Balkan music in Mexico City!
The “Balkan-beat!” Fiesta is a popular event with HOY community – only sometimes used as a fundraiser – usually it’s just for fun. Since Gerardo, one of the founders of HOY, is frequently a dj (dj gadjio) at these events, volunteers and friends of HOY get to see another side of his diverse personality, another chance to see what inspires HOY and a chance to experience another far-off and little known culture.
Balkan music is intoxicating, and dj gadjio is usually still jumping around at 2 in the morning, and there’s still an hour left to play some invigorating Balkan music.
Faithful followers – or “balkys” as gadjio calls them – form a jumbled circle of intertwined arms and clapping hands to the rhythm of the old but well-loved Italian battle song of “Bella Ciao” (the Balkan version of course), and frantically jumping and spinning about in an onda of happiness, locura and chelas. One more night – Balkan style.
To give the complete history of traditional Balkan music would be almost impossible…which is why you have to hear it!
Basically, balkan music comes from Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Romania, Kosovo, Montenegro, Macedonia and Serbia, and all of them have been greatly influenced by gypsy music. From small towns all over the Balkans, this incredible music is used as often for weddings as for funerals, and for almost any type of festivity in between.
It’s difficult not be captivated by the rhythms of trumpets, tubas, violins and the sound of Slavic languages; or by the colorful and sensual dancers that accompany them.
From DiskoBalkan's Myspace Page
The “Balkan-beat!” gained success after famous movies such as Latcho Drom (1993) from French-Algerian-Roman Tony Gatlif (1948-) and classics from the Serbian Emir Kusturika (1954-), particularly his master work Underground (1995). After passing through the movie theaters, these gypsy-balkan melodies gyrated through Europe, finding popularity in bars and clubs throughout Frankfurt and Berlin…later New York City…finally arriving in Mexico. The new Balkan-beat! sound is the result of traditional music plus the new dance beat of European djs.
At 2:30 in the morning, gadjio – sweaty but satisfied – is still dancing with the balkys, energetically playing the tambourine: “opa! opa! chavale! romani!, gadjie!” You don’t need to be able to understand other languages at this time of night…the music speaks for itself…one more “Balkanizada” in this corner of the great city of 20 million…
!SONIDERO BALKYTLAN!
Saturday July 25th at 21:00
SALÓN CALAVERA
Tacuba #64, Esq. Isabel La Catolica,
1 Block from Metro Allende
Cover: $70 pesos
Centro Historico, Mexico City.
For more information write to:
Gerardo Jaime (dj gadjio): turbobalkan[@]gmailDOTcom
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