There’ something undeniably romantic about the notion of the Balkan autoput (or the Brotherhood and Unity Highway), a 1,180 km highway that stretched through Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia and Macedonia. For a time was the only modern highway in the former Yugoslavia, dangerous as hell, riddled with wreckages of over tired lorry drivers and riddled with tourists on their way to Turkey, yet it was still the best way to get through the country from one side to another.
Brass Noir is something of a mixtape for the journey, taking in some of the more renowned music from the various regions the road passes through. The choices should come as little surprise as the Balkan Brass sound has spread like wildfire throughout the west thanks to the many club nights in major cities from Melbourne to Beijing. In fact the compiler is DJ Robert Soko, who started a Balkan Beat night back in the day in Berlin.
They’re all here, the fastest and heaviest brass band in the world, the middle aged Romanian masters Fanfare Ciocarlia, also Serbian Romani father son orchestra Boban and Marko Markovic Orchestra who participated on the recent Balkan Brass Battle album and tour with Fanfare. Fanfara Tirana offer up some Albanian soul, whilst Serbian Boris Kovac adds some Argentinean Tango to the folkloric traditions. Strangely enough Turkish DJ Mercan Dede interprets a Bosnian tune and then there’ the almost folk tune of Darko Rundek that only really betrays it’s Balkan influences in the extended instrumental moments.
Balkan Brass can be a blitzkrieg of bombastic machosim, yet DJ Soko has gone out of his way to select tunes with a bit of variation. There’ sadness here, a highly distinctive mood ridden blues, but also romance, triumph, exaltation and joy. This is music that truly speaks to you. All of these tunes have appeared previously, but as an introduction into the world of Balkan brass, with a few minor related excursions, or as a soundtrack to a woozy roadtrip, you’ll find little better.
Bob Baker Fish
