Alkinoos Ioannidis, the Cypriot composer whose literate entehno songwriting has shaped a generation, gave a rare London recital with his ensemble at the Electric Ballroom.
Alkinoos Ioannidis, the Cypriot composer and lyricist of entehno song, gave a London recital at the Electric Ballroom in Camden on Sunday 15 March 2026.
Born in Nicosia in 1969, he grew up with a painter for a father and a poet for a brother. He wanted to study drums, but Nicosia had no teacher, so he learned guitar. After military service he moved to Greece to study theatre and took roles in Greek tragedies.
At 23 he recorded his debut, Stin Agora Tou Kosmou, with the composer Nikos Zoudiaris. The demo reached the singer Dimitra Galani, who championed it into a record deal. The debut and his second album both turned gold.
From 1993 to 1997 he toured with Eleftheria Arvanitaki. His first self-written album, O Dromos, O Hronos Kai O Ponos, followed in 1997, and his father has painted every cover since.
He has recorded for Universal Music Greece since 1993, writing songs rooted in Greek and Cypriot poetry. They have taken him to North America, Australia and Glasgow’s Celtic Connections, where he performed with the Scottish singer Karine Polwart.
In Camden he played with a Cypriot ensemble of strings and percussion.