionally those poems will be released as a special book. As for my new track “Petra ki efhi” there are also some surprises that unfortunately I cannot announce them yet!
Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?
Konstantinos Dilzas: Just what I really do! I am a Naval Architect and Marine Engineer and I am working on European Research Programs! A split personality!!! hahahahahaaaaa
Exposed Vocals: Do you remember buying your first album? Who was it? What was going through your head?
Konstantinos Dilzas: The first album I got was a vinyl record and it was a present from my mother when we got our first record player. It was the album “Ta tragoudia tis Haroulas” by the famous Haris Alexiou
The first album I bought was – guess? –
From Anna Vissi the vinyl “Kitrino Galazio”
Exposed Vocals: How do you juggle the rest of your responsibilities while trying to stay ahead in your music life?
Konstantinos Dilzas: Since I am not a professional artist there is problem at all!
Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in 2016?
Konstantinos Dilzas: Music! New Releases! New Remixes! New Tunes! Video clips! And many many surprises!!Thank you for this amazing interview! Greetings from Greece!
