After the 2007 release Nu Med, the Balkan Beat Box is coming back strong with their new album Blue Eyed Black Boy released in the US on April 27 on NatGeo Music and Crammed Discs. Produced in Belgrade, Tel Aviv and Vienna, the new release borrows something from virtually all musical styles, from Hip-hop to Reggae, Balkan brass bands to electronic beats or from Israeli and Arabic rhythms to cumbia.
Apart from being fun and interesting in its own, the amalgam of styles is given deeper meaning by powerful lyrics infused with messages of tolerance, anti-war and brotherhood and references to other like minded songs (like Max Romeo’s “I Chase the Devil” in the opening track).

Here are a couple of remixes of BBB’s new tracks.

War Again (RJD2 remix)

Move It (Radioclit Remix)

Schlachthofbronx’s Ayoba has made big waves on the dancefloors and music blogs in the past few months. Here’s the Shazalakazoo version adding some Balkan brass band flavor into an upbeat, smashing remix.

Ayoba! (Shazalakazoo “AyoBalkan” Remix) – Schlachthofbronx ft. Spoek & Gnucci Banana by shazalakazoo

You can buy the Ayoba Remix EP on iTunes.

Also, 2 new versions of Max Pashm’s Manea-K

Manea-K (Shazalakazoo 4/4 Remix) – Max Pashm by shazalakazoo

Manea-K (Shazalakazoo 7/8 Remix) – Max Pashm by shazalakazoo

Produced for the dance floors of Melbourne and Berlin, DJ Delay’s new release “Brass, Wires and Bass” gives an electronic spin to already famous Balkan dance floor bangers. The lineup includes some of the most well established Balkan music artists: [dunkelbunt], Boban Markovic, Gaetano Fabri and Max Pashm among others.

Kebab Connection is one of the best remixes of this Balkan hit. The deep bass is giving a more dancehall feeling to the song.

Od Scra still mostly keeps its authentic acoustic brass band sound but the nicely placed effects and and edits make it a much more effective song for the dancefloor. Really entertaining.

Finally, a really good version of Gaetano Fabri’s Smart Gypsy, this remix builds up the tempo nicely, making for a great party starter.
Smart Gypsy – dj delay remix by dj Gaetano Fabri

You can listen to the whole compilation below or buy it on iTunes.

Shazalakazoo is putting up their first album, one of the best Balkan music releases of the past year.  With influences spanning all of the Balkans and more, this Belgrade duo is creating a great sound by mixing samples from traditional songs, vinyl scratching and electronic beats and effects.  Preview and buy Speaking Balkanian here or on Shazalakazoo soundcloud page.

Here are two songs from DJ Delay, an Australian world music DJ host of the Into the Groovy radio show on Straigtup. Check it out for a good collection of recorded shows from the past three years and more.
Bells are Alive, is a groovy original song sampling horn themes from Balkan brass bands while the second is a nice club twist of the classic Jewish wedding anthem.

Bells Are Alive (download)

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Hava Naglia (download)

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For his next single, Antwerp based deejay and producer MERDAN TAPLAK teemed up with German Balkan Big Band ÄL JAWALA. Merdan Taplak reworked “borderbounce”, as featured on Äl Jawala’s album “Asphalt Pirate Radio”, and made it into a absolutely floorfilling balkanstomper. Check out the movie of the remix played live at one of the biggest festivals in Belgium, Dour Festival.

Listen to the full remix at myspace.com/djmerdantaplak

An ancient Ottoman song made into contemporary balkan beats! Antwerp based up and coming deejay and producer MERDAN TAPLAK mashed up the old groove with modern electronic beats. Dancefloor slammer!

The track will be released on the next Balkan Beats compilation (“Balkan Beats, A night at the Lido”), compiled by Robert Soko.

Check out the clip, with images shot in Petrol Club in Antwerp and Ost Klub in Vienna.

A couple of techno remixes/mashups of Gogol Bordello and J.U.F. from Berlin’s Miss Blitz.

Copy Cat

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JUF

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From DJ Soumnakai of Turkey and France, a couple of heavy electronic rromixes.

Lacho Dives

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Aven Romalen

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