Music
Press
fRoots (UK) - “Yes I knew it was going to be good, but perhaps not this good. Kabatronics is a proper album like wot they used to make: diverse, consistent, well produced and with a whole that’s greater than its many impressive parts.”
The Times (UK) 4 stars - “A symbol of cultural fusion in 2013 who would fit the bill! Any DJ can turn up the amps to create bangin’ Balkan beats but the mix of ouds, sitars, guitars and brass sounds completely organic here, whether on gentle laments or trouser-shaking floor-fillers.”
The Guardian (UK) 4 stars - “An experiment that actually works. The result is a highly entertaining clash of Albanian brass and beats, with unexpected echoes of India or the Caribbean added in. Epic laments that would make great film music.”
The Indipendent (UK) 4 stars - “So this great Albanian brass band were in the studio rather than lifted from the grooves of some old vinyl. There’s a real vitality and immediacy to the meaty beats, crunching tubas and mercurial clarinets that speak lucidly of both past and present.”
UKvibe - V4 (UK) 4 stars - “This writer particularly likes the sound of Fanfara Tirana clarinettist and saxophonist Fatbardh Capi who may be deserving of an album as a leader in the future.”
R2 - ROCK’N REEL (UK) 4 stars - “The result is a musical hybrid that’s true to its origins but which is considerably more than the sum of ils parts. This is an album that constantly surprises.”
SONGLINES (UK) - “The irresistible draw here is Albania’s amazing brass band Fanfara Tirana, an 11-strong musical force of real magic. Fanfara Tirana could stun a badger at 50 paces. Otherworldly sound of pealing clarinets over flugelhorn, saxes and trumpets, and the strangeness of their rough, gruff harmony vocals. Kabatronics is a winner.”
Mondomix (FR) 5 stars and mention “Manomix M’aime” - “Un travail en profondeur qui évite les effets tape-à-l’oeil et soigne une approche musicale dans le respect des traditions approchées. Inspiré et heureux.”
Easy voyage (FR) 3 stars out of 4 - “Kabatronics, cocktail Albano-Britanique détonant! A écouter par tous les temps, en toutes saisons et en toutes circonstances!”
Les Inrockuptible (FR) - “Mais quand les promis ont belle gueule, le mariage est heureux.”
Rumore (IT) 4 stars - “The collision between the two opposite borders of Europe, wanted by the italian-albanian Ballkan Management (the producer), works!”
R2 - ROCK’N REEL (UK) 4 stars - “Tthe result is a musical hybrid that’s true to its origins but which is considerably more than the sum of ils parts. This is an album that constantly surprises.”
Funkhaus EuropA (DE) - “Here is a record that takes the Balkans out the overdrive, it returns from the fast lane to the right lane. Very succesful project. Instrumental tracks like “Flowers Lament” bring to new, extraordinary situations.”
Reflex (CZ) - “Lots of attempts at merging world music with electronics do not work, this one did, and perfectly. Sometimes you do not know if you listen to reggae, calm chillout, or a Brass Quintet. Tremendously amousing, simply as TGU. And yes, Fanfara Tirana could raise the dead.” - Ballkan
Discography
KABATRONICS released on Feb 25th 2013 by World Village/Harmonia Mundi
and several other album of bands separately
Photos
Bio
Fanfara Tirana is surely one of the most entertaining brass band coming from the Balkans. They performed all over Europe, playing in the biggest festivals as Womad, Roskilde, Sziget and many others. They've been as well selected for WOMEX and MEDIMEX.
Now their new project is on the way.
Their latest album, released by Piranha, climbed higher and higher the World Music Charts Europe for months, but with their new studio work Fanfara Tirana has gone further on and delivered the whole album to the londoners manipulators, the brilliant minds of TransGlobal Underground, a band that built up their music from the idea of crossing borders, or better, following the philosophy that there are NO borders at all.
TGU are well known for being very keen at mixing musical styles and rythms taking no care at all about music genres or barriers created either by technology or common sense. In the years they've been overexposed as well as niche market, although they kept being very influent. They made a rule out of “mash up”, mixing all kind of music and sounds, brave pathfinders, always a step ahead innovating the music scene.
The music composed by TransGlobal Underground can be seen as a kaleidoscopic trip through rituals, secrets with sudden, joyful swerves intheir tunes. Their aim is to enhance the deepest groove, looking for the red thread crossing different sensibilities and connecting their music to the multy-faceted universe of world music.
The result is a blast! Ideas travelling back from London to Tirana forced the albanian musicians to go back to the recording studio with a new vision, fresh ideas and many expectations.
Two very different bands got together, the contamination already took place, and the results could be the rise (being a bit pretentious) of a new music reality.
Southern albanian kaba meets reggae, drums meet electronic, the voice of the albanian folk idol Hysni Niko Zela meets Tuup's black soul.
Sitar strings embrace Iso-polyphony from the eagles nation and the results is astounding.
Fanfara Tirana & TransGlobal Underground decided to get together for a European Tour in 2012.
Why didn't that happen before?
It's a perfect match. Symbiotic.
If you're up to dance two hours in a row look for their next live show, you won't regret it!
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