Bucium

Bucium formed in Iași in 2004 with Bogdan Dimitriu on vocals and various instruments, Cristi Toma on guitar, and Mircea Florian on bass. They started by pulling from the folk traditions around them, but they weren't interested in just playing it straight. Their first album came out in 2006, and it included songs like 'Basarabii' that mixed those traditional Romanian melodies with rock and electronic sounds.

That mix didn't sit well with everyone at first. Some traditional music purists thought they were watering things down, while parts of the mainstream scene found their approach too unconventional. They kept at it anyway, building a following through their live shows. Later albums like 'Românul' in 2009 and 'Spinii' in 2015 continued to work with folk themes and musicians, while also bringing in elements of jazz and electronica. Other tracks from their catalog, such as 'Maria Doamna (Raresoaia)' and 'Rovine', show the same blend of old and new.