Costis Nikiforakis “Black Athena” (GR)

Black Athena are a DJ duo, a radio show and more recently a record label, conceived in and around the centre of Athens during the first decade of the millennium. The Black Athena philosophy is as much about the local as it is about the global. In an underground music field that increasingly is about A&Ring music directly from the internet and creating labels spearheaded by artists already accepted as “cool”, Black Athena is all about having a personal ‘real’ connection with the artists, helping develop them and putting them on a global stage. In a country that has been plagued by uncertainty and financial instability, Black Athena believe that it is paramount to put young people at the forefront and help them succeed through their creativity and love for music. Their recipe is the same across all the media they work with: black music, past present and future. The sound of Black Athena is as much about the sound of contemporary US rap as expressed by Kendrick Lamar, Drake and A$ap Rocky, as it is about the Deep House blueprint of Moodymann and Theo Parrish. It is as much about Wiley, Skepta and D Double E as it is about Prince, Marvin Gaye, Prince Jammy & Chic. Saying that they wouldn’t even have second thoughts about releasing or playing an unheard 1970s Synth record, or an 80s New Wave band. Music is music, and they love good music!