Chainides

Chainides (Χαΐνηδες) is a Cretan folk music group who are inspired by the vast legacy of traditional Cretan music and whose lyrics borrow words from the Cretan Greek dialect. The group's name is the plural of the word chaínis (χαΐνης), meaning the fugitive rebel.

History
The group was formed in March 1990 by a group of friends, namely Dimitris Apostolakis, Dimitris Zacharioudakis, Giorgos Laodikis, Miltos Pashalidis and Kallia Spyridaki. Most of them were then students at the University of Crete. Their discographical debut was in 1991 with the album Chainides that was warmly received by the public. Chainides rapidly grew to seven members and released three more albums before being temporarily dissolved in 1997. One year later, Dimitris Apostolakis and Dimitris Zaharioudakis reinstated the group that was joined by the new members Maria Koti, Alexis Nonis, Periklis Tsoukalas and Antonis Skamnakis.

Over the years, Chainides have collaborated with several well-known musicians and singers. They have performed in several locations both in Greece and abroad and have recorded seven studio albums. In their live performances, Chainides blend their own compositions and songs with new arrangements of themes and songs from traditions such as those of Turkey, Afghanistan and Bulgaria.

Group Members

 * Dimitris Apostolakis - Cretan lyra, vocals
 * Dimitris Zaharioudakis - acoustic guitar, vocals
 * Angeliki Syrkou - vocals
 * Mihalis Nikopoulos - mandolin, bouzouki, laouto
 * Peter Jaques - trumpet, clarinet, ney
 * Mihalis Galanis - drums
 * Giorgos Konstantinou - bass

Discography

 * 1991 - Χαΐνηδες (Chainides)
 * 1993 - Κόσμος κι όνειρο είναι ένα (Kosmos ki oniro ine ena)
 * 1994 - Με κόντρα τον καιρό (Me kontra ton kero)
 * 1997 - Το μεγάλο ταξίδι (To megalo taxidi)
 * 2000 - Ο ξυπόλητος πρίγκηπας (O xipolitos prigipas), double album
 * 2002 - Δελτίο ειδήσεων (Deltio idiseon), 3 songs
 * 2005 - Ο γητευτής και το δρακοδόντι (O giteftis kai to drakodonti), double album
 * 2007 - Ο Καραγκιόζης στη Γιουροβίζιον (O Karagiozis stin Eurovision)
 * 2008 - Η κάθοδος των Σαλτιμπάγκων (I kathodos ton Saltimpagon)
 * 2011 - Αγροκτηνοτροφικά και Μητροπολιτικά (Agroktinotrofika & Mitropolitika), double album

Impact
Chainides have treated the Cretan music tradition with love and respect, considering it as something very much alive rather than a thing of a gone past. The group's success is considered to have paved the road for other young artists to embrace the Cretan music tradition and attempt to enrich it with new elements.