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Balkan Taksim is the corduroy-clad brainchild of Bucharest-based multi-instrumentalist/ artist SaΘa-Liviu Stoianovici who, along with his electronica-producer companion Alin ZΔbrΔuΘeanu, is on a quest to inform, educate and entertain audiences around the globe about Balkan psych, roots and grooves.
The project started by searching for something to link the sense of what has been with what will be. SaΘa's exploration of traditional music of the Balkans, ancient Romanian music and Slavic cultures led him to travel a lot through the region and work with local singers and musicians to record the traditional tunes he later reworked with contemporary electronica sounds, heavy bass and powerful beats.
Balkan Taksim are a band known for raising a groovy-balkan storm with their intoxicating blend of sharp contemporary electronic music with Balkan psychsounds & vocals!
No banging overrated techno spiced up with darbuka samples hereβ¦ no standard IDM music with Balkan cliches: Balkan Taksimβs music is sincere and deep. Itβs neither a collage nor an appropriation, it's not even βfusionβ. It originates from encounters on equal terms between different Balkan cultures, traditional Balkan instruments, Carpathian ancient rhythms, timeless voices, psychedelic modes, contemporary musical technologies, futurist visionsβ¦ and Romanian people.
Their stylish electronic psychedelia and bass flow directly from their roots in Romania and the Balkans upstream to global dancefloors. A project that's constantly evolving, exploring rhythms and sounds from every corner of the Balkans gently fused with electronic beats and tribal basslines.
Imagine Massive Attack playing with Taraf de HaΓ―douks! Tricky enjoying a stay in the Balkans!
They blend the old with the new and the analog with the digital, thus creating their own unique sound and visuals.
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- 200K+ Spotify streams
- Song of The Day at KEXP and KUTX
- Video premiered by Electronic Beats
- Have received airplay on BBC Radio 3, BBC 6Music, Worldwide FM, KUTX, KEXP, Multicult.FM, or Soho Radio.
- 360K+ Spotify streams
- Song of The Day at Bandcamp Daily
- Picked numerous plays on BBC Radio 3, BBC 6Music, Worldwide FM, KUTX, KEXP, Multicult.FM, or Soho Radio.
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βI really like this band!β β Iggy Pop (BBC 6Music Radio Show)
βTrip-hop and psychedelic electronics with a Balkan edge.β β Electronic Beats
βTrue to their name, Balkan Taksim take the traditional folk music of their homeland and combine it with psychedelic electronic beats that their Romanian ancestors never could've imagined.β β KEXP Seattle
βBalkan Taksim is something you can only describe as entrancing. Swaying synths pair with non-stop doumbek (or drum) patter, which create an almost disorienting aural space for the listener.β β KUTX Austin
βIt's exotic Balkan Trip Hop from the future!β β Europavox
β'Zalina' is the perfect introduction to the trio's vibrant, Balkan roots-based trip-hop. Such simplicity perfectly complements the aesthetic philosophies underlying 'Zalina' from start to finish.β β Pop Matters
βBlend magically the sounds and rhythms of Balkans with psychedelic electronica in their new single.β β Songlines
βThere's something captivating about the music Balkan Taksim are making. The Romanian group creates a unique and richly diverse sound capable of transporting to several places at once without you having to actually go anywhere. With its effortless merging of wide-ranging styles from modern electronic music and trip-hop, to Balkan psych and Carpathian rhythms, their new single 'Zalina' makes a strong case for what exactly makes their music so special.β β The 405
βListening to Zalina is like being honey trapped by a Bond Girl. Itβs sexier than hell but fucking dangerous.β β 45rpm Blog
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βA mesmerizing blend of creeping electronics, throbbing percussion, and classic Balkan melodies.β β Bandcamp Editorial
βIt sounds coherent, thrilling and hypnotic. It's a great dancefloor banger that would make a unique addition to any DJ set, and, equally the intense, reverberating bass makes for a whole body experience that can induce sheer joy just listening at home.β β Gigwise
βThese Carpathians create one of the most unique, hypnotic, trance-state tracks weβve heard for a long time. Traditional instruments are mixed with modern electronic patterns, while the βdirgeβ vocals build up a totally conceptual.β β Last Day Deaf
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June 2019, first European festival β ParaΓso Festival β Madrid ES
Busy start of 2020 with showcase-festivals included Eurosonic (NL), MENT (SLO) + Eastern European support slots for Altin GΓΌn.
- 16 Jan β Groningen - Eurosonic (NL)
- 06 Feb β Ljubljana - MENT (SLO)
- 07 Feb β Prague - PalΓ‘c Akropolis (CZ)^
- 09 Feb β Budapest - A38 Ship (HU)^
^ supporting Altin GΓΌn
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"CΓ΄tΓ© musique, Balkan Taksim a proposΓ© un live carrΓ© nous faisant voyager dans leur musique hybride qui nous ne laisse pas indiffΓ©rent." β MickaΓ«l Burlot, Listen Up!
"Old Balkan music with a heavy beats and electronic sauce. The first two songs are super cool! The entire audience is rocked by the sounds." β Tineke de Wind, RTV NOORD
"The Romanian duo Balkan Taksim, play Vlach magic over a hard electro bit, knocking us into the walls. The whole feeling is that we are witnessing a tribal custom that takes us back in time, sorting through history for those connections we have with the East. I am surprised by their version of the song Ε½ali Zare, which the frontman sings with a lot of soul, while beneath his vocal lines and saz are the beats that his comrade-in-arms turns into live music." β Andrea Kane, Helly Cherry
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November 2020 β new single (title tbc) + announcement of the release debut album 'Disko Telegraf'
December 2020 β new single (title tbc) release
January 2021 β new single (title tbc) release
February 2021 β debut album 'Disko Telegraf' release
March/April/May 2021 β First European tour
May 2021 β new single (title tbc) release
June/July/August 2021 β Summer festivals
September 2021 β Remixed album
October/November 2021 β Headline European tour
Credits:
Andra Hera & Iustin Surpanelu