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Pop, dance and folk elements blend in music
of Boston-based trio from the former Yugoslavia, examining questions
of modern life through ancient means. BALKAN TRIBES was
formed in 1995, as a reflection and a reaction on what was going
on in the region of former Yugoslavia, where all the members
of the band are from. Two founding members, MILAN KOVACEV,
from Belgrade, Serbia and DAMIR PRCIC, from Tuzla, Bosnia
met some 15 years ago while serving the mandatory military service
in (then) still peaceful and unified country.
The initial mutual interest in music and
technology over time grew into a deep respect for each other
and a friendship that transcended the thousands of miles that
separated them while DAMIR was studying Film Scoring at
Berklee College of Music in Boston and MILAN recording
and producing records in Belgrade. Eventually, MILAN joined
DAMIR in Boston to pursue studies in Music Business and
Management.
The war raging in their country affected
DAMIR and MILAN profoundly. They realized that
if they were still back home, there was a very real possibility
of being drafted and having to fight on the opposite sides, MILAN
being Serbian and DAMIR being Bosnian. Fight like so many
other people have - some of them close friends as they are. This
concept was completely unimaginable to the founders of Balkan
Tribes. "We though to ourselves, the best way to deal with
this heartbreaking situation was to turn all that negative energy
into positive music" says MILAN.
They wanted to remind themselves as well
as, hopefully, some of the world around them, that there was
beauty where they came from, warm and soulful people, regardless
of the nationality and religion and geographical position, regardless
of the things going on at the present.
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Balkan Tribes: Milan Kovacev / Alma Vucinic / Damir
Prcic
BALKAN
TRIBES started combining instrumental and vocal samples of
the traditional folk music from this area performed by ordinary
people of all ethnicities unburdened by recording contracts,
charts and similar trappings of the modern world. People simply
celebrating life, love, birth or nature through song and dance.
"We combined these elements with the beats, loops and samples
of the music that made our toes tap and our bodies groove and
which were just as big a part of our musical upbringing. And
it felt good.", reflects DAMIR.
The band expanded their palette and added
vocals in English, performed by a most beautiful addition, ALMA
VUCINIC, a vocal student at Berklee originating from Montenegro.
ALMA was considered a musical prodigy in Serbia and Montenegro,
performing nationally with renowned jazz orchestras as young
as seventeen. She recently received the BMG Jazz Musicianship
Award.
The members of BALKAN TRIBES believe
that paying homage to their forefathers enables them to see themselves
in a whole new life, to re-examine their realities and forge
forward freshly and fearlessly, with hope that in generations
to come they will be the ones examined, the ones to transfer
the torch of illumination.
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