Gypsy Rock! Spin mag's "Scene of the Year" at Schema : more than ethnic

Gypsy Rock! Spin mag's "Scene of the Year"

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"As bands from New York to Denver to Russia flavour traditional Eastern European music with rock, punk, and hip hop, even Hollywood is getting in the act"

As Spin mag reported in its 06 review issue (Jan. '07), though France's Gypsy Kings may have infiltrated restaurants around the globe, the Gypsy sound and mentality is now giving the indie rock seen a good injection. Eugene Hutz (that guy with the handlebar 'stache in the pic) is leading the revolution with his band Gogol Bordello and by curating the New York Gypsy Festival. He also spins in the NYC club scene while Gypsy funk band Slavic Soul Party! regularly rocks Brooklyn. There's been the Electric Gypsyland remix compilation, some Gypsy inspired grooves in Basement Jaxx's most recent disc, Crazy Itch Radio and Hutz has also helped released the Gypsy Beats and Balkan Bangers compilation which included artists from NYC's Balkan Beat Box (lead by Israeli Jew, Tamir Muskat) to European groups like Mahala Rai Banda and and Kocani Orkestar. Those last 2 appear on the Borat soundtrack and Denver's DeVotchKa scored Little Miss Sunshine.

Gypsies (or the proper term, Roma), carry many misconceptions as to their origins (they are originally from India) and as the people have where term Gypsy has traditionally been used in a derogatory context, the new wave of Gypsy rock bands are reclaiming and desensitizing it as other ethnic groups have done with their respective derogatory terms. And the fact that many of these bands are not of Gypsy bloodlines, the spirit of the nomadic culture is reflected in the music's wondering influences: Indian and Arab foundations with Eastern European folk like Jewish klezmer and Balkan Brass (which itself influenced flamenco and jazz) and more recently with modern genres like the aforementioned rock, punk, hip hop and electronic beats.

As Hutz says: "Having one culture is like going to a bar with one drink."

Other acts in the movement:
Beirut (original Schema blog)
DJ Shantel (original Schema blog)
Romashka
Original Gogol Bordello Schema blog

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