Artist Balkan Beat Box

In the musical language of Balkan Beat Box, elements of Eastern Europe mingle with beats and basslines that hit a lot heavier than anything kicked up by a gypsy-folk group. Fans of clarinets will hear much to enjoy, as will holdouts waiting for a good dose of horns and caterwauling vocals in songs with titles like “Bulgarian Chicks” and “9/4 The Ladies.” Balkan Beat Box usually gets less credit than Gogol Bordello (with whom BBB’s Ori Kaplan used to play) for the sound, even though the group is a good deal more inviting. Its singular fusion of Mediterranean traditions and dizzying hip-hop continues unabated on the new album Give.

Updated 02/28/2012