Balkan Beat Box

About

Also known as: בלקן ביט בוקס

Balkan Beat Box built their sound on a restless collision of Balkan brass, Mediterranean folk, reggae, hip hop, and electronica, and the result is music that works as hard on a dancefloor as it does on a world stage. Founded in Brooklyn by Ori Kaplan and Tamir Muskat in 2003, and later anchored by frontman Tomer Yosef, the Israeli trio set out to drag ancient musical traditions into the club without losing what made them powerful. Their debut album and the 2007 follow up Nu Med earned global attention, while 'Bulgarian Chicks' became a genuine club staple. Their reach went well beyond the dance scene. 'Bulgarian Chicks' got sampled by Mac Miller on a Diplo produced track, and 'Hermetico' from Nu Med ended up in Jason Derulo's massive hit 'Talk Dirty'. MTV Iggy called them 'godfathers of global bass', and their music has turned up in FIFA games, film soundtracks, and a Korean e sports broadcast. Their 2016 album Shout It Out and the 2024 release Wild Wonder show a group with no interest in standing still.