Muzikifan,
CD Review
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MAHALA RAI BANDA
GHETTO BLASTERS (Asphalt Tango CD ATR 2509)
This is what I am talking about! A raucous gypsy party record. Everyone needs this disc from the Balkan groovemeisters, who have been compared to the Memphis Horns meets Muscle Shoals rhythm section. Even without the disco remixes that propelled them to our consciousness in the incredible ELECTRIC GYPSYLAND series, they smoke. It's been five years since their first album, and the breakout hit "Iest Sexy" (now a global Balkan groove staple), and they have been practicing and improving. In fact they realized they could do the "remix" thing pretty well on their own, so there are great stop and start breaks, and clever tempo changes, etc, like in "Solo para ti," which chugs along with some techno-flamenco touches, like Ojos de Brujo. This is a really well-crafted album with lots of raving and then it cools way down to an organ-driven ballad (with accordion), called "Balada," (you can sample it on the website linked above) but is off again with a full complement of brass, accordion, drums, vocalists, even guitar and cembalom. And believe it or not, this taraf is led by a violinist, but he is not audible for the most part! The brass is over-the-top delirious, the mood is roguish, sweaty, unshaven -- and that's just the ladies! Och, only kidding. 10/04/09
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