NICU ALIFANTIS

Prog Folk • Romania

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Nicu Alifantis biography
Born 31.05.1954 (Braila, Romania)

NICU ALIFANTIS is a Romanian folk musician born in 1954. Now an iconic figure of Romanian pop culture, Alifantis was a self-taught musician and a hard-working performer and composer for theatre plays, which was his primary job from 1972 to 1990, resulting in music for over 100 plays. Coming in the trail of legendary folk pioneers and hippie icons such as DORIN LIVIU ZAHARIA, MIRCEA FLORIAN and DAN ANDREI ALDEA, Alifantis' career took a boost in the mid-70s by joining the folk movement/club "Totuşi Iubirea" and especially by restlessly playing live; the last update in the artist's official gig count shows 4400. The essence of Alifantis' great success consists of his perpetual challenge of modern poetry texts as a support for his musical ideas, his charming peculiar voice and his talent on the acoustic guitar.

Some of the most interesting influences that can be discerned in Nicu Alifantis' background, beyond the general reference to international and local folk, are
1) DAN ANDREI ALDREA's work as a folk musician but also as the leader of the Eclectic Prog band SFINX, which in it's most experimental / psychedelic era in the early 70s used to play for theatre plays, and whose later symphonic prog period again had a major impact on Alifantis
2) the work of electronic music pioneers MIRCEA FLORIAN and ANDREI ENESCU and
3) the local jazz and jazz fusion scene, especially JOHNNY RĂDUCANU and MARIUS POPP.

Alifantis' period that brought him the closest to the progressive scene is the period of his first records, the late 70s and early 80s. When releasing his debut single in 1976, Alifantis was playing ethereal guitar-based folk accompanied by flute and an occasional bass line.
Later his musical ambitions grew and, by developing a small creative unit with flutist Sorin Minghiat and guitarist Evandro Rosetti, he put the basis of his most ambitious project, the progressive epic "După Melci" (Snail Hunt). The concept was writing music for the modernist poem with the same title (author: Ion Barbu) and arranging it for rock band. The line-up became a "who's who" in the Romanian progressive scene, by recruiting SFINX keyboardist Nicolae Enache, PHOENIX drummer and percussionist Costin Petrescu and the bassist and guitarist Ioan Oagăn. The music was a rich melodic blend of prog-folk songwriting lead by strong vocal lines and acoustic string riffs, symphonic synth waves, vocal harmonies (...Born 31.05.1954 (Braila, Romania)

NICU ALIFANTIS is a Romanian folk musician born in 1954. Now an iconic figure of Romanian pop culture, Alifantis was a self-taught musician and a hard-working performer and composer for theatre plays, which was his primary job from 1972 to 1990, resulting in music for over 100 plays. Coming in the trail of legendary folk pioneers and hippie icons such as DORIN LIVIU ZAHARIA, MIRCEA FLORIAN and DAN ANDREI ALDEA, Alifantis' career took a boost in the mid-70s by joining the folk movement/club "Totuşi Iubirea" and especially by restlessly playing live; the last update in the artist's official gig count shows 4400. The essence of Alifantis' great success consists of his perpetual challenge of modern poetry texts as a support for his musical ideas, his charming peculiar voice and his talent on the acoustic guitar.

Some of the most interesting influences that can be discerned in Nicu Alifantis' background, beyond the general reference to international and local folk, are
1) DAN ANDREI ALDREA's work as a folk musician but also as the leader of the Eclectic Prog band SFINX, which in it's most experimental / psychedelic era in the early 70s used to play for theatre plays, and whose later symphonic prog period again had a major impact on Alifantis
2) the work of electronic music pioneers MIRCEA FLORIAN and ANDREI ENESCU and
3) the local jazz and jazz fusion scene, especially JOHNNY RĂDUCANU and MARIUS POPP.

Alifantis' period that brought him the closest to the progressive scene is the period of his first records, the late 70s and early 80s. When releasing his debut single in 1976, Alifantis was playing ethereal guitar-based folk accompanied by flute and an occasional bass line.
Later his musical ambitions grew and, by developing a small creative unit with flutist Sorin Minghiat and guitarist Evandro Rosetti, he put the basis of his most ambitious project, the progressive epic "După Melci" (Snail Hunt). The concept was writing music for the modernist poem with the same title (author: Ion Barbu) and arranging it for rock band. The line-up became a "who's who" in the Romanian progressive scene, by recruiting SFINX keyboardist Nicolae Enache, PHOENIX drummer and percussionist Costin Petrescu and the bassist and guitarist Ioan Oagăn. The music was a rich melodic blend of prog-folk songwriting lead by strong vocal lines and acoustic string riffs, symphonic synth waves, vocal harmonies (including a children choir) and woodwinds. Some analogies could be drawn to Italian Symphonic Prog (PFM, FRANCO BATTIATO), NEKTAR, STRAWBS, EMERAUDE and especially with SFINX's "Zalmoxe".
After the release of "După Melci" in 1979, the second studio album (untitled, 1984) comes as a turn for the mainstream but with keeping the artistry and sensibility. An "art-pop" affair, the album mixes folk, acoustic rock, pop, vocal jazz and bossa-nova in a highly accomplished end product. From the new team assembled for this album, guitarist Dan Bădulescu (formerly of SFINX), drummer Mihai Fărcaş (formerly of prog bands PROGRESIV TM and POST SCRIPTUM) and keyboardist Adrian Enescu require a special mention.
Towards the end of the 80s and early 90s Alifantis will go more mainstream, including a flirtation with synth-pop. Since the mid 90s, he is playing and recording exclusively solo or with the backing band ZAN, and remaining faithful to the acoustic folk/pop aesthetic.

While famous as a balladist and a modern troubadour, Alifantis' short engagement with progressive rock is an essential episode in the story of the Romanian progressive scene, signaling the end of its classic era and producing its last masterpiece.

Biography provided by Alex (harmonium.ro)read more

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NICU ALIFANTIS discography

Ordered by release date | Showing ratings (top albums) | Help Progarchives.com to complete the discography and add albums

NICU ALIFANTIS top albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.43 \| 14 ratings După Melci 1979	3.75 \| 4 ratings Nicu Alifantis 1984	4.00 \| 5 ratings Piaţa Romană Nr. 9 1988	3.75 \| 4 ratings Risipitorul De Iubire 1990	3.50 \| 4 ratings Ia Toji Baladist 1993
0.00 \| 0 ratings Voiaj 1995	4.00 \| 1 ratings C�ntece De Șemineu 2010

NICU ALIFANTIS Live Albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

0.00 | 0 ratings

Simphonicu
2005

NICU ALIFANTIS Videos (DVD, Blu-ray, VHS etc)

NICU ALIFANTIS Boxset & Compilations (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

4.00 | 1 ratings

25
1998

4.67 | 3 ratings

Vinyl Collection
2007

NICU ALIFANTIS Official Singles, EPs, Fan Club & Promo (CD, EP/LP, MC, Digital Media Download)

2.00 | 1 ratings

C�ntec de noapte
1976

1.00 | 1 ratings

Florian Pittis & Nicu Alifantis
1979

0.00 | 0 ratings

Decembre
1992

NICU ALIFANTIS Reviews

Showing last 10 reviews only

Thanks to harmonium.ro for the artist addition. and to Quinino for the last updates

3.43 \| 14 ratings După Melci 1979	3.75 \| 4 ratings Nicu Alifantis 1984	4.00 \| 5 ratings Piaţa Romană Nr. 9 1988	3.75 \| 4 ratings Risipitorul De Iubire 1990	3.50 \| 4 ratings Ia Toji Baladist 1993
0.00 \| 0 ratings Voiaj 1995	4.00 \| 1 ratings C�ntece De Șemineu 2010