Nice Review, K.D.Pee! My glass is raised, "L'Chayim!"

I can't recommend checking out Balkan Beat Box enough tomorrow night at Irving Plaza. And the NY debut of Oi Va Voi...OI!!!! Sorry, I couldn't resist. Been dying to catch them live since I first heard "Refugee" and the Herbert remix of that tune...hot stuff for sure. There's a pretty intense live clip of Balkan Beat Box ripping it in France back in July up on their site if you're not familiar with them. Check the link below. Those Frenchmen are going mad!@#$@%$%^!!!!!!!!!!!
www.balkanbeatbox.com

Thanks for the love you guys showed to our new program where we ask frequent Giant Step forum contributors to review their favorite CDs. Next up is a glowing review of the Balkan Beat Box CD hitting shelves tomorrow. Congratulations on the review K.D.!
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Balkan Beat Box (JDub Records)
If you looked up the word 'party' in the dictionary, the definition would surely read: See "Balkan Beat Box." From the very moment I put BBB on, I was magically whisked away to a party atmosphere filled with gypsies and sensual belly dancers who moved as if under the spell of intoxicating horn riffs and hypnotic rhythms. I too, was instantly seduced.

Saxophonist, Ori Kaplan, formerly of the NYC band, Gogol Bordello, and drummer/percussionist, Tamir Muskat, head Balkan Beat Box. The band consists of seven members and frequently employs the vocals of various artists. Their new self-titled album is a non-kosher blend of hip-hop, brass, electronica, folk, and ethnic influences which include Arabic, Turkish, African, and Moroccan.

BBB kicks off the party with “Cha Cha,” a catchy hip-hop influenced track, laced with saucy horn riffs and an infectious “Cha Cha” chorus that flows into the track “Bulgarian Chicks..” Featuring the vocals of you guessed it The Bulgarian Chicks, it is reminiscent of The House of Pain's “Jump Around,” but taken to the tenth power. Disregard the fact that you don't know exactly what they're saying. The music clearly articulates what they they want you to do - get up and move. My personal favorites are “Gross,” which actually feels more like the West Coast than the Middle East, and “La Bush Resistance,” a downtempo, percussive groove, whose title pretty much speaks for itself, and of course, “Cha Cha.”

The way BBB constructed the music is nothing short of genius. For example, if you're a hip-hop fan, you'll still enjoy the tracks that lean more heavily towards a folk/ethnic sound. On the other hand, if you're a connoisseur of the ethnic /folk sound, you'll still enjoy the tracks that lean heavier towards a hip-hop or an electronic sound. This is because the individual genres that comprise the music compliment one another so well. The hip-hop doesn't overpower the ethnic influence. The ethnic influences don't overshadow the electronic feel. Every component functions in its own niche.

Balkan Beat Box is a party just waiting to happen. In the words of E. Badu, "Push up the fader, bust the meter, shake the tweeter, and bump it..."

Pour a little Remy, raise your glass, and yell, “L’ Chayim!”


Reviewed by K.D.Pee for Giant Step
September 14, 2005