Interview with Ori Kaplan of Balkan Beat Box

In preparation for the band’s forthcoming show at the Cedar Cultural Center Culture Bully’s Jon Behm reviewed a number of topics with Balkan Beat Box’s Ori Kaplan. The former Gogol Bordello member discussed the band’s heritage, global politics and world music; be sure to stop by the West bank and see check out the band on September 14.

Jon Behm: I have read that Balkan Beat Box’s musical goal is to take traditional Jewish music and bring it into the 21st century, so to speak, by fusing it with the more modern styles of Hip Hop and Dancehall. Do you think that this is the direction Jewish music is heading, or will there always be room for the old standards?

Ori Kaplan: That is not exactly our goal. We don’t see ourselves as Jewish music. Yes we have lots of musical connections which came to us through growing up in Israel and are more geographical local then religious. We are as culturally connected to Nick Cave as we are to Klezmer and as connected to Oum Koltum as we are to Yemenite music and Balkan. It’s a wide spread, these are the times we live in fast transitory times between past and future. We respect any music which comes from long tradition and glued to some of it from the womb, but yet no one distinguished to us that this thing on the radio or the cassette player was Jewish or not, nor did we ever care. That is the point in a way. To eliminate those barriers is where all the fun is. Among other things we love writing Klezmer tunes and giving them a completely different take. As far as possible from tradition and yet because our childhood musical tradition and how we are steeped in hip hop as well as this…we make a new things of it which claims it’s own aesthetics , singularity and authority. It’s authentic and yet new cause we claimed it to be and gave it the depth it needed so it can become.

JB: Do you think in the future “Bulgarian Chicks” could become a Bat Mitzvah standard?

OK: Become that or maybe some cannibal ceremony on some island. Both will be great.

JB: Gogol Bordello, a band you are closely associated with, recently played a raucous two hour show in our fair city of Minneapolis*. To say that the show was crazy would be an understatement. What can we expect when BBB comes to town this September?

OK: Maybe you should expect good music and best party-show played by the most amazing crew we are honored to play with . Have you heard Itamar Ziegler? Our bass player? His fingers will pluck your way to heaven.

JB: Will you be bringing any associated acts on stage here, as you are sometimes known to do, from Palestinian rappers to Moroccan Gnawa musicians?

OK: If we find anything which interests us locally. The sextet is a massive sound as it is, but we always like to find local guests.

JB: Your band has a longstanding tradition of supporting peace and cultural exchange through music. What role do you think music could play in the current Middle Eastern conflicts; whether in Iraq, Palestine, Iran, or others?

OK: We hope that when people see our show and understand what we are about they get inspired to think positively about what is most of the time such a poor condition of humanity. Imagine if an Iranian crowd can see us and get it. When they see an Iranian and Israeli rappers together, that is something many can scratch their heads about, how come this is not happening all the time…it makes total sense, it seats together musically like a glove, as it should socially and politically all around there.

JB: In somewhat closed and traditional societies: North Korea or Pakistan for instance, is it possible to make a cultural impact through music? (Or alternatively, let their music influence us?)

OK: Of course. Music is always influencing people, even in war time or when doors are closed. People are always touched by music. Ultimately when imagination is ignited by books, art (or) music a cultural revolution can start. New leaders can come to place. This can all happen, we’d like to believe. Even when the state of things is really poor it’s good to remember that it happened before and it can again.

JB: If you could get any three world leaders to come to a BBB show, who would they be?

OK: Bush, Olmert (or their successors) and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

JB: The term “Gypsy Music” has been used to describe a wide variety of current multi-culture influenced bands, including yours. Does Roma tradition play any part in your musical/touring/live performance style, or is this an erroneous reference?

OK: Roma music is a huge inspiring force for us. That is to say we come from many other backgrounds, but so do the Roma. We find connections there, musical connections. There is also a common destiny which inflicted both our ancestors and the Roma throughout the last century and time before. In NYC we have played and studied with Roma master musicians for years. Our first songs were a collaboration with Balkan Voices. That sort of gave us the name, but we continued to wherever our ear led us. We have also a lot of Rai and Gnawa and Egyptian, Yemenite inspirations and Hip Hop, Punk, Free Jazz.

JB: Are there many other bands you share similarities with? Anyone BBB fans might dig but may not know about?

OK: Of course, check out Tinariwen, Amadou et Mariam, Kocani Orkestar, Manu Chao, Mano Negra, Fan Fare Ciocarlia, Buraka Som Systema, M.I.A .

JB: What comes next for the band?

OK: We are touring throughout the summer, Japan, Brazil and Australia shows are coming as well and then straight into working on our new album which we are very excited about. It’s recorded in Belgrad, NYC and Tel Aviv. There are some surprises but I will keep quiet about it for now.

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Also: Balkan Beat Box @ The Cedar