This weekend, London will be the battlefield for the Battle of the Balkan Brass. It will feature Fanfare Ciocarlia and Boban & Marko Markovic Orchestra, fighting to see who is the best Balkan brass band. To get in the mood, here are some great Balkan brass tunes.
"Manea Cu Voca" - Fanfare Ciocarlia
Let's start with the groups about to battle it out. Fanfare Ciocarlia is a gypsy brass band from Northern Romania. This track is from their 1999 release Baro Biao. Fun and energetic, it's easy to see why they are in the running for best Balkan brass band.
"Voz" - Boban Markovic Orkestar (featuring Marko Markovic)
And in the second corner, Boban & Marko Marko Markovic Orkestar. This group is from Serbia and the track is from the album The Promise. It is more subdued than most of their tracks, but just as fun. It's going to be a close battle.
"Paradehtika" - Goran Bregovic
Another heavy weight of the Balkan brass bands is Goran Bregovic. Bregovic, however, tends to fuse other styles in with the Balkan brass including tango and popular music. This track is from his album Alkohol, which won last year's Songlines Music Awards for best artist.
Showing posts with label Romania. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Romania. Show all posts
Monday, 16 May 2011
Monday, 14 February 2011
This Week's Picks (#31)
I know it's been my recent habit to pick a theme for the "This Week's Picks" tracks. However, this week's theme is simply "awesome stuff I've heard this week." So I apologize if it seems a bit random, but these are still some great picks. Enjoy!
"Music for a Found Harmonium" - Penguin Cafe
As anyone who follows me on Twitter will already know, I've become obsessed with Penguin Cafe as of late. I attended their sold out concert at the Barbican on Wednesday and was blown away. They're music is beyond category, fusing jazz, folk, world, and classical elements. Penguin Cafe is the continuation of Simon Jaffes' original concept of the Penguin Cafe Orchesta by his son, Arthur. I'm actually disappointed there is not a better video of them on YouTube. This is an OK recording, but they are much better than this video gives them credit for. **Keep your eyes out for my review of Wednesday's concert to appear in the next issue of Songlines Magazine!**
"Rumba" - Indialucia
Indian flamenco...'nuff said. Ok, so I know there's a chance that this may sound a tad cheesy to some, but I think it's just so much fun! It's full of energy like flamenco, but without the seriousness of the genre. As a genre spawned from the confluence of various musical influences, flamenco works beautifully as a fusion setting. It could be that I'm bias as I LOVE flamenco music, but Indialucia pull off a really beautiful fusion.
"Turceasca" - Taraf de Haïdouks
I've known of this group for awhile so it might be cheating putting this under the theme of "awesome stuff I've discovered this week", but I have really been getting into them this week. They're a fun gypsy band from Romania, and if you need any other reason to like them, they're Johnny Depp's favorite gypsy band. There you go. They must be awesome!
"Music for a Found Harmonium" - Penguin Cafe
As anyone who follows me on Twitter will already know, I've become obsessed with Penguin Cafe as of late. I attended their sold out concert at the Barbican on Wednesday and was blown away. They're music is beyond category, fusing jazz, folk, world, and classical elements. Penguin Cafe is the continuation of Simon Jaffes' original concept of the Penguin Cafe Orchesta by his son, Arthur. I'm actually disappointed there is not a better video of them on YouTube. This is an OK recording, but they are much better than this video gives them credit for. **Keep your eyes out for my review of Wednesday's concert to appear in the next issue of Songlines Magazine!**
"Rumba" - Indialucia
Indian flamenco...'nuff said. Ok, so I know there's a chance that this may sound a tad cheesy to some, but I think it's just so much fun! It's full of energy like flamenco, but without the seriousness of the genre. As a genre spawned from the confluence of various musical influences, flamenco works beautifully as a fusion setting. It could be that I'm bias as I LOVE flamenco music, but Indialucia pull off a really beautiful fusion.
"Turceasca" - Taraf de Haïdouks
I've known of this group for awhile so it might be cheating putting this under the theme of "awesome stuff I've discovered this week", but I have really been getting into them this week. They're a fun gypsy band from Romania, and if you need any other reason to like them, they're Johnny Depp's favorite gypsy band. There you go. They must be awesome!
Monday, 16 August 2010
This Week's Picks (#11)
Please enjoy this week's picks!
"Diaphanes" by Dhafer Youssef
Youssef grew up in Tunisia and at a young age made his first oud out of whatever he could find lying around -- cans, bicycle spokes, fishing net. That young oud player, with his homemade oud, has grown up into a magnificent player. Playing music that captures your attention like only the oud can, Youssef performs music best for contemplation or meditation. The soft melodies are relaxing, and yet provoke introspection and reflection. This track is from his 2003 album, Digital Prophecy.
"Asfalt Tango" by Fanfare Ciocarlia
To wake you up after the calming tack by Youssef, here's something a little more exciting. Fanfare Ciocarlia is a gypsy brass band from Northern Romania. This track is from their 1999 release, Baro Biao. This track is a perfect example of the Balkan groove and should at the very least get your foot tapping.
"Africans" by Nneka
Nneka is a Nigerian-German hip hop singer who sings in either English or Igbo. She grew up in Nigeria, but started her music career after moving to Germany when she was 18. This track was released on her 2005 album, Victim of Truth and asks Africans to wake up and stop blaming.
"Diaphanes" by Dhafer Youssef
Youssef grew up in Tunisia and at a young age made his first oud out of whatever he could find lying around -- cans, bicycle spokes, fishing net. That young oud player, with his homemade oud, has grown up into a magnificent player. Playing music that captures your attention like only the oud can, Youssef performs music best for contemplation or meditation. The soft melodies are relaxing, and yet provoke introspection and reflection. This track is from his 2003 album, Digital Prophecy.
"Asfalt Tango" by Fanfare Ciocarlia
To wake you up after the calming tack by Youssef, here's something a little more exciting. Fanfare Ciocarlia is a gypsy brass band from Northern Romania. This track is from their 1999 release, Baro Biao. This track is a perfect example of the Balkan groove and should at the very least get your foot tapping.
"Africans" by Nneka
Nneka is a Nigerian-German hip hop singer who sings in either English or Igbo. She grew up in Nigeria, but started her music career after moving to Germany when she was 18. This track was released on her 2005 album, Victim of Truth and asks Africans to wake up and stop blaming.
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