Melbourne-based musician and events producer Con Kalamaras is shining a light on global musical traditions through his radio program Off the Map.
Aired on community station 3MDR, the show features rare and distinctive recordings from around the world, with a particular focus on traditional and folk music.
Known for his deep involvement in Australia’s Rebetiko scene—a genre often described as the Greek blues—Kalamaras uses the platform to explore and share lesser-heard sounds.
He told Neos Kosmos that show was originally conceived when he realised there was a direct connection between these recordings and migration.
“These communities, mostly in cities like New York and Boston, recorded songs in their native languages on 78 rpm records, capturing everything from joyful dances to sorrowful laments about missing home or questioning why they emigrated in the first place,” he said.
“This radio program doesn’t just reflect nostalgia—it shows how music helped preserve culture and identity in the face of major upheaval.”
He said these recordings were made by and for immigrant communities, and mix different languages, music styles and emotions.
“Rather than fitting into neat national or ethnic boxes, they reflect the multicultural reality of the diaspora in Australia, America as an example.”
Kalamaras has been instrumental in promoting Rebitko in Australia, as co-director of Greek Fringe, and while Off the Map doesn’t necessarily focus on it, the music it does, runs parallel with it.
Both rooted in the experience of migration, displacement, and holding onto culture in a new land.
For older Greek migrants, this music brings memory, but why does it continue to resonate with younger generations?
According to Kalamaras it’s because Rebitiko and folk music offer something real in a world that often feels overly curated, digital and disconnected.
“These genres speak honestly despite generational shifts, and are still deeply relevant,” he said.
“For many young people today, especially those with migrant or diasporic backgrounds, this music gives language to feelings of in-betweenness, of longing for roots or trying to make sense of identity in a globalised world.”
He added that there is a growing hunger for authenticity and that it invites them to connect.
“Whether it’s hearing your grandparents’ stories in a new light, or discovering how your own struggles mirror those of people a hundred years ago,” Kalamaras said.
“For those outside the tradition, it offers an entry point into cultures and histories that are often overlooked — it’s intimate, gritty, and deeply human.
“In an age of fast content, this music lingers — and that’s part of its power.”
And while he is already immersed in the genre, Kalamaras isn’t exempt from learning a thing or two along with the audience, as curating Off the Map has deepened his relationship with music, culture, and history.
He needs to listen differently now, with more intention and curiosity, to find stories behind the songs.
He may have to trace how one melody travelled across borders or how a lyric changed meaning depending on who was singing it and when.
“Hearing how traditional songs can speak to contemporary issues, or how younger musicians reinterpret folk and Rebetiko in fresh ways, reminds me that these traditions aren’t relics — they’re tools for expression, connection, and resistance,” Kalamaras said.
Kalamaras hopes to expose people to more rare archival records, not just what we often hear from Greece, but all over the diaspora.
“We’re so used to hearing the big names and mainstream sounds from Greece — which of course are important — but there’s a whole world of music created outside the borders, in places like America, Egypt, Australia, and elsewhere, by migrants trying to hold onto something of home,” he said.
“You hear the pain of leaving home, the excitement of new places, the struggle to adapt, and the push to preserve identity through music.
“And they often blend styles in ways that are really unexpected — Ottoman makams mixed with blues phrasing, or Greek lyrics over Arabic rhythms. That kind of hybridity tells a deeper story than official histories ever could.”
He is going beyond the ‘hits’, to places where some of the most “haunting and powerful music lives”.
Off the Map can be listened to on 3MDR, 97.1FM, every Monday night 9-10pm. It is also recorded as a podcast and can be found online via the 3MDR website.
