“EL VIRUS DE LA BEAT”
Posted on February 10, 2010
Author: Jordi Urpi, Barcelona
Place: Sons de la Mediterrània magazine
Date: January 2010
-How and when did you discover Balkan music?
I was born and grew up in Bosnia (former Yugoslavia), so Balkan music s what I grew up with; it is part of my musical (cultural) background and national identity.
-What made you feel attracted to this music?
I didn´t like traditional music very much as a young man. As I got older however I´ve noticed that I was getting bored of various western European musical styles and developed an incline to the rhythms of south-eastern Europe. I loved the way traditional music was mixed with modern beats and identified my self with that. Hot tempered Balkan music made me feel much better living in the western world.
-Why did you let this music mark your line of work as producer, remixer and/or DJ?
Firstly, I am just a selector DJ; I am creating a dance atmosphere by choosing the songs and serving them up the to the dance floor. I´ve let it “mark my work” because I honestly love and need it, I simply enjoy the freedom of spinning the records nobody else was spinning - at least in the nineties. But above all because I love my culture and “balkan” identity. A ceratin cultural freedom and national crazyness “has left a mark in my work”.
-Which artists from Balkan scene had a profound impact on you, whether acoustic bands (tarafs, fanfarrias, orkestars) or more innovative acts ?
Goran Bregović, Šaban Bajramović, Fanfare Ciocarlia, Boban Marković, Magnifico, Shantel and many more.
-What is the strongest musical experience you have lived whether up or down a stage?
In spring 2009 I was invited to do djing in Cape Town, South Africa - during the event, one of the most famous south african black singers sang a song of Silvana Armenulić, a famous Yugoslavian singer who dominated Yugoslavian radio culture. Amazing. Just couldn´t believe it.
-Why do you think Balkan music works out so well at dance floors, out of its natural environment?
As a music sound it’s very danceable; it combines a mixture of different styles that many people can relate to. Its oriental reference for example is especially loved by women of all cultures. The hype about Balkan music however is, in my opinion, related to the geopolitical situation in Europe at the moment: as the EU becomes bigger and borders are diminishing, countries and cultures are coming closer and closer together. European citizens have a new tolerance, understanding and interest for all the new cultural input that is brought into the Union and this is exactly the case with Balkan music.
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