What is Rebetiko? (A thread)

In 1923, 2 million Greek refugees (who had never lived in Greece) came to Greece from Asia Minor

They moved into the city slums and brought their eastern style music with them

Drugs, prostitution and crime were themes in their songs AND lives

It wasn’t always like this. Many of the Greek refugees had thriving businesses back in Turkey and lived better than most Greeks in Greece. However after many wars and the population exchange of 1922, every Greek in Turkey had to leave suddenly, taking whatever they could carry

When they arrived in Greece, the refugees were subject to much abuse. They were fluent in Turkish as well as Greek. Their dialect of Greek was different so they were seen as Turks. The derogatory name “tourkosporoi” (Turkish seed) was used to insult them.

The refugees, now living in slums tried to recreate the tavernas they used to socialize in back in places like Smyrna. They played music but there were more drugs and social problems than before. They became an unwanted underclass overnight and over a 1/4 died in the first year

The harsh realities of live in the slums changed the subject matter of the music which was different tot the music they used to play back in Turkey. Instead of heartbreak, the subjects changed to drugs, crime, prison and womanizing. Rebetiko was officially born

The main instrument in rebetiko is the bouzouki which originates from the Turkish saz. The musicians (mostly Greeks from Smyrna) performed in underground tavernas which were named Tekes (a Turkish word). In the Tekes people smoked hashish and watched the Rebetis play

Since the emergence of the modern Greek state, the middle/upper classes leaned towards European music and looked down on the Rebetiko music. Just like how rap was associated with American ghettos, rebetiko was associated with the Greek refugee ghettos

This eastern sounding music was clearly threatening to the upper / middle class and particularly to Prime minister Metaxas, as it was a reminder of the Turkish influence on his country. The ruthless dictator was determined to crack down on Rebetiko and actually made it illegal

Even though Rebetiko was illegal, the culture thrived and the musicians continued to play for audiences illegally. The divide between the “European” upper class Greeks and the Anatolian refugee lower class Greeks grew.

The police used to raid the Tekes often

Rebetiko remained underground until it became commercialized and developed into laiko which is the sound of modern pop music. Just like salsa in Latin America, a music born out of struggle became a national treasure. Sadly man pioneers died from overdoses before Rebetikos success

This movie is a very good insight on the emergence of Rembetiko. It came out in 1983 and is a little slow in parts but it’s a great tool to understand what life was like then and how rebetiko was born

More on rebetiko https://twitter.com/dias/status/1302172197893689344