If you’ve never heard the can’t-put-your-finger-on-it sound of Gogol Bordello, then you’re in for a treat from Ori Kaplan, Tamir Muskat and the up-to-nine man crew of Balkan Beat Box supplemented by various featured artists. Kaplan used to be the saxophonist for Gogol Bordello and both he and co-founder Muskat are originally from Israel while now calling Brooklyn, New York their home.
I happened upon Balkan Beat Box’s inaugural 2005 album of the same name while surfing around the editor’s picks on emusic and, based on the previous association with Gogol Bordello and the description of the music, couldn’t resist downloading. And it’s worth it.
Want to feel transported to a time and place not quite the Old World and not quite the New? Like your music captivating for reasons you can’t quite explain while being nudged along by brass, woodwind and bass woven together in a superb tapestry? Then Balkan Beat Box is surely a can’t miss. It’ll invade and tickle your musical subconscious. Some tracks lean more to the traditional, which clearly informs their adventurous sound. Others are certainly more non-traditional without leaving you shrugging your shoulders wondering what you just listened to.
The second Balkan Beat Box album, Nu Med, is due out in May on JDub (U.S.) and Crammed (Europe). The group is on tour all over the place in the U.S. and Europe as I type.
Balkan Beat Box – Adir Adrimi (ft Victoria Hanna)
Balkan Beat Box – Meboli (ft Vlada Tomova)
Enjoy what you hear? Try more at the Balkan Beat Box site and Balkan Beat Box on MySpace.
