Go East
I'm really enjoying the Devotchka album at the moment and it is the latest in a line of Eastern European/Gypsy influenced music I've really felt a connection with. After seeing Fanfare Ciocarlia at the Cambridge Folk Festival last year I then went to see the Kocani Orkestar and both were stunning and had me leaping about like a maniac (well that's what 'er indoors thinks it looks like but I was attempting to 'dance'). I subsequently discovered a love of Beirut, Gulag Orkestar was a great album but The Flying Club Cup is just amazing and I can't stop listening to it. I've also really enjoyed Gypsy Beats and Balkan Bangers 2 (I couldn't find the first one).
It's quite rare to discover a whole new genre of music totally different to anything you've heard before and be blown away by it.
Does anyone else have any similar recomendations?
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I do!!!
Go out and buy Jane Birkin - Arabesque. The playing is absolutely sensational - Arabic and Eastern European influences abound plus you also get the sexy voice of Jane on top. A heady combination indeed.Listen to it and tell me its not seductive!!
Digging an Arab
From a similar part of the world (or at least heavily inspired by it), I also love Terry Hall's album in collaboration with Mushtaq, "The Hour of Two Lights" - extremely exotic feel, Terry's desert-dry sense of humour and drums that sometimes sound like the floor's fallen in. "A Tale of Woe" sounds like a procession of slaves and camels making their way across the sands.
See also: The compilation "Think Global: Belly Dance" which I'm enjoying at the moment. Natacha Atlas too.
I presume you've tried Gogol Bordello, Niks?
I think my main incentive to spread east in musical taste is my disappointment in the predictable, feeble, cleaned-up, impotent percussion on Western music nowadays.
Gogol Bordello
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention them. They were the ones who opened my eyes to it in the first place really. To my mind they are much more genuine punks than any of those blond yank rich kids on skateboards.
A Hawk And A Hacksaw
are wonderful; the more considered, small-hours side to Balkan music... also the Electric Gypsyland compilations where the likes of the much-loved Tunng remix more traditional acts.
More Balkans
Try Taraf de Haïdouks - they won big at the BBC World Music awards a few years back, and are loved by the likes of Johnny Depp - the playing is ferocious, but I find them a little more difficult to get to grips with than Fanfare Ciocarlia. And if you like Fanfare, try Boban Markovic - he's won the Golden Trumpet award at the Guca Festival (Serbia's premier brass festival) several times and is considered by many to be the king of Balkan brass. Further afield there's a really good compilation called Mehanata New York Gypsy Mania which features some Gogol Bordello tracks alongside some more underground stuff.
Iren Lovasz
Rosebuds In A Stoneyard, and Vilagfa. You can get these through the Hungarian website of Gayan Uttejak Orchestra, .guo.hu
What my subconscious automatically blocked?
I was playing the latest 'Now Hear This' CD to my wife. "Wait until you hear this one!" says I skipping to Devotchka's 'The Clockwise Witness'. Having listened previously I was hearing strains of Arcade Fire and all was well with the world. This time though, come the chorus I was greeted with the bombshell "Is that him from 'Starsailor'?" Crash and burn! ... And you know what it does sound like him!! It'll never be the same again.
SERBIAN FRIENDS
I have quite a few and they are always playing "Turbo Folk". I promise you this is to be avoided.But it sounds like you might be getting into it.
They always play this one-Ivana Sasic-
Sounds like a stong Arabic influence to these ears.
also Youtube provided a handy guide
Got to agree about the Terry Hall- Mushtaq album .it was excellent