Official koreydrography

Some called it a wonder of nature

Kore. Ydro. were formed in Corfu, Greece, during the autumn of 1993 by 15-year-old schoolmates Pantelis Dimitriadis, Giorgos Arvanitakis, Spiros Katagis and Teos Pairamidis (the last one was dropped right after the first cassette release, in 1994). Not many listeners appreciated their extravagance of unrefined, "no-fi" home recordings of trash aesthetics, but word about the group began to spread from mouth to mouth, with extra help from its peculiar "live appearances", "raw" video clips and humorous short "films". [You can find more information and plenty of material from the group's first era in the site's dedicated section.]

This first period of Kore. Ydro., now recanted in its biggest part, continued with some changes in the original line up of the band; Konstantinos Amygdalos joined in 1997 while Spiros Katagis quitted in 2000, after 7 years of inexhaustible output with the band. In 2001, pianist/bassist/multi-instrumentalist (and by that time only real Kore. Ydro. fan) Alexandros Makris took over, creating Kore. Ydro. ’s music core with Dimitriadis and marking a new era for the group, as this is illustrated in the self-produced official debut If All Ever Ended Here [An Ola Telionan Edo (Αν Όλα Τέλειωναν Εδώ)], released in March 2003 by the legendary greek independent label Wipe Out Records in 515 copies, receiving critical acclaim from the greek press. The free download-only mini album Seven Months Later [Efta Mines Meta (Εφτά Μήνες Μετά)] , including outtakes from the If All Ever Ended Here sessions as well as later recordings, followed seven months later. February 2004 saw the release of the first official Kore. Ydro. video (also produced by the group) for the song "Your Kindness" [I Kalossini Sou (Η Καλοσύνη Σου)], the highlight of If All Ever Ended Here.

In August 2004 the group faced the biggest crisis of its history, reaching the threshold of breaking-up. The intensity caused in the collaboration of its two leading members (Dimitriadis and Makris) was a natural result of organisational and other problems (military duties, financial difficulties, trouble in finding permanent collaborators for live performances, poor commercial acceptance of If All Ever Ended Here).
The good will and mainly the knowing of the new material's importance, intended for the forthcoming Kore. Ydro. album, contributed to the quick overcome of the crisis, that automatically meant the beginning of a number of unexpected positive developments for the group, culminating in the agreement with record company EMI Greece in September 2005 for the album's release, which had already been recorded in the group’s home studio in Corfu by Dimitriadis, Makris and three new members - friends and casual Kore. Ydro. collaborators from the past - who in the meantime had joined the band: drummer Alexis Apostolidis (05.2004) and guitarists Spiros Spirakos (01.2005) and Nickos Varotsis (05.2005), exempting Arvanitakis and Amygdalos from their musical obligations and leaving them free to concentrate on the group’s visual arts activities, which was always their main subject.

The second "proper" Kore. Ydro. album Cheap Pop for the Elite [Ftini Pop ya tin Elit (Φτηνή ποπ για την Ελίτ)], a traditionally self-production of sub-standard budget, was released in February 2006 under EMI's Capitol label, in a successful occasion of DIY attitude and ambition. The record received enthusiastic reviews by the greek music press and unexpected commercial success, reaching #21 on the official greek album chart, while the first single/video (produced and directed by the group) "No More Affairs" [Ochi Pia Erotes (Όχι Πια Έρωτες)] became an unexpected hit.

In March 2006 Kore. Ydro. appeared live for the first time in Athens (Gagarin 205), while it had already been made official the collaboration of the group with bass player Panagiotis Diamantis, who directed the second video from Cheap Pop for the Elite, for the song "Now that I Do not Have Anyone" [Tora pou den Eho Kanenan (Τώρα που Δεν Έχω Κανέναν)] in June 2006. The band-directed video for "The Lovers of Nothing" [Oi Erastes tou Tipota (Οι Εραστές του Τίποτα)] followed in November 2006, while in the same month, Cheap Pop for the Elite was named by greek music magazine SONIK "the most important greek album of the decade up to now". Kore. Ydro. live appearances climaxed precisely one year after the release of CPftE with their second performance in Gagarin 205 [February 2007] in front of a fanatic audience and with an impact that renders the particular gig a peak in the band's history. It was followed by a mini-tour -the first in the group's history- in Greece.

During 2008 all the lately recruited members left or were gradually alienated from the group (Panagiotis Diamantis due to completion of his studies and his permanent departure from Corfu). Since then Kore. Ydro. continue as a duo again, (always and ever) with the assistance of the visual arts duo Arvanitakis-Amygdalos and the minor (in age only) drummer Fivos Anthis.

The third official Kore. Ydro. album The Whole Truth about the Children of '78 [Oli i Alithia ya ta Pedia tou '78 (Όλη η Αλήθεια για τα Παιδιά του '78)] was released in April 2009 on CD by Capitol/EMI. A collector’s double LP edition followed three months later, on the independent Inner Ear.

 

press release [PDF]