If one were to criminally oversimplify Slavic Soul Party's stylistic influences, one might describe them as a Klezmer-Funk ensemble playing in a New Orleans marching band during Mardi Gras. With accordion. In 11/8 time. When they mentioned that last bit, I let out an audible "oh man," which could have described the sheer virtuosity of the band's instrumentalists, their choice of music, and, yes, their odd and wonderful choice of time signatures. (That one happened to be inspired by a Bulgarian wedding song.) I had the opportunity last night to see Slavic Soul Party at [...]
[Today, Chris Landriau reviews a Balkan music festival and gives an interactive lesson on Balkan rhythms.] On a Friday night in January, I joined an all-ages group of hipsters, folkies, and music lovers of all kinds that descended on Brooklyn's Grand Prospect Hall for the Zlatne Uste Golden Festival , a two-day celebration of Balkan Music and Culture. As I approached, the joyful cacophony I heard wafting through the doors promised to fulfill my quest to understand the music's infectious appeal—and to rediscover part of my family history. [...]
Slavic Soul Party! As their name implies, Slavic Soul Party! updates traditional Eastern European sounds with a festive, contemporary feel: instrumental music that conjures carnivals and circuses, pep bands and klezmer bands, James Brown and James Bond. Brooklyn music aficionados may know Slavic Soul Party! from their weekly Tuesday gigs at Barbès; uptowners may have caught them at Carnegie Hall. Like Johnny Cash and B.B. King, the band also plays prisons, with a performance yesterday at Rikers Island and an upcoming show in November at Sing [...]
Filed under: Around the World Call it the revenge of the band geeks. It seems that everywhere you turn these days, you can find the folks who probably got a lot of grief for their stints in their high school bands -- marching and otherwise -- wielding their horns and drums and even accordions with great pride. Brass bands and various derivatives might just be the hippest things going. Well, brass bands have always been hip in the Balkans and in New Orleans, so it's no surprise [...]
1. Avi Buffalo - "Raccoon"2. Vic Chesnutt - "Flirted With You All My Life"3. Will Stratton - "Who Will"4. Awesome New Republic - "Alleycat"5. Bamboo Shoots - "Hey Girl"6. Hyperstory - "A Happening"7. Port O' Brien - "My Will is Good" (Bodega Girls remix)8. Boh Runga - "Be Careful" (with Serj Tankian)9. Hey Ocean - "A Song About California"10. Julie Peel - "Unfold"**BONUS**11. The Dustys - "
Thursday : Cotton Jones , Frontier Ruckus , Garrett Pierce @ Bottom of the Hill (9pm, $10) Garrett Pierce - "Running from the Face" Friday : Slavic Soul Party , Brass Menazeri @ Elbo Room (8:30 & 11:30pm, $12.50) Slavic Soul Party - "Taketron" Saturday : Wallpaper , Hottub , 40Love @ Rickshaw Stop, (9pm, $10) Wallpaper - "Doodoo Face" [...]
I've been dabbling in the expansive world of what is best described as "gypsy punk" for quite some time now. A broad genre, trapping all kinds of similarly styled modern bands with a more brass-driven aesthetic, its big players include Devotchka, Beat Circus , and Gogol Bordello . A hodgepodge of Roma music , Southern funk, earthly folk, and more, these bands are all unified, yet strikingly different from one another, depending on both their main area of focus and degree of modern inflections upon it. Despite my recent love and exploration of this wild musical [...]
Just a quick heads up about a nice offering from Modiba Publishing. They have online a 16-track sampler of music, ranging from West African and Iran to Brazil and New Orleans. You can download -- free! -- individual tracks or the complete album. One-click full album download at: www.modiba.net/pub The Swarm - Noble Society (Guyana, USA) Barap Barap [...]
AudioCred
Frontier Psychiatrist
Spinner.com
My Crazy Music Blog
The Bay Bridged
The Lime Wire Blog
SoundRoots World Music & mp3 Blog
Skrillex Uses Satanic and Homosexual Influence to Win Grammys
A-Trak - "Round of Applause" / "Where My Money At" (MP3 Download)
Diplo & Usher “Climax”
Diplo - "Climax" (MP3 Stream)
