Mahala Rai Banda is a

gypsy The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have diaspora populations located worldwide, with sign ...

band based in Bucharest (

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

). The band was formed by violinist and composer Aurel Ionita, who originates from a family of

Lăutari The Romanian word lăutar (; plural: ''lăutari'') denotes a class of musicians. The term was adopted by members of a professional clan of Romani musicians in the late XVIII century. The term is derived from ''lăută'', the Romanian word for ...

from the village of Clejani. He is related to several members of

Taraf de Haïdouks Taraful Haiducilor ("Taraf of Haiduks") are a Romanian-Romani ''taraf'' (a troupe of ''lăutari'', traditional musicians) from Clejani, Romania, and one of the most prominent such groups in post-Communist era Romania. In the Western world they ...

. The band plays Balkan-influenced music. Instrumentation used by the band includes violins, accordions, and brass instruments played by musicians from Zece Prăjini. Their music includes a mixture of traditional popular music and Balkan-influenced club music (

Balkan Beats The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

). Their music is known for its blend of arrangements, traditional elements, and modern approaches.

The Debut Album

Mahala Rai Banda's self-titled debut album was recorded in 2004 in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...

. Additional production and mixing were carried out by Shantel and Marcus Darius in Frankfurt, Germany. The mix was done in collaboration with Ionita Aurel (the band's leader) and Stéphane Karo. The album was released on

Crammed Discs Crammed Discs is an independent record label whose output blends world music, rock, pop, and electronica. Based in Brussels, Belgium, Crammed was founded in 1980 by Marc Hollander of Aksak Maboul and has since released around 375 albums and 275 ...

in early 2005.

The Second Album

Mahala Rai Banda's second album “Ghetto Blasters” was recorded in 2009 in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and

. The album was produced, recorded and mixed by Henry Ernst and Marc Elsner. The album was released on

Asphalt Tango Records Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term a ...

, in October 2009. The album climbed to 2nd place in the World Music Charts Europe charts, and was voted amongst the top ten "Best Albums Of The Year 2009" by

Songlines (magazine) ''Songlines'' is a British magazine launched in 1999 that covers music from traditional and popular to contemporary and fusion, featuring artists from around the globe. ''Songlines'' is published 10 times a year and contains CD reviews, artist in ...

Achievements

Ever since the release of their debut album, Mahala Rai Banda's has performed over 200 concerts in 26 countries, and appeared at major festivals and clubs and concert halls. Their song "Mahalageasca" (both in its original version Shantel's remix) has appeared in British-American feature film

Borat ''Borat! Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan'' (Kazakh language, Kazakh / Russian language, Russian: ''Борат'') (also stylized as ''BORДT'', or simply ''Borat'') is a 2006 mockumentary black come ...

, as well as in several other films and advertising campaigns. Their debut album climbed to Number 3 in the World Music Charts Europe Mahala Raï Banda have also had their tracks remixed and/or reworked by electronic music producers and artists such as

Nouvelle Vague French New Wave (french: La Nouvelle Vague) is a French art film movement that emerged in the late 1950s. The movement was characterized by its rejection of traditional filmmaking conventions in favor of experimentation and a spirit of iconocla ...

, Felix B (from

Basement Jaxx Basement Jaxx are an English electronic music duo consisting of Felix Buxton and Simon Ratcliffe. The pair got their name from the regular club night they held in Brixton, London, UK. They first rose to popularity in the underground house scene ...

Balkan Beat Box Balkan Beat Box (BBB) is an Israeli musical group. Founded by Tamir Muskat and Ori Kaplan in 2003, BBB was later joined by Tomer Yosef who became a core member. The group plays Mediterranean-influenced music that incorporates Jewish, Southeastern ...

, DJ Click,

Russ Jones Russ Jones (born July 16, 1942 in Ontario) is a Canadian novelist, illustrator, and magazine editor, active in the publishing and entertainment industries over a half-century, best known as the creator of the magazine ''Creepy'' for Warren Publis ...

, Shantel and more. Most of these reworks appeared as part of the Electric Gypsyland albums. Mahala Raï Banda tracks have appeared on international compilations including "Buddha Bar" (France), "Bucovina Club" (Germany), "Balkan Bangers and Gypsy Beats" (UK), "Balearic Bisquits" (Denmark), "Balkanology" (South Africa), "Rough Guide to Eastern Europe" (UK), "Rromanu Suno" (Serbia), "Balkan Beats" (Germany), "Barrio Latino" (France), "Bar Gypsy" (USA), and others. The band's music was also featured in the soundtrack album of the film

. Mahala Rai Banda has also formed part of THE GYPSY QUEENS AND KINGS tour since 2009, and have been featured on the 2011 platforming game

LittleBigPlanet 2 ''LittleBigPlanet 2'' is a puzzle-platform game that features user-generated content. The game is developed by Media Molecule, published by Sony Computer Entertainment for PlayStation 3. It was released in January 2011. The game was released in ...

Notes

External links

Mahala Rai Banda management company, Asphalt Tango Production

* ttp://www.asphalt-tango.de/banda/tour.html Mahala Rai Banda tour dates, Asphalt Tango Production
Mini-site
on the

website. {{Authority control Romanian Romani musical groups