For those who left too early
Για τους μικρούς αγγέλους που ταξίδεψαν νωρίς…
A song for children who died. He wrote it without a word of self-pity, and he put it on his channel like everything else — quietly.
153Videos on his channel
12Singles on Spotify and Apple Music
Οργή κι ΑέραςAlbum, Melon Music Athens
Νυκτών & ΤοξωτώνOrchestra, all over Crete
What he writes about
Parents, homeland, and everything left unsaid
Look at the titles on his channel and you know the man. He writes about the people who raised him, about the village his family comes from, and about goodbyes that came too early.
What we never said, father
ό,τι δεν είπαμε μπαμπά · Οι γονείς μου · Μανουλά μου μην με ξεχνάς
Three songs about his parents. In Greek folk music that is not a private matter — everyone in the room has the same story.
Rodakino
Ροδάκινο · Η πατρίδα μου · Χρώματα της Κρήτης
His family comes from a small village in the south west of Rethymno. He named a song after it, sung by Michalis Alefantinos.
Listen
Start here
Three of his pieces. Nothing loads from YouTube until you press play.
The album, in full
The man
Born in Athens, at home in Crete
His family comes from Rodakino, a village in the mountains above the Libyan Sea. He grew up in Athens and has been playing since he was a boy. Today he lives in Malia and runs a guest house there with his brother — the music happens alongside, and has done so for decades.
He plays the island laouto, tuned differently from the Cretan one, as well as bouzouki and tzouras. He composes, and for some songs he writes the words himself. When a lyric arrives, he reads it until an image appears, and the melody follows the image.
His son Nikos plays too, and comes along when the family makes music.
Λαούτο · laoutoΜπουζούκι · bouzoukiΤζουράς · tzouras
Together with
His songs are sung by people you know
He writes, others sing. That is how it has been from the start — and the list is longer than his follower count suggests.
Βασίλης ΣκουλάςVasilis Skoulas
Παντελής ΘαλασσινόςPantelis Thalassinos
Βασίλης ΠαπακωνσταντίνουVasilis Papakonstantinou
Χαράλαμπος ΓαργανουράκηςCharalampos Garganourakis
Γιώργος ΑντωνογιαννάκηςGiorgos Antonogiannakis
Μιχάλης ΑλεφαντινόςMichalis Alefantinos
Στέλλα ΚανετάκηStella Kanetaki
Μιχάλης ΚακέπηςMichalis Kakepis
And every year with the orchestra
He is a regular member of „Νυκτών & Τοξωτών Οργάνων" under Michalis Marakomichelakis. The ensemble plays across Crete and as far north as Thessaloniki. The lyrics come from writers such as Sarantis Alivizatos and Nikos Kampanos.
November 2021
They recorded it in the middle of the street in Heraklion.
„Βασιλιάς της Μοναξιάς" — King of Loneliness. Music and lyrics by him, sung by Stella Kanetaki, Iraklis Markatatos and Fotis Kotzantampanlis, with Giorgos Bitzanakis on the lyra. No studio, no second take: the group set up in the open and played. The Greek music press picked it up.
Watch itAnd then this
He also writes songs for children
„Ζαχαροζαχαρένια" with Michalis Marakomichelakis, plus a whole row of children's songs on his channel: sugar and chocolate, happy ducklings, a boy who loved dinosaurs. Written with the same care as everything else.
To his channel
Releases
Twelve singles and an album
All available on Spotify and Apple Music, distributed by Melon Music, Athens.
Written about him
In the Greek press
„A sensitive creator. Quality is the first thing in everything he writes — he is not after commercial success, but after songs that last."
Rethemnos Live · rethemnos.gr
„A new release: King of Loneliness, music and lyrics by Giorgos Loukakis — recorded in the street of Heraklion by a local group."
Polis Magazino
„He plays the island laouto, reads the lyrics until he sees an image, and writes the melody to that image."
From the portrait, Rethemnos Live
Contact
For singers, organisers and anyone who wants a song
He writes for other voices. If you are looking for a composition, or would like the orchestra for an evening, get in touch — the fastest way is a message on Facebook or Instagram.
Releases are distributed by Melon Music in Athens.