Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Balkan Pop


A normal day for me, on campus at Utah State University, involves wearing many hats. I might begin my day in my office, responding to e-mails. Some will deal with a search going on in a neighboring department where my expertise as a generic run-of-the-mill "artist" justifies my participation. In a meeting later that day I might be sitting around a table with a group of important administrator types, interviewing a candidate for a high level position such as Dean. At noon I might be on the phone with a gallery director in the Bay Area negotiating the dates of an upcoming show. At surprisingly rare intervals, I might even be standing before a class of undergraduates, trying to explain the importance of abstract systems in the construction of a painting. Yesterday, in fact, I did all those things and more besides. The variety of my day can be a challenge under the best of circumstances, but I am handicapped by a brain that plays a sound track for me during virtually all of these activities. Sometimes the rhythm builds in a way I can't control and I feel an almost irresistible urge to get up and dance. I live in near constant fear, that in the most inappropriate of situations, I may find myself standing on the boardroom table, belting out a line like "Disko, disko, Partizani!" from the internal soundtrack. Would I ever live down the embarrassment?

I think a lot of us suffer from at least a mild case of the Idee Fixe. In the pre-iPod era, you'd be on your way out of the house in the morning, and before you could react and turn it off, the radio would inject a song like Ballad of the Green Berets, or These Boots are Made for Walking' into your head. It would play all day and there was no way to shake it. Today the problem is different. I can easily control what goes into my head most of the time, so the danger isn't that I'll spend a day running through the theme song to F Troop. Now my concern is that really, really good music will get in and take over my body. And lately, the music I'm most afraid of is the fabulous Balkan Pop from German recording artist, Shantel.

Shantel is the stage name of Stefan Hantel, born in Mannheim on January 1, 1968. Hantel grew up in Frankfurt and got his start in music as a DJ. I read an interview with him recently in Die Zeit and find his music outrageously compelling. In the interview he describes how he grew up playing a variety of musical instruments and was influenced by his grandparents who came out of Bukowina, an old Duchy of the Habsburg Empire. Hantel got involved in the Techno scene of European dance clubs but was sidetracked by gypsy brass bands from Eastern Europe that appeared on the scene after the fall of the Berlin Wall. The sound of these Balkan brass choirs reminded him of his early childhood and he began incorporating eastern rhythms and harmonies into the DJ mixes he did in German dance clubs. Many years later, he has numerous recordings and a film sound track to his credit and he has become a kind of cottage industrial giant of Balkan Pop.

Shantel has a great website and I'll post a link to it in the Forschungsjahr sidebar. I could try to describe his music, but it's better to just listen for yourself. As a start, I'll include a music video from his 2007 album below. He has a new CD out as well, Planet Paprika, that I haven't heard much of yet, but I'll be getting around to it soon. Delayed gratification builds character. And given the addictive nature of Shantel's music, a strong character is highly recommended.

9 comments:

Shawn B. said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Shawn B. said...

I have an ipod but tend to listen to the radio more. Great post! I loved the music video.

Em said...

I spend my working days with Storytelling Podcasts and Pandora. I think the undergraduates would pay to see you break out in disco song and dance. I too enjoyed my first taste of Balkan Pop. An Unexpected music choice from yourself.

Christopher T. Terry said...

Shawn, I listened to radio too, until I moved to a radio desert in Northern Utah. Now I listen to WDR (Westdeutsche Rundfunk) online every once in a while, even less frequently, KCRW, but mostly I just listen to music I chose myself. Thank you for your support of the Forschungsjahr phenomenon.

ct

Christopher T. Terry said...

Emily, Storytelling Podcasts... what are those and can I do it too? "Pandora" is likewise unfamiliar to me but sounds a little less inviting. Once I open that box up, what if I don't like what's inside?

ct

Shawn B. said...

I remember now that Logan did have a pretty slim radio selection. Only during rare atmospheric temperatures, moisture levels and pressures would Ogden/Salt Lake City radio signals make it up to Cache County. Two programs that I did like very much were The Thistle and Shamrock (Fridays 8:00 PM) and Celtic Connections (Saturdays 10:00 PM) both on FM Public radio (down there in the 89-90 region on the dial, I can't remember the actual number)

Em said...

Chris, there are a food variety of storytelling podcasts. Personally, I am a listener to The Moth (true stories told in front of a live audience without notes), NPR This American Life (My favorite. A once weekly, hour-long themed true stories) and occasionally PRI selected shorts. These are all free and found under the Arts category in iTunes Podcasts. Greatly recommended for occasions where your doing mindless tasks. Like graphic design. Or cleaning the house.

Additionally, Pandora is also free and is a website that creates music radio based on artists and songs you like. It's really genius. I think you may find it a good, non-commital venue for all your Balkan pop needs!

Em said...

Please forgive some spelling errors I see now. I am writing from my iPod.

Tyler Vance said...

You may have seen, but Stephen Colbert dropped these guys on us a while ago. Myself thought it pretty catchy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnaeImQ0TSg