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Dubbed Out Balkan Reggae

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Dubbed Out Balkan Reggae

Dubbed Out Balkan Reggae

By Karl Pearson on Wednesday, May 29, 2013 - 2 comments

Top DJ's and producers remix Romany pop super-group Mahala Rai Banda.

Sampler

The Balkans may not be high on many people’s radars as the place to find some class reggae releases but a few years ago Romania’s Romany pop super-group Mahala Rai Banda, who I’ve seen described as a Romanian equivalent of the Memphis Horns, did just that when they brought out “Balkan Reggae” and reggae DJs from around Europe started dropping it into their sets.

Mahala Rai Banda - Balkan Reggae Now I’m not usually a fan of single riddim albums but at only 9 tracks and with a very diverse selection of DJ’s and producers adding their own unique twists like hot newcomer the bass-loving JStar who cranks up that bass for a ground shaking dubstep feel to old-school seasoned dub master Mad Professor with his penchant for knob twiddling at the mixing desk giving us a more traditional styled dub laced with reverb, echo and phasing it is quite easy to forget that all the cuts are based around a single riddim.

Fellow Londoner and stalwart of the UK reggae scene, the highly respected Manasseh, adds his inimitable style to the bright and breezy riddim with the aid of fellow Londoner MC Gregory Fabulous chatting on the mic. The Eastern European sound is kept very much alive by Bosnian band La Cherga, featuring Adisa Zvekić on vocals, as they ply their patchwork style of mixing dub, Balkan brass, jazz, drum 'n' bass and electronic tweaking with funk and soul leanings while the multi-faceted Koby Israelite from Tel Aviv adds something of a pop appeal with vocals from Annique. Others contributing are DJ G-Vibes with the aid of Caribbean bluesman and former subway busker Errol Linton, French dub/bass musician Kanka, the harmonious style of Kyle ‘Sicarius’ Chandler and some more bass heavy dub from Leicestershire’s (UK) Vibronics.

Its great to hear how far and wide reggae music has spread and touched people, reaching even remote places such as the Romanian villages of Clejani and Zece Prajini, that are home to Mahala Rai Banda’s members, for they have added something new to the reggae sound which in turn has been enhanced by those here into an upbeat and exciting new chapter in Jamaica’s burgeoning influence on all types of music.