Friday 20 February 2009

Balkanology: Balkan Beats in South Africa!













Thought you could only listen Balkan music in Europe!?
Guess what: You're wrong!

Balkanology is a Cape Town (South Africa) based collective presenting the madness of Balkan and Gypsy music to Africa!
They throw massive manic parties where DJ’s and musicians perform a fusion of Gypsy, Serbian, Macedonian, Bulgarian and Romanian melodies. It's the biggest Balkan party in South Africa. It's the only Balkan party in South Africa.
That's the transbalkan connection in showing itself!
















The Balkanology parties, with Dj Toby2shoes, started in Cape Town as small, occasional electro-Balkan-gypsy dances. In the two years since their inception, they have gathered a following of thousands (the last party in April saw two and a half thousand tickets sold). Capetonians love a celebration and these parties fit in perfectly with their love of eccentricity - styled as Eastern European gypsy camps with caravans, bales of hay, tents with tarot and palm-readers, goats, chickens and pigs, Balkanology is an opportunity to dress up and go wild.

The music, however, is what really drives the revelry. Traditional Balkan gypsy folk mixed with electronic beats is the simplest description, and the result is irresistible, compulsive celebration music. "A wild, heaving mass" is how the BBC's Garth Cartwright described German audiences' reaction when DJ Shantel began adding Balkan Brass breaks to his techno set back in the late 90’s. Since then, the electro-Balkan scene has exploded. DJ Toby2shoes, a pioneer of alternative music in general in South Africa, has become the ambassador for Balkan-gypsy-folk.



Balkanology Vol.1
Compiled by Toby2sho














Toby2sho choice of tracks for the Balkanology album consolidates his reputation as a highly skilled, innovative Dj in general, and for this music in particular. The 14-track compilation includes many of the most popular names in the genre – DJ Click, Balkan Beat Box, !Deladap, Kocani Orkestar - and three tracks mixed by DJ Shantel, who won a BBC World Music Award for clubbing music in 2006.

Toby2sho MySpace: www.myspace.com/toby2shoes
Buy Album: www.cdbaby.com

Tracklist:

1 Rona Hartner and DJ Click: Uhai Bade Tzuca-Ma
2 Dunkelbunt (Fanfare Ciocarlian & Dunkelbunt): Asfalt Tango
3 KAL: Komedija
4 Balkan Beat Box: Sunday Arak
5 Rootsman: Ta Travudia
6 DJ Click vs Mahala Rai Banda: Romano Dance
7 Gaetano Fabri vs Kocani Orkestar: Siki Siki Baba
8 Senor Coconut vs Kocani Orkestar: Usti Usti Baba
9 Shantel: Disko (Friends of Boban Mix)
10 Amsterdam Klezmer Band: Sagadoro Hot Dub (Shantel Remix)
11 Eastenders: Vino Iuberia Mea (!DelaDap remix)
12 Shantel feat. Boban Markovic Orkestar & Todor 'Tosa' Vukmirovic:
13 !Deladap feat. the Voice & Musicians of the 17 Hippies: Lautlos
14 Kolo Novo Movie Band: Bolujemja

Official site: www.balkanology.co.za
MySpace: www.myspace.com/balkanology

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