TRAVELER
The Athens Sessions · 2022
A 24-song concept album by Jannis Raptis.
The Album
Twenty-four songs. Countless influences. One journey.
TRAVELER is my most ambitious musical work to date — a 24-song concept album born from a lifetime of movement between countries, cultures, and musical traditions.
Written through the eyes of a Third Culture Kid, it explores the restless search for identity, freedom, belonging, and the meaning of home.
Musically, TRAVELER refuses to settle down. Rock ‘n’ Roll, Jazz, Folk, Pop, Mediterranean sounds, and countless other influences collide in an unapologetically eclectic collection of songs. From intimate ballads to full-band arrangements, every track reveals another side of the journey.
Recorded in Athens in 2022 with an extraordinary ensemble of session musicians, TRAVELER captures a particular chapter of my life: colorful, restless, ambitious, and constantly in motion.
It is not where the journey ends. It is one of the places that made me who I am.
The Athens Sessions
In 2022, I traveled to Athens to bring twenty-four original compositions to life alongside an exceptional group of professional session musicians.
The result was a fully realized studio production, allowing each song to follow its own musical character rather than conform to a single genre or band sound.
The recordings reflect years of writing, experimentation, and musical exploration. Some songs embrace the energy of Rock ‘n’ Roll, others draw from Jazz, Mediterranean music, Folk, or cinematic arrangements.
Every track was recorded as part of one larger artistic vision: a musical journey without stylistic borders.
All twenty-four songs were completed, mixed, and mastered as one body of work.
Music and lyrics: Jannis Raptis
Production
- Producer: Marios Laz Ioannidis
- Co-producer: Jannis Raptis
- Production manager: Giannis Diskos
- Executive producer: Jannis Raptis
- Co-executive producer: Marios Laz Ioannidis
- Recording engineer: Marios Laz Ioannidis
- Recording engineer: Tzortzis Mavroides
- Recording second engineer: Panos Topalidis
- Mixing engineer: Marios Laz Ioannidis
- Mastering engineer: Marios Laz Ioannidis
- Recording: Zappa Studio Athens
- Mixing: MusicRoom Studio
- Pre-production: Jannis Raptis
- Pre-production: Giannis Diskos
- Pre-production: Marios Laz Ioannidis
Musicians
- Guitars & Vocals: Jannis Raptis
- Drums & Percussions: Takis Vasiliou
- Guitars: Lambis Kountourogiannis, George Kardianos, Alex Dermanis
- Keyboards, Piano, Synths: Stelios Fragkous
- Bass: Marios Laz Ioannidis
- Saxophone & Clarinet: Giannis Diskos
- Trumpet: Dionysis Kokkolis
- Trombone: Angelos Tzamarias
- Violin: Dimitris Kazanis
- Viola: Eirini xx
- Cello: Aris xx
- Choir: Paidiki Chorodia Edessa
- Choirmaster: Theodora Gourani
Artwork & Photography
- Photographer: Apostolos Liagkas
- Videographers: Apostolos Liagkas & Marios Laz Ioannidis
- Graphic design & Artwork: Stylianos Papageorgiou
Listen & Watch
The Complete Tracklist
Traveler
Longest Highway
Oh, Oh, Oh! (Looking for Distribution)
Smooth Transition
Salsa para Elenita
Nelly
Glastonbury
White Bull
Traveling through Time
Erato
I thought I saw you in the rain
Being JR
Cleopatra
I want to go to Pakistan
Beneath a Lydian Sky
Wasted in Shibuya
Okinawa
Over the Sea
I dreamed I was in Australia
Monday Morning in San Francisco
America Resurrected
Stranger to You
Lullaby for Lady Liberty / Walking on 3rd
Children of the World
Travel Diaries
You can read some of the stories surrounding those songs here.
Physical Edition
TRAVELER – The Athens Sessions
The complete 24-song concept album is being prepared for a special double-CD edition, featuring the original studio recordings, an extensive booklet, lyrics, photographs, and full production credits.
A physical document of an extraordinary musical journey.
Further details to be announced.
