La Nef takes us on a journey through Thrace and Epire via traditional music and songs from these mountainous regions of Greece. Using a diverse range of instruments, including bendir, riqq, bodhran, shawm, and hurdy-gurdy, the eclectic musicians who collaborated on this project play a selection of rare pieces that have been preserved from oblivion by geographical isolation.

The musicians of La Nef explore an extraordinary range of rhythms and modes in the dances and songs —including kopanista, lupchevo, paidushko, and yanino — recorded on Musiques des montagnes (Music of the Mountains). The songs treat themes such as exile (Den tin perni, Xenitemeno, Mavro helidoni, Thalassaki), grief, and the struggle for freedom (Oso varoun, Danse de Zalongou).