Track Listing

1. Bucovina - Shantel (1)
2. Mahalageasca - Mahala Rai Banda
3. Bulgarian Chicks - Balkan Beat Box
4. Balkan Hot Step - N.O.H.A.
5. 007: James Bond Theme - Fanfare Ciocarlia
6. Usti Usti Baba - Kocani Orkestar & Senor Coconut
7. Spoitoresa - Mahala Rai Banda
8. Hora Andalusia - Fanfare Ciocarlia
9. Start Wearing Purple - Gogol Bordello
10. Mi Bori Sa Korani - Kocani Orkestar
11. Dostlar Bizim Halaya - Buzuki Orhan Osman & King Naat Veliov/Original Kocani Orkestar
12. Bucovina - Shantel (1)
13. Mahalageasca - Mahala Rai Banda
14. Epoitoresa - Mahala Rai Banda
15. Bucovina - Shantel (1)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #29592 in Music
• Released on: 2006-06-19
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .19 pounds

Customer Reviews

Surprisingly, compellingly danceable
Surprisingly infectious dancefloor stormers from the Balkans. DJ's Russ Jones and Felix B have unearthed these discs on their travels, and they make you forget your preconceptions and stomp along to the pacy oompah beats. Yes these tunes are unmistakeably Eastern European in origin, imagine a Romanian wedding band on E's. The collection is given nice variety, with excursions into Rai, Mariachi, and other exotica. The compilers have included their more club-friendly remixes of a number of tunes as bonus tracks. I defy anyone to remain still with some of these babies pounding through a big system... quality ... no really!

Balkan beats
Gypsy punk and Balkan pop has gotten new attention in the past few years, with the emergence of bands like Gogol Bordello, Balkan Beat Box and Beirut. Some of the best of this little folk-rock genre are included in "Gypsy Beats and Balkan Bangers," which includes a few bands you might have heard of, and some you certainly haven't.

On the more traditional side of things, we have the horn-led dance tunes of Shantel's "Bucovina," both the original and the souped up, synth-edged "Felix B Booty Mix," and the rousing, trumpety "Hora Andalusia." Balkan Beat Box produces one of the best songs in the languorous shimmy of "Bulgarian Chicks," but "Dostlar Bizim Halaya (Come to Dance)" is too loose and uncertain to go anywhere.

But there are some less conventional numbers: Fanfare Ciocarlia give their own breathless interpretation of the James Bond theme, and Mahala Rai Banda produce a tight, booty-shaking tune in "Spoitoresa." Gogol Bordello stands out as the only real ROCK number on here, with the bizarre, delightfully wacky "Start Wearing Purple," which is one of the album's highlights.

And finally we have the least traditional of all -- the remixes, which are mostly delightful, even dancier and more complex than the originals, without losing that folky edge, such as the wonky "Mahalageasca (Felix B Jaxxhse Dubb)," and action-film-ready "Spoitoresa (Russ & Roc Brass & Bass Mix)." The one flop remix is "Bucovina (OMFO Dub)," which sounds like the musicians are seriously stoned.

It's easy to mistake "Gypsy Beats and Balkan Bangers" for one band, just diddling around with different styles. Most of the songs here (with the exception of a few like "Start Wearing Purple") have a lot in common musically, with many of the same instruments and similar melodies.

So it's a credit to these bands that they all put an individual stamp on their work, and that the songs don't really blend together despite their similarities. They all have their own strengths, and do quite good jobs with things like accordion, klezmer, fiddle, and some really lovely horns scattered all through the songs. The vocals range from traditional crooning to Eugene Hutz's impassioned howls.

One thing that might have been nice is more of an electronic presence here, such as underrated folk-electronica artists like Yonderboi and Beirut, perhaps instead of the remixes.

A good sampler of Balkan pop, rock and traditional music, "Gypsy Beats and Balkan Bangers" is a good introduction to this underrated brand of folk-rock.