Cartwright and Parker share similar yet different tastes – Parker will download the latest chalga and manele hits (so sometimes attracting complaints from Eastern listeners who don’t like the electronic Gypsy music of their home nations!) while Cartwright will find flamenco blues excursions and lost Django Reinhardt tunes as he explores Europe’s Romany music diaspora. While the Ritzy’s café-bar is not conductive to showing visuals – some irony, being a cinema! - other venues the duo have DJ-ed allowed them to run DVD images involving everything from footage of Guca festival through Kusturica films to Shutka wedding bands. The aim of the duo’s DJ night is to get as much good music out as possible, to both sooth casual listeners with brass bands and violin virtuosos and to turn aficionados on to tunes, old skool and contemporary. And if you wanna dance then all the better! Garth & Leon are currently at The Ritzy on the first and last Wednesday of every month. Admission is free, atmosphere friendly, pizzas and salads amongst the best available!
THE BOOK Princes Amongst Men: Journeys With Gypsy Musicians is now due to be printed in German below detials of the Book and CD companion. Continental release of the CD is now out. Sept 26 is UK release & US release date to be announced.
Die deutsche Fassung des Buches „Princes Amongst Men“ wird Ende Juli vom Hannibal Verlag herausgegeben und trägt den Titel „Balkanblues und Blaskapellen“. Garth Cartwright erzählt darin von seiner Balkan-Odyssee auf der Suche nach der geheimen Geschichte und Kultur der besten europäischen Musiker: der Roma. Sein wilder Trip führt ihn durch die Ruinen des post-kommunistischen Serbien, wo er Roma-Flüchtlinge aus dem Kosovo trifft und in Guca an den stampfenden Bacchanalien des Bläserfestivals teilnimmt. In Mazedonien besucht er Gypsy-Stadt Shutka und ist Gast auf einer Zigeunerhochzeit; die mazedonische Hauptstadt Skopje durchkämmt er auf der Suche nach Opium. Im Rumänien nach dem Fall Ceausescus besucht er die Dörfer, aus denen Gruppen wie Taraf de Haidouks und Fanfare Ciocarlia stammen. Im bulgarischen Kocani heiratet er fast eine Gypsy-Prinzessin, trifft Tanzbären und euro-asiatische Schönheiten, und in einem Roma-Ghetto wird er Zeuge der feurigen, heidnischen Feierlichkeiten des Ederlezi, der »Nacht der Zigeuner«.
Am 6.Juni veröffentlichte Asphalt Tango Records den Soundtrack zu diesem Abenteuer - die von Cartwright kompilierte CD “Princes Amongst Men“. Musiker wie Šaban Bajramovic, Fanfare Ciocarlia, Rom Bengale, Kal, Taraf de Haidouks, Esma Redžepova, Kocani Orkestar u.v.a. geben sich auf diesem Album die Ehre. „Manche träumen davon, wegzulaufen und sich einem Zirkus anzuschließen. Mein Traum war es, mit Zigeunern herumzureisen. Und so hat sich also meine Reise angehört.“ Garth Cartwright
UK booking agency: Garth Cartwright and Florence Arpin are now involved in bringing some of the best international roots music to the UK via their booking agency. Their first Tour will be Fanfare Ciocarlia five dates in January 2008.
THE NIGHT Princes Amongst Men is a DJ collective consisting of Garth Cartwright and Leon Parker, two South London-based music fanatics who aim to play the best in Gypsy and associated Balkan music formats from Europe’s frayed edges. Princes Amongst Men grew out of Garth’s acclaimed book Princes Amongst Men: Journeys With Gypsy Musicians (Serpents Tail) which follows Garth’s travels (and travails) through Serbia, Macedonia, Romania and Bulgaria in search of romance, adventure and musical enlightenment amongst the Balkans’ Romany Gypsy populace. Having organised Princes Amongst Men: The Gypsy Film Festival in January 2006 for Brixton’s The Ritzy Cinema, Garth was asked to organise a DJ-party for the opening night. To ensure the evening succeeded he drafted in Leon Parker. Leon is a music fiend and lover of Eastern sounds, having dug many crates and scoured countless boot sales to build his rare and impressive collection of Eastern vinyl.
The Princes Amongst Men film festival DJ-party was such a success that the duo were invited to host a regular bi-weekly night at the Ritzy and have also DJ-ed at other London venues. Every evening Cartwright & Parker DJ they aim to create an entertaining and eclectic evening that appeals to everyone from the casual punter to Balkan visitors (and their Brixton night is getting so popular it’s attracting London-based Macedonians, Romanians, Bulgarians, Turks etc).
Erro Linton's Blues VibePlaying Round Midnight Jazz and Blues BarSunday October 18th6.30 - 11.00 pm£5.00 Complimentary drink - first 5013 Liverpool RoadIslington N1 ORW3 mins from Angel Tube <img .."border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; b
CD Mahala Rai Banda *** LP and CD/DVD Fanfare Ciocarlia *** CD Kottarashky
We're heading towards a bustling autumn season as we will release 4 new albums soon. Be prepared for the long-awaited second CD of MAHALA RAI BANDA (out October 16th), a Best-of-LP of FANFARE CIOCARLIA as well as a Live-CD including the DVD "The story of the Band" of the stars of Gypsy Brass (both out September 25th).
Last but not least we'll release the debut album of KOTTARASHKY in November 2009!
Feedback on ERSATZMUSIKA's CD "SONGS UNRECANTABLE":
The second album of ErsatzMusika gained really good critics, but read for yourself: "Doubrovskaja's voice has the flat dispassionate edge of a latter-day Marlene Dietrich, perfect for intoning the slightly surreal combination of English and Russian... It's remarkable stuff!" (BBC Music)
"This is a reclamation in sound of the old weird Russia on the other side of the mirror, suffused in the gothic tremolo of duelling guitars, subterranean bass, off-kilter dance beats, an accordion that sounds as if it has been filtered through winter fog, ... Doubrovskaja's melancholic, dispossessed voice wandering like a haunted spirit across a terrain of old borders and broken idols." (The Independent)
DONA DUMITRU SIMINICA and UNDERWORLD??!!
The last issue of Songlines came along with a new "Top of the World - CD" featuring Karl Hyde's Top of the World Hits including DONA DUMITRU SIMINICA's song OSOREIA OSBARO! "Dona Dumitru Siminica? What a phantastic voice!" Karl Hyde (Underworld)
I read your book a few years ago & I've been dying to check out some of the artists you talked about. Saw Emir Kusturica at the Barbican about a month ago and was a bit disappointed. But last night I got to see Boban Markovic. It was one of those life changing experiences that comes along every once in a while. The guy is just incredible! And what an orkestar! Totally blew me away. Nice one.
Come and help us launch our new album Waiting On The Outside next Thursday 4 June at our local, Biddle Bros Bar, 88 Lower Clapton Road, Hackney, London E5!
Free in! Kicks off at 8.30! Kicks out......who knows?!
Dear friends, please take a look & download the free and b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l SONGBOOK that comes along with our upcoming CD-release "Songs Unrecantable" by ErsatzMusika! You probably know that Irina Doubrovskja (lead vocals ErsatzMusika) is not only a singer but also highly respected for her other talents - the songbook features some of her wonderful paintings and drawings!
Online Now!
