LA MAMOYNIA

What in 1999 started as a Psycho-Industrial project ends up anno 2004 and 2 demo releases later with a self-titled debut album categorized as Electro Darkwave.
Hailing from Italy LA MAMOYNIA consists of 3 Italian gents and one Greek cat putting all their influences in one pot, melting them to an intriguing chaosium. Early Psycho-Industrial influences can be found as well as (post)Punk elements by singer Dimitri and lately discovered possibilities of electronic sounds. So you can say the current line-up consists of – multifunctional – 2 bass players, 3 programmer and 2 percussionists, and the singer of course.
La Mamoynia is strange, cumbersome, exotic, drawing its inspiration from the early 80’s and heroes such as Fad Gadet, Joy Division and Cabaret Voltaire. Sounds are monotone and minimalist, somber and self-destroying. There are recurrent bleeps and samples, seemingly made by an old Atari, but also melancholic and wavy guitar melodies as in To Lyknisma, many percussion improvisations and even a violin as in Ola Gri. Arrangements are quite often disharmonious, just crazy or even running against each other. Some tracks are totally freaking out (Walk In Silence), other ones quite cool (Ta Macheria Mou and I Anixi Emoraghi). Lyrics are in English, Italian and Greek.
Above all singer Dimitris voice is floating. He seems not to be from this world. He suffers and demands, he drives you crazy. His voice has something brute and fragile at the same time.
Production is quite lame, many elements and especially the singing is too much in the foreground, suppressing other sound collages.
Nevertheless: an interesting debut album! Check it out!