Austrian based Macedonian producer DJ Ahilea makes an infectious kind of electronic Balkan party music, a blend of a scattergun of traditions and the dance-floor, not unlike the work of Essay Records label head Shantel. The Balkan jig seems perfectly suited to the electronic treatment, in fact Balkan music is already ready made dancing music, adding the electronic beats or hand claps is just icing on the cake.
Despite the heightened energy of the music, with its lightening fast melodies, somehow the fusion with electro cleans everything up, keeping it uniform, and free from the messy frenzies that often characterise Balkan music. That said despite Ahilea’s DJ status, Cafe Sventlana is very much about using real instrumentation, forming a multi ethnic ensemble with clarinets, flutes, accordion, double bass, violin, guitar, darbuka, and vocals which veer from rap to traditional vocals and of course the ubiquitous one word proclamations of bliss that fall on the beat. Curiously many of the vocals, often sleazy gravelly husks are in heavily accented English which only adds to the exotic nature of the project. Yet it’s very clearly pop music, with many pieces developing a deep repetitive groove and not deviating, allowing the melodies and vocals to flow over the top. Perhaps most curious is the use of darbuka, betraying a North African influence not necessarily common in Balkan music – yet it works in seamlessly. The label refers this album as part of the burgeoning Viennese neo electro Balkan scene and you could probably draw parallels to fellow Viennese producer Dunklebunt, who admittedly takes things a lot further into the electronic realm. Though perhaps this is what Ahilea needs to do, as despite his obviously pop intentions, the light electronic touch can at times feel like he’s sitting on the fence.
Bob Baker Fish
