Balkan Beat Box celebrate a short stint of successful stateside dates that wrapped triumphantly this weekend with a packed out show at DC’s 9:30 Club (w/Yemenite sister trio A-Wa in support), having commenced with an equally shoulder-to-shoulder affair at NYC’s Irving Plaza on June 17th , with the release of their new single, “Shout It Out,” accompanied by a nifty skate n’ spray lyric video. Check it out here:
The song itself has a simple message. It is a call to use one’s voice, to stand and be counted, embrace creative response, and let go of inhibitions. It’s about self-empowerment and it is the title track of Balkan Beat Box’s forthcoming long player, set for release on November 11th, 2016.
The new album features the world class trio of Tomer Yosef, Ori Kaplan and Tamir Muskat in classic form—their collective heart, less on the sleeve than it is in the chest—but with a clear mandate to move folks on a global front, both physically and emotionally. They’re well on their way as already dropped new album track and video, “I Trusted U,” has enjoyed some substantial fanfare as it recently scaled 655K YouTube views (https://youtu.be/IUwM5d3qvUY), and 1.5 million Facebook views.
For some history, it’s been 4 albums and a decade worth of touring for Balkan Beat Box who have garnered a worldwide fanbase. The band emerged from New York City’s underground in the mid- 2000s, introducing to the world a distinctive sound and setting their reputation as a formidable live act. They became a favorite of audiences and critics alike the world over, combining a solid rhythm section of hip hop, funk, eastern Europe, and reggae influences with exotic brass, earth shattering bass and experimental electronics.
As eloquently stated in TIME OUT, “If BBB is world music, it’s in the most literal sense – because it can move anyone in the world.”
And THE INDEPENDENT (UK) describing them as, “deftly programmed global fusion” added, “… a band I can’t wait to see live.”
