WOMAD

Balkan Beat Box

From Israel, United States

If, on a planet still too readily scarred by intolerance and bloody conflict, you require some reassurance about music's ability to ignore borders and act as some kind of healing force, direct your ears in the direction of Balkan Beat Box. Born out of the same underground New York scene that dropped gypsy punks Gogol Bordello in our laps, these Brooklynites make the sound of the right here, right now. Based around the nucleus of saxophonist Ori Kaplan, drummer/programmer Tamir Miskat and MC Tomer Yusuf, they also welcome on board a whole squadron of kindred souls from far and wide, including Syria, Morocco, Macedonia and Bulgaria. They find absolutely no contradiction in being both joyful and intelligent - imagine the articulate yet party-rocking spirit of Ozomatli transplanted to the Mediterranean's East End and you're getting somewhere close. It's rock. It's world. It's hip-hop. It's electronica. It's just plain irresistible…