Active Member

Active Member is a Greek hip-hop/low bap group, founded in 1992 by Michalis Mitakidis (a.k.a. B.D.Foxmoor),Nikitas Klint (a.k.a. X-Ray) and Dimitris Kritikos (a.k.a. DJ MCD).

History

Being the first Greek low bap group to release an album, Active Member had dominated the hip-hop scene in Greece for many years. Although the genre had already existed for more than a decade, it was still unknown to the majority of Greeks in the early 90s. However, the group redefined their music in 1995 with the release of the record To Megalo Kolpo (The Big Trick). Their newly founded subgenre has since then been called Low Bap and it is characterized by the slow bass, rhythm, and the emphasis on lyrics in the songs.

Presently, the group is one of the most widely recognized in Greece, staying away from the rest of the Greek hip-hop scene though. They are deeply involved in the music industry and community, including organizing events such as the annual Low Bap Festival in Athens. They also encourage the youth to enter the scene, and have released records comprised by demo songs sent to them by new performers.

The Word, Life, and People in equilibrium with the Culture, Media and Survival.

The place

Until the early 90s, one in Greece - especially in Europe and worldwide not imagine that in a few years everyone will be talking about a new music scene for a new makeshift formation - social and musical - to be heard Low Bap in the name and linking so many people together. No one imagined what was to be born in Perama, a seaside suburb of Piraeus Labour and Western Attica.

Perama always considered underdeveloped. This is partly due to the fact that the first inhabitants of Perama, in the early 20s, were refugees from Asia Minor. The residents fought for years with unemployment and the conflicting interests around the ship repair zone - a key center for the local economy. In such a place is common for young people with talent, skill and passion for life, forced to give up dreams, study and career for a job in the boats. So it was always very difficult, for example for a musician to be able to survive doing what he knows best: in this case the music. All of the above, then, the tortured mind of a young man, who lived in Perama, named Michael Mytakidis.

M. O Mytakidis (or BDFoxmoor) watching the hip hop music and its evolution since 1979. In an effort to make better known this music in Greece, searched, found and brought together a core of people with common concerns. Then, having few financial and technical resources, these people put a common goal, to build the foundation for a conscious music scene in Greece. And the built ... They made it.

The principle

In June 1992, the BDFoxmoor (Michael Mytakidis) with a Dj, he founded the first Greek hip hop music group, the Active Member. O core of people who believed in this effort, organized better, and so created the Freestyle Productions. The Freestyle Productions has since been the production team through which they released independently, the first two drives of the Active Member, and other two lp's (a personal record of BDFoxmoor and a collection of patterns that existed then) and a maxi single.

In 1995, hip hop music was still virtually unknown in Greece. She, therefore, the time of the Active Member drew the attention of record companies in the course of a live in a large concert hall in Athens. The lyrics, their stage presence and contact with the public played a crucial role. So for the first time in the country, a group of hip hop music, has signed a contract with a multinational company, Warner. Things began to get their way and within a few months to release a third album titled "The Big Bay", which made them widely known. In that drive, Active Member, decided to make a call it over and over again in hip hop as hitherto understood them, and tell Low Bap.

The Low Bap

Low Bap literally does not mean anything specific, but for us a symbol of value and weight of words in hip hop music, direct relationship with life. In other words, what holds the lead in Low Bap, is the verse. Moreover, it is largely and acceptance of the bands and artists who represent the public.

The need that drove some people aspire to a musical and social situation such as the Low Bap, was initially a matter of artistic concern and secondly on organizational survival and subsistence in the same situation. Indeed, this new word and meaning, went to the conscience of the world spontaneously, but decisive. This is primarily due to full support of the idea of Low Bap those who are around them through their lives, discography and artistic expression in general and the media.

«Low Bap: To suggest your word to your life and vice versa."

The Low Bap to work (and therefore available), requires people working hard, cooperative, professionally (even in cases of hobby involvement) and self-esteem at any inclination, talent and ability available. Equally important to the Low Bap is the triptych organization - communication - development. The motive, of course, force is the need for people to express their creation through art and their technique.

From the outset, however, and not necessarily those who lived around the Low Bap contributing creative and practical, the artistic and organizational development, should be able to support himself or herself from it. At first few, then more, and then others ... The majority of young people from Perama and other deprived areas, mainly unemployed, employed more and more with Low Bap, either in art or in the organizational field.

As the Low Bap develop productive, the greater needs and therefore more people will be employed. The aim is to work to make all these pliris.To potential exists. So also the Low Bap and now is widely known, and is responsible for the releases of dozens of record easements for partnerships with major record labels for over 400 live performances and festivals, on radio broadcasts on the issue related fanzines and dozens other related activities of the preceding or following.

8ctagon Within the overall capacity of Low Bap, there are many groups - subsets that have different hand function, but all work directly or indirectly to the development and dissemination. Soon, if not already, all these subsets will be integrated with 8ctagon, the independent Low bap label. 8ctagon is the answer to the needs of low bap, regarding the production of records, communication, the Internet, concerts etc.Many of them seek to expand their business in the near future.

1. Freestyle Productions (music production team) a. Vicious Circle (Dj team) b. Low Bap Sessions (group of young musicians, and projects) c. Offices in other cities of Greece (Thessaloniki, Serres, etc.)

2. Passage (Studio Recording)

3. Graphic Design Group

4. Broken Code (Group Publications)

5. Management - Tour Festival

6. Oneirologio (production team radio broadcasts)

7. Group Photo and Video

8. Websites setup and maintenance

Music / track record

As mentioned earlier, in 1993 released his first album of Active Member and the second followed in 1994; both were independent productions, the group itself. In 1995 started the collaboration with Warner and released his third of the disc. In 1996 came the fourth album of Active Member and after two years, in 1998 the fifth. Things, however, did not stop there. During the three years from 1996 until the end of 1999, the Freestyle Productions has released three albums collections, two personal albums of members of the Active Member, a tray for Djs and five other chores Low Bap forms and artists. Some of them were independent productions, and some were released in conjunction with the Warner and EMI. At the same time, maintained a radio broadcast to a large Athenian station.

Various groups have developed cultural activities since 1995, when organized live performances of Low Bap shapes, taking much of the promotion, organizing the annual Low Bap Festival and generally spread the Low Bap in similar scenes of foreign (especially Europe) developing communication channels. Within a relatively short period of time, labor Perama city became a center where those who visit or live love, and working around the Low Bap. The result of all the above, the public, media, artists from other genres, and people generally in Greece, to respect all this moving around the Low Bap.

Every Christmas are the Low Bap Festivals (which usually lasts 5 days) and also made this year and a new institution, the pan-European Low Bap Festival.

In 2002, he opened a bookstore, the Ǭ Chronorogmi, and the same place today as a museum and hip hop. Opposite, there is the Cultural Association "Action", where people of low bap gathered for discussions, film, photography and sketch, etc. By the time it collects the visual material on a second documentary on the Low Bap given the success of first.

As Anyway, things in 2004, seem to be more beautiful than ever. The time is the best ally of low bap. Moreover, it is now just ten years since I started!

Members

The members of the group have changed throughout the years, but B.D.Foxmoor has always been the lead singer and the nucleus of the group. Today, the group is made up of B.D.Foxmoor and female rapper Sadahzinia. https://web.archive.org/web/20110418091931/http://www.lowbap.com/gr/default.asp

Discography

Full LPs

1. Diamartyria (Protest) (Freestyle Productions, LP 1993)
2. Stin Ora Ton Skion (In the Hour of the Shadows) (Freestyle Productions, LP, 1994)
3. To Megalo Kolpo (The Big Game) (Warner, CD/LP, 1995)
4. Apo Ton Topo Tis Fygis (From Run Away Land) (Warner, CD/2LP, 1996
5. Mythoi Tou Valtou (Myths from the Moor) (Warner, CD/2LP, 1998)
6. Meres Paraxenes, Thavmasies Meres (Weird Days, Beautiful Days) (Warner, CD, 2000)
7. Live/Remix (Warner, 2CD, 2000)
8. Ston Kairo tou Allokotou Fovou (In Times of Weird Fear) (Warner, CD/2LP, 2001)
9. Perasma sto akroneiro (Passage to the Edge of a Dream) (Warner, CD, 2002)
10. Fiera (Warner, CD, 2004)
11. Ap' to Megalo Kolpo sti Fiera (From 'Big Game' to 'Fiera') (Warner, CD, 2005)
12. Blah-Blasphemy (8ctagon, CD+DVD, 2005)
13. Klassika ki agapimena (live hxografisi apo no sponsors jam) (CD, 2007)
14. Skieratsa (Shadow-race) [including: Blah-Blasphemy 2, Bathiskiota (Deep Shadowed), Apnoia (Calm)] (8ctagon, 3CD, 2006)
15. Ap'tis ftiaxis mas ta lathia( Ep1, Ep2, Ep3, diplo CD kai DVD, apli kai syllektiki ekdosi) (8ctagon, 2009)
16. Ston vouvon tin eschatia (At the extreme end of the mutes) (Imantas, CD, 2011)
17. Arsenali (simple edition) (Imantas, 2CD, 2012)

CD Singles

1. Akou Mana (Listen Up, Mother) (Warner, promo maxi 12",1995)
2. Prosfigas (Refugee) (Warner, promo maxi 12",1996)
3. Gia Ta Aderfia Pou Hathikane Noris (Dedicated to the Lost Brothers) (Warner, CD single, 1997)
4. 2/12/2002 (Warner, CD single, 2002)
5. Hreose ta sti fotia/Hreose ta ki afta sti fotia (7" vinyl, 2007)
6. Fysaei kontra (7" vinyl, 2008)

External links

• Low bap Website
• Active Member discography at MusicBrainz