Music
Press
".... Adventurously, mysterious, imploring, melancholically and more than once extremely swinging. On stage the visual act also seems to be fantastic. BBC-radio closed 'Zet je maar' in its heart. Now the Netherlands?..." MARCEL HAERKENS
- Oor.nl
Managing to retain a live quality in the recordings, although less so than on their first album, Romski Robbery which is very raw indeed, Va Fan Fahre continue their musical development and really have come a long way in a couple of years as a group. It is a relief as a fan and listener of brass that in such cases the album has not been over-produced or polished up so perfectly that the music loses its soul.
Zet Je Maar opens with ‘Mashki’, a sort of marching band scat which could provide the mis-en-scène to a James Bond opening sequence with both vocals and boom of the tapan provided by drummer Dimitri Simoen. This is followed by a slow progressive ascent into brass ecstatic dizziness with ‘Tcha’s Mood’, featuring guest violinist, blind multi-instrumentalist Tcha Limberger.
And on the album goes, taking us through a sort of tango with ‘Te Quiero Tambien’, Qawwali with ‘Kajele Tikika Nakarame’ and so on. ‘Ethiopian Gipsy’ gives a nod to Mulatu Astatke and many of the arrangements are jazz inspired but not so much to put off someone, like myself who is not a huge jazz fan. The usual ‘orkestrar’ ensemble is complimented with harmonium (or helikon), cajon and tablas. The balance of a full smooth brass sound using variations of rhythm and instrumentation from around the world brought largely by guest musicians, makes this truly music without borders.
I imagine Va Fan Fahre are brilliant live and this is a fun album with something a little bit different to offer fans of Balkan brass.
- 10/12/2007 FLY - GLOBAL MUSIC CULTURE
"... Opening the evening will be Belgium's Va Fan Fahre, who were rated an impressive 127th in the "Top 1,000 of the World Music Charts Europe" rankings for 2005. It's no wonder, with the way the band gives brass music a ska swing. Their new CD, Romski Robbery (on a label appropriately named Zephyrus, after the Thracian god of the wind), includes collaborations with musicians from India, who lend a few of the tracks a Far Eastern spice. ..."
- 03/05/2007 The Prague Post
Discography
Va Fan Fahre - Romski Robbery (2005)
Va Fan Fahre - Zet je maar (2007)
Photos
Bio
In the top 1000 of the World Music Charts Europe 2005 their first CD, 'Romski Robbery', was rated 127th.
Where the first album was genuinely inspired by Balkan music, the second Cd, titled 'Zet je maar', shows that Va Fan Fahre plays more than (just) Balkan brass. The new album incorporates influences from all over the world to a unique sound and features following guests: Mahabub Khan (voice/tabla/Rajasthan/Musafir), Aisha Haskal (voice/Morocco), Paola Marquez (voice/Colombia), Saf (voice/Belgium) and Tcha Limberger (violin/Belgian gypsy).
On the title track Zet je maar, Aicha Haskal sings lyrics written by her uncle Khalifa Laghlool, member of the Casablanca Circle of Poets. This collaboration inspired Va Fan Fahre to set up a new project where brass meets the Arabic world of music. The program consists of existing compositions (Mohamed Al Waheb, Farid Al-Atrache, ) as well of own compositions.
Va Fan Fahre was set up in March 2003. The repertoire existed initially of klezmer, but in the course of 2004 it was completed with Rumanian and Bulgarian brass. The band also started to make their own compositions and it is in that direction that VFF continued to work. This resulted in a mix of several styles. By the end of May 2005 the band produced their first album (Romski Robbery).
"... Opening the evening will be Belgium's Va Fan Fahre, who were rated an impressive 127th in the "Top 1,000 of the World Music Charts Europe" rankings for 2005. It's no wonder, with the way the band gives brass music a ska swing. Their new CD, Romski Robbery (on a label appropriately named Zephyrus, after the Thracian god of the wind), includes collaborations with musicians from India, who lend a few of the tracks a Far Eastern spice. ..." (The Prague Post Balkan Brass Festival Prague 2006)
References: Sfinks Festival, Dranouter Festival, Balkan Brass Festival Prague, Wiener Festwochen, Musiques de Rues (Besançon) , Ancienne Belgique, Jazz sous les pommiers,
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