Southern Europe
The sound of Greece
Rebetiko is urban, bruised and closer to the blues than to folk music, and laïkó carried it into the pop era. Both are largely unknown outside the country and neither needs translation to land.
196 artists in the catalog.
What Greece does that nowhere else does
Genres far more common here than across the rest of the catalog. The multiplier is how much more common, weighted by how many artists carry it.
Five records to start with
Not a canon — a way in. Each one links to what it is, who it's for and where to go next.
Greek artists worth walking into
Ordered by how much we can tell you, not just by how well-known they are.
Vicky Leandros
pop music
Where to start →Mikis Theodorakis
laïko · opera
Where to start →Manos Hatzidakis
20th-century classical music · light music
Where to start →Natassa Theodoridou
laïko
Where to start →Vangelis
ambient music · electronic music
Where to start →Helena Paparizou
folk-pop · laïko
Where to start →Marinella
Rebetiko · blues
Where to start →Nana Mouskouri
jazz · pop music
Where to start →Peggy Zina
laïko
Where to start →Haris Alexiou
laïko · éntekhno
Where to start →