We got our "hoppa" on with BBB
25 Jan 2011
South Africa has been attracting a Liquorice Allsorts bag of international talent since we hosted the 2010 FIFA World Cup: U2, Roxette, Kings of Leon, Rammstein, Faithless, Andre Rieu, Imogen Heap, Neil Diamond, The Parlotones... Cape Town and Jozi had some Balkan flavour thrown into the party mix last weekend with the eight-piece New York-based Balkan Beat Box (BBB) dropping by to break the monotony.
Let's face it, Balkan music lovers don't get a lot of action out and about in Cape Town (I can't speak for the Joburgers), so when the annual Balkanology party comes along, we don our bells and whistles and turn into true gypsies for the night. And if you don't buy your tickets prior to the event, you and your bells and whistles are likely to stand in a rather long queue or not get in at all. Having the BBB crew visiting was a real treat and gypsies everywhere in Cape Town crawled out of their abodes, braving a super-strong Southeaster to get their "hoppa" on.
Spitting those lyrics
After a while, I find the whole Balkan sound becomes sort of bland as each new song blends into the next; the only thing that rises and falls is the tempo. The BBB set, however, did nothing of the sort. Firstly, because they have great stage presence driven by the super-hyped MC Tomer Yosef, who spits those reggae gypsy rock lyrics like it's nobody's business. Secondly, because their sound transcends numerous genres, including pop, rock, hip hop, reggae, electronica - all meshed together in a big bowl of proper Balkan beats. They were lively and entertaining and the sound-scape was awesome. If you missed them this time, I suggest you make an effort the next because they really jammed up a storm in that tent - they brought Harrington Street alive.
Hair-whipping with some two-stepping
A group of local hip hopsters called Backyard joined BBB on stage and collabed on a track or two. I'd never heard of these kids before, but it seems like they're also brimming with energy, ready to take on big crowds. I'm not sure I like their style, but they did a great job getting the crowd bobbing their heads to the beat.
It was such a colourful mix of people all around, getting down in their own way. I saw a bit of hair being whipped back and forth, a bit of bumping and grinding, plenty hands in the air, swaying like they just didn't care, a little bit of two-stepping and a whole lot of frenzied euphorica. The best part about this party was that everyone fitted in - BBB broke all sorts of barriers that night with a sound so eclectic, no one could resist it for too long.
I'm ready for Balkanology 2011 - bring it on!
About Sindy Peters: Africa editor
Sindy Peters (@sindy_hullaba_lou) is a group editor at Bizcommunity.com on the Construction & Engineering, Energy & Mining, and Property portals. She can be reached at moc.ytinummoczib@ydnis.
