Serbing Up the Beats: Shazalakazoo and "A Fistful of Deutschmarks"

I've got a short post for you today because I am traveling and don't have a lot of time to put together a well-crafted essay. One of the joys of learning more about world music has been to hear music that I never thought I'd like presented in ways that really amaze me. Balkan music has been one of those discoveries. I always thought that Balkan music, especially with its focus on brass instrumentation and what I considered ponderous pacing, was something that just didn't interest me. At least, that's what my limited impression of Balkan music was like. However, some of the new music combining electronic manipulation of the music and my own discovery process in learning more about Balkan music and the rich folk traditions that it comes from has changed my mind. There is a lot of action and liveliness in what is coming out of the Balkans, and especially in getting people up and moving to the beats.

Today's song is one indication of what I'm talking about. A Fistful of Deutschmarks is an electronic and Balkan-brass number with a club beat. The group that put this together, Shazalakazoo, is a duo from Belgrade, Serbia, and they mix bass music with what they describe as Balkan aromas and naturally identical aromas of Latin American, Africa and the Middle East, creating a blend of music they call "folkstep." Shazalakazoo has been around since 1998, and recording since 2005. A Fistful of Deutschmarks can be found on the compilation A Balkan Club Night, Vol. 2, released in 2011.