Folk Archives - Hot Soap Recording Studios

Copper Mine – Hot Soap Live Intimate Sessions # 10 (EP)

Manager — Fri, 19 Sep 2025 19:05:16 +0000

Recorded, mixed and produced by Andreas Matheou at Hot Soap Studios in Summer of 2025
Mastered by Bari Hadjikyriakou
Release: EP ”Hot Soap Intimate Sessions # 10”
Written by: Copper Mine

Singer songwriter and guitarist Marc Zagar’s (Copper Mine) earliest and most lasting musical influences came from exploring as a teenager his older sister’s record collection and discovering the likes of Bob Dylan, JJ Cale, Dire Straits, the Beatles and Bob Marley. He later came to love other genres including jazz, Latino and opera. He sees songs as a great way of capturing moments in time.

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Pinwheel Valley – Someway (Single)

Manager — Wed, 03 Sep 2025 09:15:45 +0000

Recorded by Qais Khoury / Mixed by Andreas Matheou – at Hot Soap Studios in Spring of 2025.
Mastered by Robb R
Release: Single ”Someway”
Written by Pinwheel Valley
Cover Art by Alex Pap

Pinwheel Valley has released their new single titled ‘Someway’ via Hot Soap Records. Brilliant guitar work amid poetic and signature vocals, ‘Someway’ somehow hits all the feels with a minimalist approach and original style.

Pinwheel Valley is the brainchild of Qais Khoury. An introvert with introspection, Qais is one of those rare artists who channels his life experiences with bravado and flair, all within the feeling of the moment and the scope of an eternity.

“I wrote ‘Someway’ as a tender plea, woven with threads of hope and longing. It reflects the ache of separation (whether physical, emotional, or spiritual) and the profound yearning for reconnection. In an age defined by instant, hypermodern communication, I found myself gazing out to sea, inspired by a bygone era when messages in bottles carried words of love across vast, uncertain distances. The song captures that sense of remoteness and the fragility of faith in a bond that may still endure. In this light, the refrain “know I’ll find it someway” becomes an unyielding anchor of hope.”
Qais

– Jammerzine (August 2025)

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Kontovourkis & Co. – Avril Mesimeri (Single)

admin — Fri, 02 Aug 2024 09:57:06 +0000

Recorded and mixed by Andreas Matheou – at Hot Soap Studios in Summer of 2024.
Release: Single ”Avril Mesimeri”
Written by: Michalis and Panayiota Kontovourkis

Tender words of affection, softly strummed guitar strings, and sunset-tinged dreams of
tomorrow: Cypriot outfit Kontovourkis & Co.’s new number, ‘Avrio Mesimeri’ is a summertime
chanson that nods to technicolor romance serenades of 1970s Mediterranea. Translated to
“Tomorrow Noon,” the love song follows on from the septet’s country-teased debut single ‘Long
Way to Nirvana’, and features brother-sister duo Michalis and Panayiota Kontovourkis sharing
main vocals atop of a rocking rumba beat and gliding horns.

The song tells the tale of two lovers awaiting their escape the following day to embark on a
journey dedicating their lives to one another. They pledge to meet at the pier at noon, yet both
temper their hopes, wary of what may arise should either be overcome with a change of heart.
“Its a song filled with hope and the possibility of future joy. One simple step, physical and
metaphorical, will set them on a united life-changing adventure; but its a step that requires great
courage and conviction from them both,” explains the band.

With ‘Avrio Mesimeri’ sung in Greek and following ‘Long Way to Nirvana’’s anglophone release –
both penned by Anglo-Italian Cypriot Duncan McCowan – Kontovourkis & Co. lay bare their
bilingual makeup, offering a vista into the liminal soundworlds of their homeland in Cyprus, the
sonic landscape of which has taken shape by the slew of empires reigning over the island
across the millennia and its fast-forwarding into a globalised today. In ‘Long Way to Nirvana’,
Kontovourkis & Co.’s endearingly jovial energy makes it hard not to stomp your feet in time with
the freewheeling skiffle tune. In ‘Avrio Mesimeri’, the swaying rhythm of the track and unrefined
warmth of the siblings’ vocals lull the lyrics’ bittersweet qualms with a nostalgic glow, gliding
above the track’s background of acoustic guitar strums that intertwine with the trumpet’s
resonances and rays of electric guitar that twinkle like sun glitter.

Formed in 2016 by Michalis Kontovourkis, a key figure in Larnaca’s music hub on the southeast
coast of Cyprus, Kontovourkis & Co. honed their sound through their live gigs, drawing
inspiration from foundational artists across the rock, singer-songwriter, and indie genres
spectrum. After turning heads on the island with his solo 2018 singer-songwriter album “Ap tin
Arxi”, Michalis spearheaded Kontovourkis & Co.’s formation as its band members offered more
creative direction to the songs. Marking the band’s debut is a string of three singles written by
McCowan, who himself brings along his musical past from London’s roots busking scene of the
1980s.

‘Avrio Mesimeri’ is a sea-sprayed ode to hopes and dreams for the future, drifting between the
band’s own yearning of escape from a secluded island and settling into the solace of the
familiar, much like the bittersweet ebb and flow of the Mediterranean waters that surround them.

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Pinwheel Valley – Reverie (EP)

Manager — Thu, 04 Jul 2024 09:50:47 +0000

Recorded by Andreas Matheou / Co. Produced & Mixed by Qais Khoury & Andreas Matheou – at Hot Soap Studios in Winter of 2023.
Mastered by Ryan M
Release: EP ”Reverie”
Written by Pinwheel Valley
Cover Art by Alica Cao Illustrations

Having long found inspiration in the likes of Jeff Buckley, Thom Yorke and Fink, singer-songwriter Qais is a white-heat intensity in Pinwheel Valley’s panoptic sound, as the rising dynamo in the making (with Stef Meletiou on drums & Max Daniels on bass) strike both sonically & lyrically with iridescent and pastel aural-tones. As do Palace, Half Moon Run or Art of Sleeping, the cluster melds the genre blends of Indie Soul, Mellow Alternative Rock and Folktronica with fingerprint intricacy. A group that has evolved profoundly over the years, having toured throughout Vancouver, Toronto and Seattle in 2016 and 2017, received numerous accolades such as a Canadian Best Out of Province nomination at the 13th Toronto Independent Music Awards, and landed acclaim in the archives of pivotal blogs like Clash Magazine, Earmilk and Music News, Pinwheel Valley holds firm in belief. In 2020, they joined the London Indie sync licensing roster, North Note, and in 2020 were invited to a prestigious show by BBC Radio London host Robert Elms for their seminal 2018 single, Take Me Home. More recent notable achievements include Best Music Video wins for ‘Abduction’ and ‘Willow’ at the 2023 New York Movie Awards, Vegas Movie Awards, Swedish International Film Awards, and Russia’s HALO International Film Festival. Currently, the group continues to work on their profoundly explorative music out of their home base island in the Mediterranean. A place encircled by water on all sides, their only wait out proves to be none other than a steady rise up.

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Kontovourkis & Co. – Long Way to Nirvana (Single)

Manager — Tue, 25 Jun 2024 20:01:07 +0000

Recorded and mixed by Andreas Matheou – at Hot Soap Studios in Winter of 2024.
Release: Single ”Long Way to Nirvana”
Written by: Michalis and Panayiota Kontovourkis

Kontovourkis & Co. debut with freewheeling country-teased single ‘Long Way to Nirvana’

Cypriot band Kontovourkis & Co. are what you’d least expect to find belting out country tunes à
la skiffle craze of yesteryears that invaded the island’s former reigning empire – yet their debut
‘Long Way to Nirvana’ is a love story that recalls just that era and carries an ungovernable
joviality that’s hard not to kick your shoes off and dance to. Slated for release on 29 March
2024, ‘Long Way to Nirvana’ is an uncomplicated bluegrass jaunt that holds a foot-stomping
pulse and is accompanied by a music video capturing the band revelling in music’s conviviality.
The story of Kontovourkis & Co. begins in Larnaca’s southeast coast of the much-coveted island
of Cyprus, a country not quite in any of the three continents it intersects, with local dialects that
aren’t quite Greek or Turkish, and with a cultural identity long effaced by more conquerors
across the millenia than its fellow EU members can bear to admit. Yet rather than succumb to
overworn PR stunts of anthems of resistance or exotic folk-psychedelic fuzz fusion, the band
take things as they come, liberated by any sounds that bring music to their ears. With their
‘Long Way to Nirvana’, its harmonica-powered engine and rowdy rendering, Kontovourkis & Co.
are befitting just that.

Formed in 2016 by Michalis Kontovourkis, a key figure in Larnaca’s music hub, Kontovourkis & Co. honed their sound through their live gigs, drawing inspiration from foundational artists
across the rock, singer-songwriter, and indie genres spectrum. After turning heads on the island
with his 2018 singer-songwriter album ‘Ap tin Arxi’, Michalis spearheaded Kontovourkis & Co.’s
formation as its band members offered more creative direction to the songs. Marking
Kontovourkis & Co.’s debut, the band is releasing a string of three singles penned by harmonica
player Duncan McCowan, who himself brings along his musical past in London’s roots busking
scene of the 1980s. Led by ‘Long Way to Nirvana’, the band will follow with ‘Avrio Mesimeri’ – a
Mediterranean chanson about two star-crossed lovers, and singer-songwriter number ‘Last
Farewell,’ out this Spring.

The song expresses the universal, farcical dilemma arising when an unsophisticated guy falls
for an enlightened, cultivated woman. He’s panic-stricken, but ready to sacrifice his world to
reach hers. There’s an endearing vulnerability about him, and an alluring, charismatic charm
about her, explain the band.

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Copper Mine – Barrow (EP)

Manager — Thu, 04 Jan 2024 11:44:50 +0000

Recorded, mixed and produced by Andreas Matheou at Hot Soap Studios in Winter of 2023
Mastered by Bari Hadjikyriakou
Release: EP ”Barrow”
Written by: Copper Mine

The post Copper Mine – Barrow (EP) appeared first on Hot Soap Recording Studios.

Copper Mine – Ghost Town (EP)

Manager — Tue, 11 Jul 2023 10:08:59 +0000

Recorded, mixed and produced by Andreas Matheou at Hot Soap Studios in Summer of 2023
Mastered by Bari Hadjikyriakou
Release: EP ”Ghost Town”
Written by: Copper Mine

Singer songwriter and guitarist Copper Mine’s earliest and most lasting musical influences came from exploring as a teenager his older sister’s record collection and discovering the likes of Bob Dylan, JJ Cale, Dire Straits, the Beatles and Bob Marley. He later came to love other genres including jazz, Latino and opera. He sees songs as a great way of capturing moments in time.

Backed by none other than Andreas Matheou on guitars, Andreas Antoniou on bass, Kyriakos Costa on keys and Julien Koukides on drums, the upcoming quintet is a force to be reckoned with.

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Copper Mine – Calumet & Mountaineer (EP)

Manager — Mon, 03 Jul 2023 14:03:59 +0000

Recorded, mixed and produced by Andreas Matheou at Hot Soap Studios in Summer of 2023
Mastered by Bari Hadjikyriakou
Release: EP ”Calumet & Mountaineer (acoustic versions)”
Written by: Copper Mine

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Copper Mine – Calumet (EP)

Manager — Mon, 03 Jul 2023 13:02:06 +0000

Recorded, mixed and produced by Andreas Matheou at Hot Soap Studios in Summer of 2023
Mastered by Bari Hadjikyriakou
Release: EP ”Calumet”
Written by: Copper Mine

The post Copper Mine – Calumet (EP) appeared first on Hot Soap Recording Studios.

Copper Mine – Silver Spiders (Single)

Manager — Sun, 11 Sep 2022 10:15:48 +0000

Recorded, mixed and produced by Andreas Matheou at Hot Soap Studios in Fall of 2022
Mastered by Bari Hadjikyriakou
Release: Single ”Silver Spiders”
Written by: Copper Mine

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