Mec Yek - Antikrisis

Year: 2008
Style: balkan beat
Country: Belgium, Slovakia ..... Poland, Romania, Macedonia, Bulgaria
Quality: VBR
Size: 59 MB (5% recovery information included)
Connection with Jaune Toujours — Club
Similiar artists
Deladap, La Cherga, La Panika, Fatima Spar, Kal, Mad Manoush 2, Mad Manoush 1, La Caravane Passe, La Caravane Passe 2, VA — Balkan Fever, VA — Balkanbeats

Tracklist:
01 — Na Bikenav [02:46] Û
02 — Lole Kamashli [02:14]
03 — Atsh Mamo [01:33]
04 — Parni Luludji [04:25]
05 — Andro Da Taboris [02:45]
06 — Bashave Mange [03:55]
07 — Shargo Tshizjma [02:45]
08 — Loli Paraditshka [03:19]
09 — Pal Tu Dzjav [03:26]
10 — Kosteloskro [00:28]
11 — Pre Zabava [03:40]
12 — Pankatsha [04:49]
13 — Kaskere Ola Duj Tshavore [04:09]
14 — Avri Vakeren, Shukares Bash [02:35]
------------------------------
42:49 Min

Katia Pohlodkova — vocals
Mielka Pohlodkova — vocals
Piet Maris — accordion & backing vocals
Mattias Laga — clarinet, bass clarinet & soprano sax
Mathieu Verkaeren — upright bass
Theophane Raballand — drums & percussion

Mec Yek is a band of musicians from Brussels and Ghent, that import/export a musical repertoire from Eastern European and the Balkan, with a particular intrest in gypsy songs in Romanes (= a gypsy language). Mec Yek has Piet Maris on accordion and vocals, Mathieu Verkaeren on double bass, Mattias Laga on sax soprano, clarinet and bassclarinet and two Romani singers, Katia and Mielka Pohlodkova. The band's name Mec Yek originates from the Romanes "mek yek", which means: another one!; Mec Yek is a brusselisation thereof (un mec = a man).

The 'gipsy-link' was made in 1994, when singer/accordion player Piet Maris accompanied Laci Polhos, a Slovakian gipsy singer, during a small tour in Brussels. A year later Piet took his accordion to visit Laci in his home in Slovakia. This was the first of many visits.

In this gipsy colony of Rakusy, near the Polish border, at the heel of the high Tatra mountains, Piet made notes and recorded local gipsy songs, under the enthusiastic supervision of the villagers. This fieldwork resulted in the project Rakusatar!, which toured modestly in '96 and '97. out of these tours the band Mec Yek was born.

On the Musical level, the atmosphere of the Slovakian Roma and the energy of the Rakusatar!-tours are freely translated. The traditional songs were interpreted and rearranged, which leads Mec Yek off the traditional beaten track. Mec Yek plays halgads (slow, sad melodies) and cardasses (fast, rhythmical dances and songs), alternated with instrumental pieces from Rumania, Bulgaria and Macedonia. The songs are sung in Romanes (a gipsy language). They're basically local gipsy evergreens, with lyrics speaking of everyday gipsy reality. "Pankatsa", for example, is about how Roma fear the racial attacks of the Slovakian Skinheads. Other songs are about the harsh conditions in which gipsies have to survive. But there are also more lighthearted subjects, like love, in songs like "Caje Caje" and "Andre M'ri Barol".

Katia en Mielka Pohlodkova, vocals — are two young Romani. They've been living in Ghent for a number of years now, where they met the other musicians in Mec yek through projects for the Intercultural Meetingpont De Centrale. Katia is also guestvocaist on the track "Hai Nene" on the album"Camping del Mundo" by Jaune Toujours.

Piet Maris, vocals and accordion — is better known as the frontman of Jaune Toujours, a band that plays a mixture of rock and chanson, with Flemish and French lyrics. Piet did the fieldwork by making recordings and taking notes of what has now become the Mec Yek repertoire and thus became the driving force behind Mec Yek. Piet recently teamed up with Laïla Amezian to form the band Arabanda. In this project he aims to explore the arabo-andalusian repertoire in a fresh and new aproach. Piet also leads the band of accordians in La Nouvelle Harmonie Bruxelloise d'Accordéons.

Mathieu Verkaeren, upright bass ­ plays a lot in the Brussels jazz scene, but also in neighbouring genres, as in the Django Reinhardt inspired Christophe Astolfi quartet. Mathieu is also bass player in Jaune Toujours and Arabanda.

Mattias Laga: sax soprano, clarinet and bass clarinet — is an active member of the music scene in Ghent. He plays in jazz, folk and world music projects like Oblomow and Banda Azufaifo. Mattias is also a member of Jaune Toujours and Arabanda.

(Théophane Raballand, percussion — is the drummer of Jaune Toujours and Arabanda, and supports Mec Yek on percussion, when they play large stages.)