Chainides

Chainides (Greek: Χαΐνηδες) is a Cretan folk music group who are inspired by the vast legacy of traditional Cretan music and whose lyrics borrow words from the Cretan Greek dialect. The group's name comes from the word chainis (Greek: χαΐνης), meaning the fugitive rebel.

The group was formed in March 1990 by a group of friends, namely Dimitris Apostolakis, Dimitris Zacharioudakis, Giorgos Laodikis, Miltos Pashalidis and Kallia Spyridaki. Most of them were then students at the University of Crete. Their discographical debut was in 1991 with the album Chainides that was warmly received by the public. Chainides rapidly grew to seven members and released three more albums before being temporarily dissolved in 1997. One year later, Dimitris Apostolakis and Dimitris Zaharioudakis reinstated the group that was joined by the new members Maria Koti, Alexis Nonis, Periklis Tsoukalas and Antonis Skamnakis.

Over the years, Chainides have collaborated with several well-known musicians and singers. They have performed in several locations both in Greece and abroad and have recorded seven studio albums. In their live performances, Chainides blend their own compositions and songs with new arrangements of themes and songs from traditions such as those of Turkey, Afghanistan and Bulgaria.