At the beginning of the 20th century, Europe was living in peace and prosperity. The "Belle Époque" was an outgrowth of previous important historical events and developments. The networks that were created and which evolved funneled both people and their products, tangible and intangible. It was within this multi-layered world that sound recording and sound reproduction was invented. Cosmopolitanism in large urban centers favored polystylisms and polymorphisms. Colonialism, revolutions, conflicts, refugee flows; the theater, cinema, radio, photography, orchestras’ tours, but also releases in all kinds of commercial channels in a world that evolved dynamically and anisotropically formed a complex network of "centers" and "peripheries" in alternating roles setting musical idioms in motion, both literally and figuratively. The networks in which the Greek-speaking musics participate, constantly conversing with their co-tenants, are magnificent. Discography had already provided important tools in understanding the relationships that developed between "national" repertoires. Within these networks, already existing tendencies and aesthetic currents are often created or integrated, especially during the period when the phenomenon of sound recording and reproduction takes on commercial, mass and universal dimensions. A typical example is exoticism, as manifested in its various representations.

It has been encountered in the European vocabulary since the end of the 16th century, although its widespread prevalence as a trend was associated with the colonial imperialism of the 19th century (Netto, 2015: 13). Since then, the term has incorporated various levels of interpretation of anything deemed as "Other". Its meaning concerns, on the one hand, the characteristics of that which is outside the sphere of identity and, on the other hand, the attraction exerted by that which has such characteristics. The widespread acceptance of the phenomenon of exoticism is obvious: the multidimensional linguistic, musical and visual production wealth accumulated around and within exoticism created a common stock of knowledge that perpetually feeds the collective and individual imaginary.

Focusing on the modern Greek communities, we find very early established traces of exoticism in poetry and literature, which are quickly transferred to the theater, enriched in terms of their visual and dramatic texture. The explosion of popular forms of spectacle and mass entertainment in the 20th century will radiate their reach. In Greece, among all artistic fields, the most persistent and most obvious presence of exoticism is found in popular song. In the era of discography, the advance of exoticism is irresistible and leaves a very strong imprint. However much it seems to be defined by the principle of "locality", exoticism is a global aesthetic constant, a "common" language of the new age strongly marked by modernism and inscribed in a complex and lengthy process of osmosis among "national" musics, which produces repertoires with "ecumenical" or global characteristics.

The places represented in exoticism, that is, the East, Latin America, Spain, Hawaii, are par excellence imaginary, disconnected from the real world. They are revealed like a theatrical stage, with alternating scenes, where fantasies are dramatized, overwhelm the senses and release intense emotions, offering the "visitor" an ideal experience, outside the limitations of the conventional world: an eternal feast, pleasures, adventure.

Hawaiian orchestras are one of the first recording trends that gained international recognition and for almost a decade constituted a particularly dynamic drive in the field of elafro (light music) and defined its aesthetics. The popularity of the Hawaiian (lap steel) guitar integrated the instrument in orchestras beyond those that were purely "Hawaiian", producing new mixtures; in this new context, without losing its exotic character, the instrument was used in the representations of the Latin world and the Gypsies.

The characteristic instrumental and performative peculiarities of the Hawaiian guitar, the slide and the vibrato, produce a constant major mode atmosphere; the minor one is not absent, but occurs clearly less often. This contributes to a sense of sweet relaxation and festive laziness, that the lyrics of the songs help build in the first place. This mood is supported by choirs that often engage in demanding polyphonic renditions, with complex harmonies and contrapuntal movements. Imaginary Hawaii is set outside the modern world, but also close to it, making it the ideal destination for temporary escapes. It is described as a marine paradise with tropical characteristics.

Greek-speaking discography welcomes the dreamy shores and exotic islands of Hawaii in the late 1920s, following the dictates of a trend that has already dominated the USA since the beginning of the century. "The soft heavenly melodies, framed by Hawaiian guitars and smooth voices, were something dreamlike, bringing peace and tranquility to the heart of even the most neurotic person. It was something unprecedented for the time" (Polymeris, 2003: 36-37).

The Cypriot composer and guitarist Aristarchos Dimitriou appears in historical discography with the following orchestras: Dimitriou Hawaiian (lap steel) guitars, Dimitriou-Bezos Hawaiian guitars and Dimitriou Quartet. It is probable that he was the first to bring Hawaiian guitars to Greece (Polymeris, 2003: 36). He also published a manual on how to learn Hawaiian guitars called New Practical Method of Learning How to Play the Hawaiian Guitar Without a Teacher.

Other important representatives of the Hawaiian guitar are Kostas Bezos’ "Aspra Poulia" (white birds), the orchestra of Zozef Korinthios and "Oi boem" (the Bohemians) of Giannis Vellas. Alongside the domestic bands, Hawaiian orchestras abroad are also active: In Asia Minor, after the end of the First World War, Joe Puni tours. Touring Europe for eight years, Tau and Rose Moe's orchestra in the mid-1930s performs in Greece, plays on the radio, and offers guitar lessons.

The Greek orchestras playing Hawaiian music, in addition to the musical standards of the American orchestras, also adopt the way they dress. The "Aspra Poulia" and the orchestra of Zozef Korinthios choose to dress in white (like the genre's popular US exponents, "King" Bennie Nawahi and Sol Hoopii), and the "Bohemians" are photographed wearing an unspecified type of folklore attire.

Regarding this recording, the slow tempo and long melodic developments define the light and relaxed atmosphere of exotic Hawaii. The harmonization between the voices in the singing parts and between the instruments in the instrumental ones leave a strong imprint on the identity of the resulting acoustic environment. The above characteristics of the performative style in "Chavaneziki nostalgia" (Hawaiian nostalgia) constitute a common aesthetic direction of Hawaiian orchestras during the 1930s in Greek discography (see the song Nychta sti Chonoloulou, for example).

In the presentation and reviewing of new record releases column "Neoi diskoi grammofonou" (New gramophone records), which was hosted in the monthly music magazine Mousiki Zoi (Musical Life) (issue 7, April 30, 1931, page 161) and written by "Th. D.—is", the present recording is also presented, among others. Among other things, the writer's comment regarding the "clear recording" is of particular interest, something that seems to be a rarity in this category of articles. The commentary, that is, on the quality of the recording, something that can be perceived immediately upon listening to the particular record: "The friends of the Hawaiian (lap steel) guitar shall not neglect to buy the 'Hawaiian song' with music by Dimitriou and performed by the brilliant quartet of the same Dimitriou. It is a delicate performance, a clear recording and, above all, sung with great finesse".

Research and text: George Evangelou, Leonardos Kounadis and Nikos Ordoulidis