Blend Mishkin & Panos Dimitrakopoulos – The Two And The One (LP)

From the first needle drop, you know you’re in for something different. This is a score for a film that doesn’t exist. What you have here is a dialogue, a late-night conversation between the ancient and the now, where the intricate soul of the East gets woven into a heavy tapestry of deep-pocket jazz world, dubbed-out atmospherics, and lush soundscapes.

At the center of it all is Panos Dimitrakopoulos, making his kanun the lead voice, the main storyteller. He’s the protagonist in this sonic film, his fingers flying across 78 strings, making them weep, sing, and testify. And behind the glass, the architect of this world, is composer-producer Blend Mishkin. He’s the visionary, carving out a space where every ghost-note and deep, foundational bassline is there for one reason: to lift up the soloist and let him soar.

Of course, a sound like this doesn’t happen without an engine room, Mishkin brought in his long-time collaborators, the cats who speak his language without a word: General Sticks on the tubs and Vassilis Nitsakis holding down the low end on the bass. They’re the anchor, the unwavering pulse that allows the melodies to drift and explore. It’s a rhythm section tight as a locked vault, built on years of shared stages and studio sessions.

And then there are the voices that step into the spotlight. Listen for the master, Harris Lambrakis, as his ney flute breathes an ancient, haunting mist into the proceedings. This is the foremost player in Greece, and you can hear why—every note is a story in itself. On “Long Way Home,” Stelios Michas Englezos steps up, his trombone wailing with a bluesy smoky cry that feels like it’s been echoing through alleyways for decades.

The session also features a reunion with Soul Sugar, who brings his signature funky reggae Hammond sound to “Mirror City Riddim,” rooting the track in pure groove. Handling guitar duties is the ever-present George Boukis, a player whose tasteful lines have become a signature texture on Mishkin’s recent albums. And floating above it all on “Separate Ways” is the voice of Thaliah. Known for her heavy soul and funk chops, here she transforms, her vocals becoming ethereal, jazzy, weaving through the ambiance like smoke from a dying cigarette.

All of this was captured in-house, at Blend Mishkin’s studio and mixed at Downstroke Studio, with Thanos Amorginos, at the board helping to shape the warm, analog character that bathes every track.

This is music that breathes. It’s a record for the after-hours, for the long drive home when the city lights start to blur. It’s a document of a rare and honest collaboration, a future-retro vision. In the end, this record is about one thing: a feeling.

So pour yourself a drink, turn the lights down low, and let the sound wash over you. You’re about to hear it.

• Blend Mishkin – electric piano, keyboards, synthesiser, percussion, programming, effects
• Panos Dimitrakopoulos – kanun
• General Sticks – drums
• Vassilis Nitsakis – electric bass
• George Boukis – electric guitar
• Harris Lambrakis – ney
• Stelios Michas Englezos – trombone, whistling
• Soul Sugar – Hammond B3 on “Mirror City Riddim” & “Mirror City Dub”
• Konstantina Stavropoulou – additional electric piano on “River Silent”
• Thaliah – vocals on “Separate Ways”

Produced by Blend Mishkin
Recorded at Trippin’ Tracks
(drums: Drum & Bake Studio)
Mixed by Blend Mishkin & Thanos Amorginos (Trippin’ Tracks / Downstroke Studio)
Mastered by Pete Maher

Photos: Zoe Katsiaouni
Cover design & illustration: Exidas — exidas.com