New Music Blog by DJ from Mehanata (Bulgarian Bar)

There's a new music blog at http://rromix.com. The blog focuses on new Gypsy and Balkan influenced music, mostly of lesser known bands that have a hard time getting exposure on other sites. The blogger is a DJ in the Bulgarian Bar in New York and I am trying to get as many people exposed to this music as possible, especially in the US where it's not yet as popular.

Take a look at the music they talking about there and definitely listen to their selections.

Great Stuff. Great Bar. Nuff said.

Alo Mange Liloro - Ederlezi Avela | Time of the Gypsies

I received an email a couple of days ago about a Serbian film, The Time of the Gypsies, asking about the song Ederlezi Avela. I thought I would just post our conversation to help out other people interested on the topic:

Here is the video clip that the reader sent me to find out more about the song and were to find it online:

Okay, so I talked to my Roma friends from Bulgaria and I think I know this song. My friend told me that it became famous from the movie, but i'm not really sure. As a United States Peace Corps volunteer, I definitely listened to this song at parties and gatherings. From all my music I have, I wasn't able to find an MP3 to share (but most of the music I have is poorly labeled from my Bulgarian friends) so sorry about that. Someone called Nela Trifkovic from Australia has written extensively about this topic and I encourage you to read it:

http://bradmilo.tripod.com/research/Articles/balkan_as_a_metaphore_chapter3.htm

There are at least two variations of the song, one that is a roma folk song for Ederlezi (St. George's Day, which I can say from personal experience, that the celebration is amazing). The other is based off of goran bregovic. The lyrics are different, as is the sound. Don't confuse this with the more traditional style. So the traditional name of this song is

ALO MANGE LILORO or Ederlezi Avela (spellings will be different)

Goran Bregovic(traditional version): http://www.youtube.com/watchv=Cy0wo4NZ_go&feature=related

From the movie "Time of the Gypsies": http://www.youtube.com/watchv=FPNrmXRarIw&feature=related

An update "Rock" Version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPNrmXRarIw&feature=related

More traditional renditions:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEXrtUJhde0 This clip has the lyrics on the side

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRxaWi9iT3s Erdjan is from Bulgaria and a great Roma musician (but definitely with more of a Bulgarian/Turkish style of roma music)

___________________

Goran Bregovic also has a song that is similar:

Erdelezi (By far the most famous, +2 million views): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwA_Zg_zFI&feature=related

Beriut (US indie band): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cCnazx1bdM&feature=fvw

________________

I hope that answered some questions about the Time of the Gypsies and the song Alo

I have stopped blogging because I've started working full time and I've had to focus on other commitments. I also am not living in Bulgaria anymore, so it is more difficult to be in touch with my friends in Bulgaria and know the music that's popular these days. As you can tell, I'm still pretty interested in the music and culture so maybe some day i'll get around to writing some more.

England's Ladytron & 1980s Bulgarian Rock; Combined!

As I was preparing for my latest Balkan Hour show, I was listening to the local college radio station WRFL 88.1 when I caught the strange diction of Bulgarian voices over the airwaves. Turning it up while I was driving around I realized I was listening to a strangely familiar song, remixed. After looking it up on WRFL's playlist, I YouTubed the song Kletva (I oath, I swear) and found the old Bulgarian hit by the Crickets. I learned some of my limited Bulgarian from this song so it brought back memories of my Peace Corps experience. Most Bulgarians universally break in song whenever its played in concert so Kletva is instantly recognizable to any Bulgarian. If you listen to the song, Ladytron pronounces the words slightly different.

The Crickets - Kletva (Oath)




Ladytron's Bulgarian Connection:

Mira Ayoro

The Bulgarian accents from Ladytron are rooted in Mira Aroyo's link to Bulgaria from her childhood. Mira, who left the country for Israel at age 10 with her family, travels back to Bulgaria once or twice a year to see family and vacation. With this introduction, Mira has occasionally mixed Bulgarian songs like Kletva as well as voice samples from the national anthem and other Bulgarian dialogue. When asked why she uses Bulgarian, she profers that the Bulgarian combined with the Ladytron music provides an intriguing sound. Interviews: Sydney Morning Herald, Chief Magazine

Miro Aroyo recently was interviewed about Bulgarian Chalga by Beast Magazine. After being asked whether Chalga music would be involved with Ladytron's next music adventure, she responded enthusiastically. It certainly would be interesting if some of Azis or Galena were sampled in the next album.  Interview with Beast Magazine (Great interview, read all of it)

Also, notice the backlash in the comments about the article assuming that Chalga is of Bulgarian origin. Interesting reaction that happens a lot on the Internet.

Their new album Velocifero samples a lot of Bulgarian and they are planning on touring in Eastern Europe with Depeche Mode.  Bulgarians go crazy over Depeche Mode (and why shouldn't they?) so the tour should be amazing.

Eastern Europe tour!!!! (and others)

• May 16 2009  Beck’sperince @ Parc Izvor w/ Depeche Mode | Bucharest
• May 18 2009 Tuborg Greenfest @ Vasil Levsky Stadium w/ Depeche Mode | Sofia
• May 20 2009 Tuborg Greenfest @ USCE Park w/ Depeche Mode | Belgrade
• May 21 2009 Tuborg Greenfest @ Arena w/ Depeche Mode | Zagreb

Here are some other songs by Ladytron's Mira Ayoro in Bulgarian:

Ladytron - Black Cat


Ladytron - Commodore Rock

Great World Music Website: NoNaMe from Russia

NoNaMe - World Music

The name may not be the clearest and the Russian may be a little daunting to non-cyrillic speakers, but NoNaMe and its world music website has some of the most eclectic world music I've seen on the Internet. The site seems to have a special love for Balkan music while still having selections from around the world.

You have to register which is just a simple login, email, password and password confirmation. To non-cyrillic speakers, you have to click the " регистрация" in order to get the registration page. Or you can just click here to register.  I know, its daunting at first but all the posts are in english and its pretty easy to navigate

Here is just a quick list of the quality Balkan Music I've found on the website:

• Ferus is Cooking - Macedonian Wedding Music
• Rembetiko - Greek Folk Music
• Guca Festival - Live recordings from the Guca Festival in Serbia
• Sevdah Selection - Bosnian folk music (with Roma influences)
• !DelapDap - Fusion Roma Music (Featured on Balkan Beats)
• Gogol Bordello - Live Bootleg at Bonnaroo
• And many more!

There are 92 pages of music, at roughly 15 posts each. . . makes almost 1400 entries of fully downloadable music with reviews, commentary and history of each artist. This is definitely a great resource for those wanting to learn more about Balkan Music and World Music in general.

Enjoy!

Balkan Beat It is Back! Italy's Balkan Beats resumes after being Hacked

Balkan Beat IT (which stands for Italy) has resumed posts after the previous web address was hacked and all the content was taken down. After a brief repose, Balkan Beat IT is back in all of its glory. Self-described as an Urban Gypsy Music Magazine, the format utilizes wordpress by making categories of Balkan Parties, Balkan Mixes and Balkan TV (videos). 

I'm going to link to one of my favorite posts that gives the Top 10 Myspace Pages for Balkan Beats. Its amazing research and really gives the reader a feel for the organic Balkan Beats movement going on in Europe right now. So here is an example the great things from the Balkan Beat It magazine

10 Gypsy Bands and their Myspace Pages

DJ Hat has been mixing Balkan beats in the Italian club scene (I believe Milan) and last year started the online magazine to help document the Balkan Culture scene. Here is the latest come from DJ Hat. You can find all of the DJ Hat's mixes on Balkan Beat It Mix Page. Here is DJ Hat's latest mix called

 Gold Teeth (pop up)

Pacemaker.net Webpage

On WRFL 88.1 Lexington, I've played some of DJ Hat's work and I plan to continue in the the future. So, check out the site and constant posts, videos and interviews. Definitely a keeper.

Welcome back!

The Luminescent Orchestrii | NEW CD - NEPTUNE'S DAUGHTER

The Luminescent Orchestii just released a new CD called Neptune's Daughter from the Nine Mile Records label. Luminescent Orchestrii is another great example the fusion coming out of the New York music scene. They get interwoven with Gogol Bordello and other musicians fusing Roma and Balkan influences to create great music the acts like a spokesperson for the region and the sound. Neptune's Daughter still has these Balkan influences but you can tell the the musicians are creating their own sound and one should be careful to label them as a definitive representation of traditional Balkan music. However, one should feel comfortable in their musical ability and distinctive sound.

My Introduction to the Luminescent Orcherstrii:

It was the fall  of 2003 and I was visiting my sister in NYC while she was in school in Brooklyn. For whatever reason, we were wondering around DUMBO (Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass) on a Saturday  as the evening drew close. If I remember correctly, it had rained and we were looking for a place to get out of the rain but most of the shops were closing. As we searched, we started here some form of music emanating from a loading dock / garage on Main St., it seem like an impromptu concert space because I can't find the location online. 

We happened upon the beginning of the a set by Luminescent Orcherstrii  just as it was getting dark. The crowd was typically Brooklyn, meaning beyond definition and characterization other than hipster/young professional in New York.  As we walked in, they played one of their more well known songs, Taraf Hijacked, which is a loving imitation to the Romanian Roma band called Taraf de Haidouks. My sister, on impulse, promptly bought their Live recording without either of us understanding the genre or even really the name of the group performing. Until this year, the record sat dormant until I rediscovered it while searching for more Balkan Music.

Taraf Hijacked - Bulgarian Bar (Mehanata)


Better Quality Audio:

The Luminescent Orchestrii and Neptune's Daughter:

This is by no means a Gogol Bordello record, neither is it Balkan Beat Box reformed. Luminescent Orchestrii uses these catchwords as most lessor known musicians do to allow people to notice their music. I'm by no means an expert but I would consider that Luminescent Orchestrii leans more towards folk music (spanned internationally) than it does have something to do with "Gypsy Punk" or Balkan Beat Mashups. However, if I was Luminescent Orchestrii, I too would use the same strategy to market my new album. The music is within the same sphere and music scene. Anyone that enjoys Gogol Bordello or Balkan Beat Box should give Luminescent Orchestrii a chance to expand their folk and Balkan knowledge ( I also recommend listen to native Balkan musicians as well). They play at the same clubs at Gogol Bordello and other Balkan musicians at the the Bulgarian Bar or Mehanata.

The tracks vary in style and tempo ranging from Bulgarian and Moldovian traditional folk to folk ballads of their own making. For the most part, the cd takes on a slow tempo that matches its folksy sound and lyrics.

Plays:

3. Nasty Tasty -- Upbeat 

7. Dreaming in Turkish -- Chill slow jams, similar to Bulgarian wedding music

9. Jarba (Boyash Gypies) Upbeat tempo, good fiddle rhythm MY PICK 

13. Neptune's Daughter -- Ballad, uptempo

Bottom Line:  Good folk music from New York with Balkan, Turkish and Cuban influences. Definitely listen to it. Its another great example of how Balkan music is influencing music around the world.

Neptune's Daughter: WHOLE CD

The Balkan Hotstep Sound System | DJ Typsy Gypsy

I've been playing a lot of The Balkan Hotstep Soundsystem and DJ Typsy Gypsy over the Christmas break. I've been amazed by the feed back. These lovable mashups are pretty catchy and I've had lots of people call in asking who they are and where they are from. What's great about this music is it samples some of the best Balkan musicians, mostly Roma, and mashes them up with hip-hop that we are all comfortable with. For the most part, everyone loves the Balkan sound but a lot of people either don't know how to dance to it or aren't used to the sound. The Hip-Hop takes away for foreignness and lets people just enjoy the wonderful Balkan music. Definitely fun and clever, be sure to download some of the mixes (bottom of page).

BIO:

Balkan Hotstep Soundsystem, or sometimes referred to as the Balkan Hotsteppers are based out of Leuven, Belgium that formed in 2006. They gained a lot of buzz from their online mixtapes put together in 2007 and released online to masses via Myspace. Balkan Hotsteppers is comprised of DJ Sam Raban and DJ Typsy Gypsy. DJ Sam Raban can be found at the girafe Cafe Leuven, Belgium on Thursdays.

Extended PDF Press Release

Myspace Links:

Typsy Gypsy
Great Hip-Hop Mashups, check it out on Myspace!

Balkan HotSteppers

Bookings and Gigs:

B-Side Bookings does there booking.








Downloadable Mashups (Straight from Myspace):

download demomix
download BalkanBangers
download Let The Vodka Roll (Shantelmix)
download Balkan Club Night @ Rio Loco Toulouse

11/26 Radio Playlist and Cheat Sheet!

Typsy Gypsy

Typsy Gypsy is a member of the Balkan Hotsteppers from Belgium. They have been experimenting with Balkan music for club music. Seriously check out his Myspace. He's got a lot of great mashups that really allow people to start understanding the Balkan sound.

Track: Mashup with Intergalatic (Beastie Boys) Download the Podcast!





J.U.F stands for Jewish Urkranian Freundschaft or Friendship

Track: Muskat (Slishal, No e Zapisal)

5:33 min.

J.U.F. i s a creation of Eugene Hutz (Gogol Bordello) and Tamir Muskat.

Boban Markovic Orkestar 

Boban Markovic is a famous Roma or Gypsy from Serbia. He and his Orkestar are generally recognized as the most accomplished Brass Band from the Balkans. His is also the winner of of the Golden Trumpet from the world famous Gucha Festival in Serbia

Track: Mundo Cocek (pronounced Cho -chek) is from the Boban and Marko album

3:13

<========= Break for station identification =======>

Gypsy Sound System

Based out of Switzerland, the Gypsy Sound System has been mixing music for clubs over the past two years throughout the world.

Track: Gypsy Sound System


4:35


Balkan Beat Box - Bulgarian Chicks

The Balkan Beat Box are probably the more well known DJs working with Balkan music. The Bulgarian Chicks song is a combination of Bulgarian folk singers with Serbian or Balkan brass music.

Max PASHM

Max Pashm is a collective of U.K based Jewish, Greek & Balkan musicians that make dance music. They are based out of England.

Track: Queen of Sikim

3:09 Min.

<========= Break for station identification =======>

Desislava

Desislava is a Chalga singer from Bulgaria and its fun to see Latina music and Balkan music mergred.

Track: Regeton and a Little Chalga

3:30

Ionut Cercel

Ionut is an young Roma singer from Romania. He is in his early teens and is taking the Romanian club scene by storm.

Track: Made in Romania

4:00

<========= Break for station identification =======>

Giorgos Tsalikis

Greek Musician with Laiko music.

Track: Ekana Ti Nexta Mera

4:00

Djordan

Track: Ne boli (No hurt or It doesn't hurt)

3:49

Orkestar Kristali

This Orkestar is probably the best Roma Wedding Orkestar in Bulgaria. They play Roma music with Bulgarian influences. To those familiar with Balkan music, it may sound Turkish in origin. 

Track: Purjina (kokaina), "Fried Cocaine" 

Aliosha 

Aliosha and his band play that live instrumental at a wedding in Bulgaria. Known for his saxophone skills, Aliosha alway is an excellent singer. He style would also be considered Roma Wedding music or sometimes referred to as Bulgarian Wedding music.

The track is unlabeled because its live.

<========= Break for station identification =======>

Boril Iliev

Boril is another Roma musican with the Red Bull orkestar from Bulgaria that play Roma Wedding music.

Track: Akana (meaning now)

5:00

Ramzi Kuchek

Just a simple for dancing Kuchek or Belly dancing

Track: Ramzi Kuchek

3:30

Verka Serduchka

Ukrainian Drag Queen 

Track: Gop,  Gop! Jump, Jump!

4:00

Georgi Chi - lin - gi -rov

Track: Roufinka Bolna Legnala

7:00

<========= Break for station identification =======>

Valia Balkanska

Track: Izlel e Delio haidutin

4:00

Trio Bulgarka

Famous folk ensemble from Bulgaria, known for its vocal haromonization. It would be considered traditional folk music.

Track: Sluntseto Trepti Zauda (The sun is setting)

The Balkan Hour | Radio Show Trial Run | 88.1 WRFL Lexington

Last Monday, I finished my training with WRFL 88.1 Lexington to be a Radio DJ. WRFL is the local student radio of University of Kentucky and has a strong history of supporting alternative programming for central Kentucky. Hopefully, I'll be able to play music from the Balkans with WRFL to create a better awareness for the region and to promote artists from the Balkans. This is me on the WRFL website: The Balkan Hour DJ

Anyway, the trial run was great fun and full of freshman mistakes. I'll get the hang of the sound board and other techical details as I practice. Generally, I'm content with the trial run. I would like to have more historical context with better descriptions of each artist or style, some that the Oberlin podcast/radio show is a great example. But I suppose that will come with time.

Please be aware that the beginning and end of the audio are of other radio shows because the .mp3 is archived per hour and not by user. I'll look into sound editing to clean it up. So, keep listening past the first couple of seconds!

Enjoy!




.mp3 Download of the Balkan Hour - Trial Run from WRFL 88.1 Great For Ipods!

Mehanata: New York's Bulgarian Bar + Dance Club

I returned to America after two years in a small village in Bulgaria last month and my first stop was New York City. I tried to make it the famous Mehanata (roughly translated; A place with live music that you go for 6 hours and sit around a table with great food and drinks. When you get drunk, you usually start dancing into the night. Kind of a cross between a bar/club and a restaurant). Anyway, Mehanata is pretty much ground zero in New York for Balkan music and live bands. Its a mixture of expats with indie kids that are into Balkan Beats. Eugene Hutz has popularized over the years and its started getting a pretty serious following: Read BalkanBeatit and their write up about Eugene Hutz .

Unfortunately, its only open Thursday, Friday and Saturday. So, make a note of that for those of you in the NYC or a thinking about making a trip. I visited, unfortunately, on a Wednesday so my opinions have to be formed from YouTube clips and a padlocked door. As looked in on, saddened by my poor mistiming, a fellow inside came to the front and opened the door slightly. Embarrassed, I responded in Bulgarian that I was just looking. The Bulgarian, with fresh cut on his forehead (for unknown reasons) looked at me dumbfounded and asked me again what I said in Bulgarian, shocked that I spoke the language (with a strong American accent). I found out that he was just a construction worker who was from Sofia who was just working. We talked for bit but since he was new to Mehanata he wasn't able to be too helpful. Mehanata has a cool vibe about it and is small enough to get lost on a NYC street. I mention it mostly because its significance in the American movement with Gypsy Punk or Balkan Beats. They've been an epicenter of sorts in NYC, sustaining a culture with the help of Gogol Bordello and Eugene Hutz.

I've had some Bulgarian friends go there during a weekend but they reviews are somewhat mixed. A lot of the music played there is more "Balkan" than "Bulgarian" and the Mehanata has no problem associating itself with Gypsy or Roma culture (something most Bulgarian bars would avoid at all costs because of the ethnic tensions/issues still prevalent in Bulgaria, plus Roma people tend to spend less at high class bars than Bulgarians). So, some of the Bulgarians aren't necessarily familiar with Balkan Beat and Gypsy Punk scene, so it becomes a little different than expected. I'd wager a guess that Chalga probably doesn't get a lot of play time as well.
And finally, I really love the Mehanata concept and think that its doing a lot of things right (especially viral marketing through the internet) but, honestly, Astika? What's up? It's like the subpar beers of Bulgaria. Why not Zagorka (not my favorite, but good), Shumensko (excellent) or Pirinsko (my favorite). Bulgaria has great beer but Astika doesn't represent like the others. So, when you go, you are better off just ordering a Rakia.

My Favorite Beer: Pirinsko Beer or Пиринско Пиво

MEHANATA:

Mehanata Bulgarian Bar‎ - more info »

113 Ludlow St, New York, NY‎ - (212) 625-0981‎


Gogol Bordello - Start Wearing Purple

With over 2 million views, this put Mehanata on the map for coolness in the YouTube world.


Yuri Yunakov At Mehanata Bar - NYC

While Mehanata has a lot Balkan Fusion music they also have more "traditional" acts like Yuri Yunakov with Roma/Bulgarian Wedding Music

Alec Kopyt sings Zakritii Grazhdanin (Закрытый Гражданин)

Another live set from Mehanata

Germany's Shantel making waves in the Balkans: Disco Partizani in Serbia's MTV

Germany's Shantel making waves in the Balkans

Just before leaving Bulgaria, I saw Shantel making an appearance on Serbia's "MTV" called DM SAT. The Serbian music television station played Disco Partizani (which was shot in Istanbul. I saw some of the places in the video). I talked about Shantel and this video a while back because of its racial tones by using ciganizatsia (niggerization).

Serbia's Mtv, DM SAT (don't worry they have MTV too)

After the video, DM SAT interviewed Shantel in German about his music and its influences. It was translated into Serbian and I couldn't catch enough of it to follow everything but they definitely were asking him about his Balkan music.

Why is important? For the most part, the Balkans is pretty much unaware of the Westernized Balkan Music movement and rarely has heard of such musicians like Shantel, BalkanBeatBox or Beirut. And that has a certain irony and is probably a good representation of other "World Music" movements throughout the world. What the locals listens to is usually different that the Westernized and culturally translated music that is popular in the Western countries. The fact the Shantel is able to make presence in Serbia (and other Balkan countries, he gets occasional radio time in Bulgaria) is somewhat symbolic of the two types of music directly influencing each other.

Besides, I enjoy nothing more than seeing a German DJ that specializes in remixing Balkan music for clubs in Europe become popular in the Balkans. A similar comparison would be a German Country music star becoming popular in the bible belt. Its just to much fun, in terms of social observation, to not talk about.

Street Performers in Istanbul playing Balkan Music and Speaking English

While wondering the streets in Istanbul, I happened upon a impromptu band playing Balkan Music on the street. They spoke English and announced their songs in English. The played some decent music but most importantly it displays the growth of the Balkan Music movement. Balkan Music obviously isn't new to Istanbul and Turkey, where a good portion of Balkan music draws its roots from the Ottoman Empire. But I find it fun to find Balkan music played by English speakers (from Western Europe or America) in Istanbul. This plays into this Guerrilla Concert feel that some of the westernized Balkan Bands have been attempting recently. Both Hawk and a Hacksaw, and Beirut have been utilizing this approach - mostly in places like Paris. Here's an example from Hawk and a Hacksaw from Paris:


Hawk and a Hacksaw - Oriental Horo



Hawk and a Hacksaw - The Sparrow




Beirut - St. Apollina



Currently YouTube is banned in Turkey and I had to search for these videos using vTunnel.com which opens websites in an iframe. Its a really easy work around to counter the banning of YouTube and kind of shows how foolish the ban was in the first place. I don't really want to explain the ban here, so just click the link and research it yourself.

Chalga; Working Backward to America (Azis, DJ Suat, Chris Brown)

Okay, enjoy this short post about how Balkan pop music influenced by American pop and then also how they influence each other.

Watch this first video, it should sound somewhat familar:
Azis - Dai Me Led (Give Me Ice)



DJ Suat - Gimme That - Tallava Remix (Albanian Style)


Ummmm, that form of dancing is called Kuchek or Cocek which is common throughout the Balkans. And I'm going to talk about that another time. Just listen to the music. It's DJ Saut's original video that he/she posted.


Chris Brown featuring Lil' Wayne - Gimme That Remix featuring Lil' Wayne


So, now do you recognize the song and the original Western influence? This is an excellent example of Chalga and how it works. Chris Brown creates a relatively popular song, a DJ remixes it in some form to Balkanize its sound (notice the drums, tupani, in the second video) and then a famous Chalga singer "collaborates" with the DJ and/or original artist and rewrites the lyrics into Bulgarian keeping the same sound (Azis saying "Give me Ice" in Bulgarian not "Gimme That" in English). Its like a microcosm of globalization right there. Except a decent portion of Bulgarians never realize that the song Azis made is lifted from a DJ (Balkanized Sound) and an original western artist.

But its not like western artists don't make remixes either. Current remixes of the Chris Brown song:

• "Gimme Dat" Remix The Game Ft. Chris Brown
• Chris Brown - Video Remix

Dale Dale | Reggaeton Meets Bulgaria

Orkestar Yanitsa; "Dale Dale"



Alright, play this song. This is a song that I've heard multiple times in at Roma weddings or other events with live music. Its catchy, danceable and got a refrain. But think for a second, does this song bear any resemblance to any other song you might have heard in the past couple of years?

I haven't lived in America for over two years, so I really can't speak to the popularity of Reggaeton in America now. However, I can say that this latin fusion has migrated to Bulgaria. Chalga songs (Balkan pop, sort of) bear likeliness to this simplistic and danceable genre of music. But probably my biggest shock was when I was randomly listening to Raggaeton music on YouTube (Why not?) this guy named Don Omar was singing a Roma song I'd heard before; Except that the beat and melody was all wrong. Confused as to why a Latin hip-hop star would be using Romani music in his reggaeton hit "Dale Don Dale", I started looking for the Bulgarian version. And low and behold, I found this clip of Orkestar Yanitsa doing a cover of Don Omar's reggaeton hit.

Let That Be a Lesson . . .

I initially had got the relationship of influences wrong; thinking the reggaeton star had copied off a Roma band. This partially had to do with the fact that I don't understand Spanish or Romani. Additionally, its a great lesson of how we, as westerners, have the penchant to "Romanize" everything and precariously look for cultural links that sometimes aren't there. Examples of this are categorizing something "Roma" because they are Romani musicians (but are actually playing Raggaeton Covers, or Bulgarian Folk Music). Its just something to think about and ponder.

Here's the real song, enjoy the comparison.

Don Omar: "Dale Don Dale"

Balkan Beat It | Blog/Magazine To Watch

Probably not the best name out there for Balkan Music journalism, but Balkan Beat It is a new online magazine that covers the Balkan / Roma Music movement. It still a really new website and they haven't finished updating their Wordpress template. Conceptually, it seems the idea is fun and could potentially become something dynamic with listings of concerts, music reviews and exclusive interviews.

So keep it on your radar. Once it become more fleshed out and its quality continues, I'll mention it again. But for now, its something to keep an eye on.

Something to Ignore, Technorati Registration

Cigan iz a tsia? What? . . . I don't get it but I'll keep dancing.

Okay, so Shantel has been something of the rage lately in the world of Balkan Influences--especially in the club scene in Berlin.

In his latest disco hit, he mixes some Balkan signature sounds and melodies to create, admittedly, a rather catchy track that makes you want to dance. With over 1.7 million views on YouTube, obviously Shantel is receiving some sort of following or fanbase. Listen to what the woman says in his latest hit:

Shantel DISKO PARTIZANI


She's saying:

Cigan iz a tsia which can be loosely translated to Cigan - ization or Roma- ization

Which English could be translated as: Nigger - ization (for roma, not black people)

Phonetically: si gan iz a tsia (the ts is said together)

This could be interpreted as anything from being racist (a rather harsh interpretation) to blatantly ignorant of cultural tensions (possible). Or possibly he's wanting to cleverly use Ciganization like Globalization to talk about the spread of Romani culture. Frankly, I just don't know. Its just a strange word usage to use as a refrain to a song.

Cigan or Roma | Nigger or Nigga | Reappropriation

I'm not about to start this debate but in Bulgaria and other Balkan countries Roma are commonly called Roma or Cigani. After some international conferences a couple of decades ago, some Romani decided that they preferred the name of Roma as compared to Cigani because of its discriminatory past. Cigan can be used rather offensively in the Balkans if used in the proper context, much akin to using the term nigger for blacks. Now, there is a national debate within the Romani and Bulgarian communities as to what the proper term is to describe Roma. By and large, the intellectuals, politicians (except the racists ones) and cultural leaders use the word Roma to describe Romani people with the occasional spattering of Cigani for jokes or culturally insensitive comments. In a lot of ways, this is similar to the debate between nigger, niga and black in America. Black or African-American is generally accepted term, such as Roma in the Balkans, while nigga is reserved for those in the ethnic circle while usage of nigger is forbidden. Most Roma use Cigani as a way of self-claiming the derogatory word to own it while most Romani are sensitive to other non-Roma saying the word (very similar to the usage of nigger and nigga in America). The smart people in the world call this Reappropration. Regardless, its weird for Shantel to be using Cigan in his songs because of the potential for being offensive and also possibly the lack of cultural understanding. Imagine for a moment some white American rapping over Latin hip-hop with occasional potentially racist comments in Spanish. Its just goofy.

So let us recap:

• He's German
• His parents are from Bukovina, which is part Romanian and Ukrainian
  
• He's white, really.
• He dropped the equivalent of the N-Bomb in his hip-hop disco hit
• He's rapping/rhyming in English
• He's throwing in Bulgarian/Slavic derogatory words in as seasoning.
• Its goofy.
  
• And I don't get it, but I can dance to it.
  

Zack Condon connects Romani Balkan Brass to the West.

America Meets Macedonia . . . in Paris

I happened upon a rather amazing clip of Zach Condon from Beirut and the Kočani Orkestar playing live at a club in Paris. I've love this image captured by a fan blog (french) in the crowd. You've got a white guy from New Mexico who was learned about Balkan Music in a four month trip to Paris fronting for one of the best Roma Balkan Brass Bands from Macedonia. This is a good example of the disconnect between America and the Balkans--and yet one can visually see Zach Condon acting as the physical and vocal conduit between the Romani Kočani Orkestar and their white Parisian audience. Zach and Beirut are in the NY Times / Review and have a snazzy website. The Kočani Orkestar doesn't have a actual website just a record deal and fans .

Zach Condon is putting the music into something people in the west can understand. Its good music but its also worth noting humor in it. It takes a 21-year-old college dropout from America for the west to start to get the Balkan sound, especially the famous Romani music. So sit back and enjoy the music and don't be afraid to crack a smile.

Balkan Beats | Cool, Hip and Exploitive? Na.

Before living abroad, I always found "world music" or "international music" or "ethnic" music" interesting and strange; meriting a once-through so I could feel like the proper cultured American. However, I feel that I am coming to a better understanding of, not necessarily music from different cultures, but how our American culture processes music from other cultures by bastardizing it and commercializing it. Granted, these aren't necessarily bad things but I think its important for it to be raised in the discussion.

Some Observations without Accusations:

• ==>Insert White Man Here<== International Music cool and all, and we like listening to it. But, honestly, we need a somebody from "our" side playing it. It makes us comfortable and we are more likely to (most importantly) buy it.
• If ain't in the NY Times . . . it might as well not exist within the culture framework of America. It's not because the NY Times is pretentious (it is) or that the NY Times has better access to good music; its just that we want someone or something with some sort of culture authority telling us what to think. That's like a whole dissertation right there and I don't really want to write too much about it. So, just think about it. It ain't bad, just consider your sources before you go all I'm-in-the-know and whatnot.
  
• Yeah, but could you rap over it? Jay-z anyone? Some call it sharing cultures with music but its just seems rather authoritative and heavy handed to throw down a guitar and drums or cool rhyme on everything that comes through our proverbial Ellis Island of international music. It just shows again that we need to be linked to the music somehow to be able to create a common interest. Without a white man, authoritative cultural figure or Americanizing it, it hard for Americans to absorb the music. We need that link.
• The Ipod Movement You have your playlist of perfectly optimized songs and I have mine. And, sure, we like sharing our Ipod with our friends (a sort of whose belt is longer contest: "Oh you've got Mates of State? Yeah, but did you see Peaches on there? I just like their first album . . "). With the Ipod movement, we run the risk of creating our own worlds impervious to outside influences. Sure "our worlds" are rather cultured and broad but it takes a lot of work to find new music 1) Go to a Computer 2) Find new music through website/friends/Last.fm 3) Illegally download 4) Hack Itunes to be flexible. That makes us willing to try "new Music" or world music but we limit ourselves because each song takes work. We just want the best ones whereas with the radio, it is meant as a background to your day. Not the focus. This means that most people have selections of Balkan music and its is more difficult to have a broader spectrum.
  
• Yeah, but is it REALLY Roma/Balkan/Folk? I don't know the answer to that one. But think about it: LE MYSTERE DES VOIX BULGARES are the uncontested symbol of Bulgarian Folklore music but the name of the group is in . . . French. I just don't know.

The Kiss and Makeup with America:

So does this mean that western style artists are exploiting the Balkans and aren't playing "real" Balkan music? My answer would have to be a resounding, Does it matter? Is it good music? Do you enjoy it? Well, then its real enough for me. Now, whether or not it can be stamped with a packaged, sealed and marketed brand saying "The Real Balkan Sound" is a different question. I can say with almost certainty that most people from the Balkans have never heard of these new and up and upcoming bands in America (I'll be posting about them later).

So, lets just say that its got a "Balkan sound" or its influenced by the "Balkan Music". And that's cool.

So, whenever I introduce a band or artist with bastardized or westernized Balkan Music, I'm going to list it as: Balkan Influences . This allows the people to become aware of really cool Balkan Influenced bands but not misunderstand them for music from the Balkans.

The Balkan Hour | Balkan Influences

Do Balkan Influences need to be discussed within the same discussion of Balkan Music? Of course! What better gauge do you have of what outsiders perceive as interesting and captivating? It allows one to observe what it says about the outsider's culture as well. (Such as Bulgarians affinity to western hip-hop and pop that's solely danceable).


Beirut