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Stella Papalamprou is a Barcelona-based, Greek vocalist, composer, and philologist specializing in traditional Balkan and East Mediterranean song. Possessing a background in classical philology and contemporary voice, her work - spread across two projects: Potanixin and Zafire - focuses on using the human voice as a conduit for living memory and cultural transmission, establishing her as a vital new voice in European root music. Blending traditional ornamentation with refined arrangement, she brings an instinctual depth to regional folklore, here alongside multi-instrumentalist Giorgos Vergos and percussionist Nikos Filippides. Her debut EP Protanixin showcases her mastery of ancient Pontic musical traditions, from the region along the southern coast of the Black Sea in north-eastern Turkey.​

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Claiming the top spot upon debut on this month's Chart, Protanixin - meaning "early spring"- is a sublime, deeply moving excavation of Pontic Greek musical heritage. Sung entirely in the endangered Pontic Greek dialect, the 6-track EP addresses themes of displacement, memory, and renewal. Papalamprou’s penetrating vocals soar with archaic intensity, effortlessly dominating intricate polyrhythms and modal shifts. The arrangements support songs drawn from living tradition finding new growth and renewal in modern times, with driving energy: Giorgos Vergos’ evocative Pontic lyra and raw, breathy angeion (bagpipe) lock into trance-like grooves with Nikos Filippides’ resonant davul drumming.

​The explosive energy of “Trygona” ("Turtle Dove") uses the mountain dove as an emblem of resilience, locking Papalamprou’s soaring ornamentations into the pulse of the Atsapat and Serra dance traditions. In contrast, the poignant “Tsampasin” (The name for an historical region/plateau in the Black Sea/Pontus region, near modern-day Ordu) lays bare the historical weight of displacement across the Black Sea, anchoring its melancholy in Vergos' breathy, mournful angeion lines. Pastoral courtship narratives like “Seranta Mila” ("Forty Apples") bring rhythmic brightness, proving Protanixin transcends mere preservation to reinterpret centuries-old Black Sea heritage into a living, deeply resonant modern soundscape.