Gig review: Balkan Beat Box, Glasgow ABC2

CO-founded by fellow Israeli natives Ori Kaplan (ex-Gogol Bordello) on tenor saxophone and ex-Firewater percussionist/programmer/producer Tamir Muskat, Balkan Beat Box emerged from New York’s underground musical melting pot in 2005, completing their core creative trio with the addition of vocalist/MC Tomer Yosef.

Currently on tour to promote their third album Give, their live line-up also features a second saxophonist, Peter Hess, on both tenor and alto; electric guitarist Jeremiah Lockwood and bassist Itamar Ziegler; with Yosef also manning a second drumkit every couple of numbers.

If the “Balkan” bit of their name proved something of a misnomer, apart from the occasional manic, skittery interlude on the horns, the “Beat Box” was certainly apt enough for the dance-party vibe they cooked up from the outset.

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Splicing rock, hip-hop and a broad spectrum of reggae-based styles – including ska, ragga and dubstep – with snaky, spicy Middle Eastern melodies, heavy-hitting grooves and a sprinkling of electronic beats and samples, they brashly transcended boundaries between “world” and “urban” music with their own assertive mash-up.

While the interplay of Lockwood’s commanding guitar work with the twin saxes proved a striking instrumental signature, a harsh, crashy sound mix did them few favours, skewing the balance to obscure its melodic aspects and rendering Yosef’s lyrics – whose reported political/social content seems fairly central to the band’s purpose – largely unintelligible.

Rating: ***

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