Gipsy.cz
Gipsy.cz exploded on the Czech music scene and the borders between world music, gypsy music, hip hop and pop were broken for the first time here this year. Radoslav Banga, aka Gipsy, was born in Prague where he lived as a street kid from the age of 13, when he got in touch with hip-hop and rap. After working with local bands like Syndrom Snopp he developed his style of Romano hip-hop, combining Roma rhythms and language with the 200bpm music played by Balkan brass bands. In partnership with top Czech gypsy "primas" (violin maestro) Vojta Lavicka (ex: Alom, Deep Sweden..), and two young brothers Petr Surmaj (gt, accordion) & Jan Surmaj (double bass, up-right bass) he made a breakthrough as Gipsy.cz. Gipsy has colaborated and performed with various well-known artists. He has played as a guest with the Boban Markovic Orkestar, shared the stage with GZA, played the main Czech festivals, the Karne¬val der Kulturen in Berlin and several concerts in Berlin's Kaffee Burger. In addition, he is a regular guest on Radio Multikulti/Funkhaus Europa. Mondomix magazine referred to him as a new talent about to be discovered for the wider public. In 2006 Gipsy was nominated by academy of Popular Music at the Angel Awards 2005 (the Czech version of The Grammy Awards) for the Best Album in Hip-Hop & R´n´B category. In the following year the band Gipsy.cz recieved two nominations: for the Best Album in the World Music category and as a Best New Artist. He got the latter one. In the spring this year, the band shall set off to the European concert tour visiting Austria, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Hungary and Germany among others. London foundation CM, which widely cooperates with the band, prepared guest performance of the band in the British Brighton, London club the Social and Notting Hill Carnival last year; currently it organizes other interesting concerts. Gipsy.cz will play on Glastonbury festival, among others.
In the new album Romano Hip Hop (first regular CD of Gipsy.cz project) you can find rapper's resentfulness, Romany musicality and knowledge of finesse of pop skill. Thus the new album brings the energetic synthesis of everything, which the talented musician with his co-players experienced and went through on their way through music and life. Gipsy gradually find their own soapbox, new sound and space, which they remelt into the souped-up album. "We want to set the sound! But I know that there are several people abroad, who make something similar. But we are original in leaving more space for the real traditional music and at the same time we are still in hip-hop..." - says Gipsy about the new sound of his project and at the same time he answers, how the Romanies react to that - "Old Romanies welcome the new album, since it contains the verses, which are not already used. The whole album brushes up something, which most young Romanies today even do not know. We play traditionally, although in modern manner. These are the procedures we set. And here we have the advantage of "traditionality." Title song Romano Hip Hop was chosen as a "Song of the year" by readers of Czech music magazine Filter. The introductory composition of the CD Romano Hip Hop has been in the first song of the official Czech radio chart IFPI in April 2007 and also appeared in the sales chart IFPI (8th position). – absolutely best postions ever reached by world music singer or band in Czech Republic. The recording Romano Hip Hop is successful abroad, too. At present it occupies the 8th position in the World Music Charts Europe. In March this year, the song Jednou (Once) of this album has appeared on the compilation Gypsy Groove of the famous American label Putumayo.
