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March 12, 2010
A unique dance party
Balkan Beat Box defies traditional labels.
ALEXIS PAVLICH
Blue Eyed Black Boy. A striking description that connotes beauty in difference, and a fitting title for Balkan Beat Box’s (BBB) third CD, whose sounds are as distinct as the image it offers. The desire to break down barriers – both musically and socio-politically – clearly fuels the work of this band.
By telephone from Israel, BBB founding member Ori Kaplan told the Independent, “It is boundaries that keep our minds conditioned by artificial separations.” He is referring to the album’s image of a boy from two different cultures and the need for society – particularly younger generations – to combat stereotypes and racism. However, he could just as easily have been speaking about genre and BBB’s inclination to transcend musical boundaries.
BBB challenges traditional labels, fusing a multitude of traditional sounds from eastern Europe, the Middle East, the Mediterranean and the Balkans with contemporary electronica and hip-hop beats. According to Kaplan, BBB is recognized for their own “very specific sense of esthetics and personal sound.” Descriptions of the group’s music range from “hard-edged folk” to “gypsy punk” to “all-world techno explosion.” This successful cross-cultural musical fusion embodies the best in artistic collaboration and musical tolerance. From the eclectic mix of klezmer horns and Arabic doumbek (or darbuka) drums, and lyrics in a variety of languages, a BBB performance is a unique, high-energy, multi-ethnic dance party.
BBB was founded in 2004 by Kaplan (saxophone) and Tamir Muskat (percussion), both of whom originally hail from Israel, but have been living in the United States for the past 15 years. They relocated because “Israel is small and it’s hard to expand ... you gotta go to Berlin or New York and, in the ’90s, New York was a fresh place.”
Kaplan explained that New York offered the artists a favorable atmosphere to create their music. “You can say it is music that started in immigrant nightlife in New York ... it has an express uniqueness and charm of people of different cultures. [It doesn’t] try to erase the past.” He continued, “We took influences from back home – things we grew up on – and mixed it up with DJ sets.”
MC Tomer Yosef joined the duo as “the arm” and they became a “full-on trio.” However, there are always at least six musicians on stage, including Jeremiah Lockwood on guitar, Itamar Ziegler on bass and Peter Hess on saxaphone, and sometimes up to 10 musicians, including guest performers that hail from around the globe. “We add guests when we can,” said Kaplan, adding, “When we find the right person.” BBB concerts in Israel have included Palestinian artists.
BBB has traveled extensively over the past five years and enjoys performing more than 100 shows a year, although, Kaplan said, “we like to take time in the studio and to recharge.”
Their largest fan base is in New York – their “homebase” and the first place where they performed to sell-out crowds – but fans span the globe. Tracks are downloaded across Europe, and the band has cultivated a large following in Israel, where, Kaplan said, “Israelis feel pride in the band’s success abroad, as well as pride in their own culture and efforts in dialogue with the Palestinians.... We’ve become quite huge [in Israel]. It’s refreshing.”
BBB members do not consider themselves ambassadors or politicians. However, the group speaks through innovative music that expresses social and political change.
“We are musicians first,” Kaplan insisted. However, he said, “By default we speak about [politics] because we have a mic and we feel we must speak about it ... the responsible should speak about it.” Kaplan is proud that BBB’s song “Ramallah-Tel Aviv” was selected to represent Israel on the FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) 2010 soundtrack.
BBB is playing the Venue (881 Granville St.) on March 18, at 8 p.m. For tickets, call 604-257-5145 or visit chutzpahfestival.com or ticketstonight.ca.
Alexis Pavlich is a freelance writer in Vancouver and already has her ticket to the March 18 BBB show!
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