Pearl
May Roosevelt returns with her new album "Pearl".
In the ten compositions of her fifth album, for the first time her synthesizers blend with the sounds of a classical string quartet. The album merges elements of neoclassical music and romantic electronica as the glistening sound of the theremin takes the lead, uniting this atmospheric sonic ensemble, in dialogue with May Roosevelt's gentle vocals, or solo, forming its own ethereal worlds.
A dive into the sound waves of May Roosevelt's music, leads us to the exploration of inner places and the discovery of all the precious elements that have been created there.
Music written, recorded, arranged & produced by May Roosevelt
Mixed by Christos Megas & May Roosevelt / Strings recorded by Christos Megas /
Drums recorded at Polytropon Studio / Mastered by Christos Megas
Theremin, Violin, Synths, Percussion (track 6), Vocals: May Roosevelt / Violin: Marina Shelkova, Kyrill Volkov / Viola: Kyrill Volkov / Cello: Maria Hristova / Double Bass: Iraklis Iosifidis / Drums (track 5): Thanos Kazantzis
Artwork by Maria Pseftoga / noon design
FORMAT: Digital
LABEL: Self Released
DATE: 2023
STREAM
SPOTIFY
APPLE MUSIC
AMAZON MUSIC
DEEZER
TIDAL
YOUTUBE MUSIC
JUNEA
May Roosevelt marked her return in 2017 with her album titled «Junea», coming out on October 23rd via Inner Ear. Junea is a heroine of the modern digital world, where reality meets fiction through bridges made of electronic sounds and pixels. Musically, it could be said that she is an alter ego of May Roosevelt, adding new qualities to the artist’s existing musical identity. In the world of Junea synthesizers rule, creating a multi-layered sound environment of crystal sounds and rhythmic beats. Ethereal vocals and encrypted lyrics lead to a parallel dreamy, three-dimensional universe that mirrors the artist’s exploration into new musical coordinates.
Music written, arranged, produced & performed by May Roosevelt / Mixed by Christos Megas / Mastered by Sweetspot Studios / Artwork by Maria Pseftoga / noon design
︎“May Roosevelt’s exploratory darkwave is totally cosmic” THE FADER PREMIERS TRACK “AIR”
︎ “Voices warp and overlap in “Flowers” to give the impression that there are many more inhabiting this plane, but by the end, it feels lonely, and perhaps even like it were a distant, half-lucid dream.” Grimmy Goods
︎ “The whole thing is a bit of a cerebral trip. It’s definitely a release to consider as we get deeper into spooky season.” EARMILK
︎ “Quelque part en Grèce, May Roosevelt écrit le futur de la pop synthétique. Humaine après tout.” Le Drone
︎ JUNEA on Lifo’s 20 Favourite Albums of the Decade2010-2020 LIFO
LABEL: Inner Ear
DATE: 2017
FORMAT: LP / DIGITAL
ORDER
180 gram LP (incl. cd version):
INNER EAR RECORDS
BANDCAMP
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YOUTUBE
AIR
キラキラ
PA
BE
TRACK 03
Music
to the poetry
of Ntinos Christianopoulos
The album consists of 10 musical compositions inspired by the poetry of Ntinos Christianopoulos, in which the composer dovetails her music with the simultaneous recitation of the poems by the poet himself; thus, Roosevelt highlights the emotional resonance of his poetry, through her own musical interpretation.
Her compositions, based on the piano, are enriched by the theremin, the most characteristic feature of May Roosevelt’s music. Lyrical melodies, elements of Greek folk-pop music and Byzantine church hymns are blended, thus echoing the literary pseudonym of the poet: “Christianopoulos” (the christian child), and capturing both the confessional aspect of his poetry and his existential angst.
︎[...] Her piano-based compositions also are infused by the traditions of Greek
folk music and Byzantine church hymns, which similarly lend her music a
highly personalized quality. She's also someone who brings an
above-average degree of imagination to her work [...] TEXTURA
︎Greek Album of the Year 2013 SONIK/AVOPOLIS MAGAZINE
︎50 Best Albums of the Decade 2010-2020 AVOPOLIS.GR
LABEL: IANOS PUBLICATIONS
FORMAT: CD
DATE: 2013
ORDER
Lotus Record Shop
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YOUTUBEMIXED BY CHISTOS MEGAS & MAY ROOSEVELT.
MASTERED BY CHISTOS MEGAS. WATERCOLOR ILLUSTRATIONS BY STELIOS PSEFTOGAS.
ARTWORK BY MARIA PSEFTOGA / NOON DESIGN
HAUNTED
The strange musical case of May Roosevelt
May Roosevelt’s album “Haunted” opens doors to phantoms of the past. The work’s eight musical compositions are supernatural entities of modern technology that hover in the air, bursting open the chest of rustic tradition only to be transformed into rhythms of Greek dances. Following “Panda, a story about love and fear”, composer and thereminist May Roosevelt uncovers a dark and reclusive universe defined by motion and dance. “Haunted” starts with the zeibekiko dance rhythm in ‘The Unicorn Died’, which was composed and presented for the first time in London at the Red Bull Music Academy in February 2010. The original idea evolved through an intense speculation about the place held by traditional Greek rhythms in the canon of Greek electronic music. This exploration subsequently led to the creative transformation of eight different Greek dances presented in “Haunted”.
The Theremin, a very complex instrument yet absolutely submissive to the hands of May Roosevelt, was used to create a plethora of curious sounds ranging from wind and stringed instruments to an imitation of human voice. The Theremin’s unique sound also shifted from a bagpipe (in ‘Oomph’) to a Pontic Lyre (in ‘Mass Extermination’), and from a clarinet (in ‘Vow’) into a violin (in ‘Dark the Night’). Through the use of electronic beats to form each rhythm alongside synthesizers and vocals, May Roosevelt attempts to embed anew Greek musical idioms within contemporary music while retaining all their respectable characteristics. The title “Haunted” – inspired by the idea of hauntology, introduced by French philosopher Jacques Derrida – defines the concept and underscores the character of the compositions: The phantoms of the past and the spirit of future, mingled, haunt the music of May Roosevelt.
FORMAT: CD / DIGITAL
LABEL: Self Released
DATE: 2011
ORDER
Lotus Record Shop
STREAM
iTunes
MIXED BY ION .
MASTERED BY GIORGOS NOMIKOS & NIKOS DIAMANTOPOULOS.
ARTWORK BY NOON DESIGN.
Panda,
A Story About Love & Fear
Embarking from the ethereal tradition of Clara Rockmore, the composer and performer May Roosevelt guides the listener through 8 songs dealing with the mysterium tremendum. “Panda, a story about love and fear” is a concept album that narrates a story of a girl that is afraid of almost everything. Will she be able to overcome her weaknesses and embrace the assuring love of a panda or will her fears rule out any chance of happiness? This modern fairytale unravels through a musical dialect comprising unique vocals, English lyrics and a complex of electronic soundscapes.
The eight original compositions stem from the esoteric quest for a dreamworld and define its obscure innocence. The production infiltrates the contemporary r’n’b and pop esthetics with sonic nuances of industrial electronica, screamo while leaving enough aural space for the omnipresent and otherworldly cry of the Theremin. May Roosevelt delivers an album where she maps out a path for refining not only the genre of electronica, and the ethereal frequencies but also the possibilities offered by a home studio recording, in complete absence of physical instruments. “Panda” was recorded in total by May herself; a painstaking process where at times she had to cope with broken hard drives, loss of files and other unfortunate surprises. In parallel to her music career, May Roosevelt works as a graphic designer. The EP’s artwork is designed by herself and is fully attuned to the music.
FORMAT: CD
LABEL: CooRecords
DATE: 2009
MIXED BY ANASTASIOS PAPALIAS.
MASTERED BY EPAVLIS PAVLAKIS.
ARTWORK BY NOON DESIGN.
