Balkan Beat Box

Balkan Beat Box formed in New York City in the early 2000s around Ori Kaplan and Tamir Muskat, both musicians with Israeli-Romanian backgrounds. They started by taking traditional Balkan rhythms from Romania, Bulgaria, and Serbia and mixing them with electronic beats and hip-hop elements. Their self-titled debut album came out in 2005, followed by 'Nu Med' in 2007 and 'Blue Eyed Black Boy' in 2010.

Their sound pulls from multiple directions at once, which you can hear in tracks like 'Adir Adirim' featuring Victoria Hanna or 'Political Fuck.' They've worked with various collaborators over time, including the Jamaican reggae artist Lee 'Scratch' Perry. The group has included musicians like Dana Leong on vocals and accordion, Gavin Rossum on drums, and several horn players.

Some traditional music listeners have questioned their approach to Balkan sounds, but the band has generally kept to their own blend of styles. Their recordings have appeared in film and television placements, bringing those rhythms to different audiences without much concern for genre boundaries.