λπ : a film about Lena Platonos and her music

λπ
(lambda pi)

initials of electronica:
a film about Lena Platonos and her music

A little more than 30 years ago, a little-known artist by the name of Lena Platonos changed the Greek music scene forever with three groundbreaking albums, thanks to which she is now hailed as one of the pioneers of electronica by artists all over the world. The team behind “Lambda Pi”, the film about the making of those benchmark albums, has just launched a crowdfunding campaign to complete the film – head over to their Indiegogo page for the chance to win exclusive perks and collector’s items.

The film
Lena Platonos, a major figure in the Greek music scene who has proven to be ahead of her time in terms of her groundbreaking work in electronica, is now receiving a surge of international attention, thanks to album re-issues and remixes. Both established and up-and-coming artist cite her as a key influence for her experimentations in sound, her eerie lyrics and her unique, uncompromising approach to creating music and art. With the help of collaborators, friends and international musicians of the electronic music scene such as the Red Axes, Alexis Taylor of Hot Chip and Natureboy Flako, the director Cristo Petrou goes back to the time her revolutionary records were made, allowing Lena to reminisce in her own particular way about making these daring albums.

The campaign
The team behind the film needs your help to complete the film, clear some of the music rights and have it travel the world! Support their crowdfunding campaign, on Indiegogo until December 20th, by buying copies of the album re-issues or their testing copies, a valuable collector’s item customized by Lena herself; the film’s digital original soundtrack featuring previously unreleased tracks; official T-shirts; and the chance to watch the film from the comfort of your own home. If you like the project, it’s just a choice of pledge and/or support by sharing it with your friends and acquaintances. And remember – even the smallest gesture goes a long away!

Lena Platonos: a star of electronica 30 years in the making
A bold music composer, gifted pianist and brilliant poet, Lena Platonos was one of the pioneers in the Greek electronic music scene of the 1980s and she remains active today. Born on the island of Crete, she grew up in Athens, where she began learning how to play the piano at the age of two and became a professional pianist before turning eighteen. Soon afterwards, she received a scholarship to study in Vienna and Berlin, where she was exposed to jazz, rock and Middle Eastern music. She returned to Greece in the late 70s releasing 3 collaborative albums between 1981-1983 and then three solo electronic albums in quick succesion (“Sun Masks” in 1984, “Gallop” in 1985, and “Lepidoptera” in 1986), two of which have now been re-issued by prestige US label Dark Entries Records.
Curious about her work? Have a listen on Spotify or iTunes

The soundtrack
Fitting as an accompaniment to a film about an innovative artist, the soundtrack invites you to listen to her work via the imagination and artistry of some of the most exciting electronic acts working today. Alongside the beloved remixes by the Red Axes and Lena Willikens, the OST features previously unreleased tracks by Natureboy Flako, Coti K, Felizol, Old Green Bros and Larry Gus, as well as the long-lost demo for one of Lena’s most important tracks, “Mistaken Love”, that the filmmakers unexpectedly unearthed while researching the film.

The event
The film will world premiere at the Onassis Foundation Cultural Center on December 18th. Following the screening, Lena Platonos will be joined onstage by the great Philip Jeck for an unmissable live event which will combine Lena’s piano playing with his own twist on the three albums highlighted in the film in a “conversation” that will sure prove to be a must for any fan of the scene. The evening will conclude with a DJ set by Josh Cheon, the founder of Dark Entries Records and sought-after DJ.

For more info please visit the campaign page on Indiegogo here and the film’s Facebook page here.