Balkan BeatBox @ Empty Bottle June 11, 2007

Balkan Beat Box performs an inspired madness that crosses multi-cultural circus with non-stop dance party. Its full horns, dj beats, throbbing basslines and percussion come together for a surreal atmosphre that's part Gypsy caravan, part performance-art collective. Blending electronic music with hard-edged folk music from the Balkans, North Africa, and the Middle East, the exciting and internationally acclaimed collective Balkan Beat Box is out to prove that all the world is indeed a stage -- and that we are all gypsies.

Equally influenced by Boban Markovic, Rachid Taha, and Fanfare Ciocarlia as well as Manu Chao and Charlie Parker, Balkan Beat Box presents a wild mixture of styles and sounds on their self titled debut which the Denver Post called "An Eastern Bloc party turned to 11 at 4:30 a.m. - only live and with musicians hailing from Turkey, Israel, Morocco, Bulgaria and Spain." A band of New Yorkers, Israelis, Africans and Bulgarians, led by ex-Gogol Bordello member Ori Kaplan and Firewater/Big Lazy's Tamir Muskat, BBB brings together folk traditions with electronic beats, video projections, and a rotating cast of vocalists including the Victoria Hannah, Tomer Yosef, Buglarian Chicks, Jeremiah Lockwood, and gnawa player Hassan Ben Jaffar.

Official Website: http://kfarcenter.org