Customer Reviews

Disko Partizani

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DJ Shantel, or simply Shantel -- who spearheaded the Balkan remix craze, marrying eclectic club grooves with wild Eastern European sounds on his euphoric "Bucovina Club" albums -- here has shifted from the decks to work with a real band.
Shantel was born Stefan Hantel in Frankfurt but his mother came from Bucovina, the province split between northern Romania and Ukraine, and he took the music in with his mother's milk and turned it into a craze with his Bucovina Night parties.
On this album, the self-styled king of Balkan pop has a go at doing it himself, backing his own voice and guitar with contributions from a whole orchestra's worth of gipsy virtuosi and Euro-oddballs, from Serbian trumpeters to Israeli surf-guitarists and a German reggae diva.
Sending himself up in deadpan, slightly camp English, Shantel mercifully doesn't try to come on like a Romanian gipsy. Yet his few cameos as lead vocalist are the least of reasons for listening to this rousing album. Packing ska and disco elements around scorching brass and grittily yearning voices, the sound has a wacky, almost comic exuberance.
If it sounds essentially like one of Shantel's "Bucovina Club" remix albums, but with everything played from scratch, you could hardly ask for a higher accolade than that.
Listen to the title track with its danceable beat, cheeky sax and electric guitar solos and the vocals playing on the juxtaposition of "party" and "partizani" and you'll get the appeal.
Shantel's band includes some first-class Balkan musicians, but his real gift is in generating a party and not taking himself too seriously.
Shantel's latest project waves a fond farewell to the Bucovina sound.
"Bucovina Club" was, at heart, a techno record. Its goal was simply to make us dance.
"Disko Partizani" has more sophisticated aims. It's a record which sees Shantel explore the true spirit of Balkan music, revelling in its emotional ambivalence and inquisitive flair.
A savvy Balkan record with strong commercial appeal.
Once again, Shantel's bravery has been rewarded.
Al in all, it's glorious pop music, with an equally glorious mix of styles and influences, on a bed of East European cultures, past and present.
Among the many guests are clarinettist Filip Simeonov (Taraf de Haidouks) trumpeter Roy Paci (Manu Chao) reggae/dancehall queen Mantiz and singer Brenna MacCrimmon .
The ex DJ, one of those responsible for the current Balkan Gypsy craze, knows what works an audience and uses it to great effect.

Shantel continues his style of music that we already heard on Bucovina Club, adding new sounds and rhythms along the way. The endresult invites the listener to pour some chacha, smash some glasses and move his feet. It sounds like Shantel will be with us for some time to come and I certainly am looking forward for new releases.

I stumbled onto Shantel by accident. I couldn't sleep and the only thing on the tv that was interesting to me were world music videos and a Shantel one happened to come on. I have never been more happier to go without sleep. If this cd doesn't make you want to dance, nothing will. =^..^=

This is a supremely fun album. I love the Eastern European and Middle Eastern sounds that have been coming into popular music over the last several years, but this is the best example I've seen yet. Shantel mixes the beauty of traditional gypsy sounds with whimsical modern arrangements, and he adds in some lighthearted lyrics. Take the irrestible song Disko Boy, all about a boy longing to dance with a beautiful girl he sees across the room. The English might sound a little silly at first blush, almost 'campy' as another reviewer mentioned, but this doesn't detract from the song at all.

Every song on the album offers a little something new and worthwhile in the way of instrumentation, style and tempos. I guarantee you won't get bored. Check out Disko Partizani if you're looking for a fun dance album, or if you want to hear some of the best East-meets-West music available. The joy in the music is evident. You won't be able to sit still!