»You need a soul to play« Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger

( )Nikitakis is the composer of the song »Arsch huh, Zäng ussenander« While style at school he already had a job at the city of cologne theatre. Playing the guitar and lute in various productions was the first step towards a professional career. His parents were not amused. My father wanted me to make music my hobby to keep me from becoming a professional football player. And my mother said: in our family there have never been any charlatans. Did he have to prove himself it them? »No«. He says with no hesitation that´s their problem.

»Tip« Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger

( )Sitting in his kitchen for a while he wrote the songs for his new album that is consequently called »kitchen songs«. First class three star dishes from »Nikitakis«.


»A man for all seasons« Kölner Illustrierte

( )Interestingly enough the 40 year-old is capable of combining all of these styles (blues, jazz, rebetiko) logically in one song. Connected to rebetioko is the bouzouki on which Nikitakis first lay hands on in 1977 and has been working with increasingly ever since then. »Because I don´t want to forget about my greek roots entirely« he says. »Meanwhile I´m on my way to make my own instrument of it. I´m not using the bouzouki as a specifically greek instrument. But still in it´s tradition«.


Jazztage Leverkusen »Nothing but the blues« Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger

( )Nick Nikitakis provided for the first high point of the evening. Born in greece and raised in Cologne Nikitakis combines jazz and blues with rebetiko. The greek equivalent to the blues. He is playing classic blues grooves on the bouzouki as well on the guitar, including standards as Cream´s »crossroads« or Hendrix »red house«. He played a show spiced with a fine portion of funny between-songs banter.

Jazz-tinged »Rebetobluz« instead of noisy rock Grenz-Echo

»Innovative«

( )Instead of usual crowd crammed dangerously near to the microphone having their ears blown through with rhythm & blues and rock people were sitting at small tables or stood in the back listening closely to a kind of music they had never heard before: »Rebetobluz«. A blend of rebetiko, jazz tanged greek music, and bluez in which the »z« at the end hints at the greek roots.


From tradition to modern General-Anzeiger, Bonn

»A greek afternoon with Nick Nikitakis in the Rheinaue«

( )Whoever expected idyllic greek folklore visiting the »beer garden« in the rheinaue was wrong. Cologne based since early childhood days Nick Nikitakis had more to offer than the bouzouki sounds and sirtaki rhythms we know from holidays in greek. Nikitakis took dedicated audience on an entertaining journey with greek music from traditional to modern. The highly explosive sound brew consisted of traditional (greek) folklore plus swinging jazz and earthy blues including a big portion of »cologne roots« music. »Rebetiko-Blues« as Nikitakis calls his genuine style. The familiar atmosphere was produced by his funny onstage - chitchat. He´s only seemingly telling trivial stories. They actually give background information on his music.