Stefan Hantel, better known by his stage name Shantel (born 2 March 1968), is a German DJ and

producer Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

based in

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...

. He is known for his work with Romani brass orchestras, DJing and remixing traditional Balkan music with electronic beats.

Background and early life

Shantel is of Greek descent on his paternal side. His maternal grandparents were

Ukrainian Jews The history of the Jews in Ukraine dates back over a thousand years; Jewish communities have existed in the territory of Ukraine from the time of the Kievan Rus' (late 9th to mid-13th century). Some of the most important Jewish religious and ...

from

Chernivtsi Chernivtsi ( uk, Чернівці́}, ; ro, Cernăuți, ; see also other names) is a city in the historical region of Bukovina, which is now divided along the borders of Romania and Ukraine, including this city, which is situated on the upp ...

Career

Shantel began his DJ career in Frankfurt, Germany, and was inspired by the audience reaction to Romani brass bands such as

Fanfare Ciocărlia Fanfare Ciocărlia is a twelve-piece Romani people, Romani Balkan brass music, Balkan brass band from the northeastern Romanian village of Dagâța, Zece Prăjini. They are known for their fast, high-energy music with complex rhythms and high-s ...

and trumpeter

Boban Marković Boban Marković ( sr-cyr, Бобан Марковић) is a Serbian trumpet player and brass ensemble leader from Vladičin Han. He is of Romani background. Boban Marković Orchestra The Boban Marković Orchestra is a Balkan brass band from Vla ...

to infuse electronically tweaked Balkan Romani music into his DJ set. Shantel released two compilations of his popular DJ night, Bucovina Club, on his own Essay label, which won the Club Global award in the 2006

BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, Radio drama, drama, High culture, culture and the arts ...

Awards for World Music. He was one of several DJs to remix recordings of Taraf de Haïdouks and Kočani Orkestar on the ''Electric Gypsyland'' compilations from

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

's Crammed Discs label, and released his next album on that label. He gained popularity in

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

after recording the clip of 'Disko Partizani' in

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

.Cartwright, Garth
Awards for World Music 2006 - DJ Shantel

. Shantel's 2007 album ''Disko Partizani'' departed somewhat from the

techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time (4/4) and often ch ...

sound of Bucovina Club, concentrating more on the music's

Balkan 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 ...

roots. The album was awarded Platinum award in Turkey by

Mü-Yap Mü-Yap, (officially Bağlantılı Hak Sahibi Fonogram Yapımcıları Meslek Birliği, Turkish: ''Turkish Phonographic Industry Society'') is the major organization representing the recording industry of Turkey. Mü-Yap is also an IFPI member. As o ...

in 2008 and 2009. In 2011 he released an album with

Oz Almog Oz Almog is an Israeli and Austrian artist, born on 15 April 1956, in Kfar Saba, Israel. Biography Oz Almog was born to a family of Russian/Ukrainian pioneers (Avrutzki) and Romanian/Russian immigrants (Abramovich). After studying classical paint ...

named ''Kosher Nostra Jewish Gangsters Greatest Hits''. This album is a wild mix of

Swing Swing or swinging may refer to: Apparatus * Swing (seat), a hanging seat that swings back and forth * Pendulum, an object that swings * Russian swing, a swing-like circus apparatus * Sex swing, a type of harness for sexual intercourse * Swing rid ...

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

Twist Twist may refer to: In arts and entertainment Film, television, and stage * ''Twist'' (2003 film), a 2003 independent film loosely based on Charles Dickens's novel ''Oliver Twist'' * ''Twist'' (2021 film), a 2021 modern rendition of ''Olive ...

Charleston Charleston most commonly refers to: * Charleston, South Carolina * Charleston, West Virginia, the state capital * Charleston (dance) Charleston may also refer to: Places Australia * Charleston, South Australia Canada * Charleston, Newfoundlan ...

and Yiddish songs and Ballads.

Discography

* ''Super Mandarine'' (1994) * ''Club Guerilla'' (1995) * ''Auto Jumps & Remixes'' (1997) * ''EP'' (1997) * ''No. 2'' (1997) * ''"II" EP'' (1998) * ''Higher than the Funk'' (1998) * ''Oh So Lovely EP'' (1998) * ''Oh So Lovely Remixes'' (1998) * ''Backwood'' (2001) * ''Great Delay'' (2001) * ''Inside'' (2001) * ''Bucovina'' (2003) * ''Disko'' (2003) * ''Bucovina Club Vol. 2'' (2005) * ''Gypsy Beats and Balkan Bangers'' (2006) * ''Disko Partizani'' (2007) * ''Disko Partizani Remixes'' (2008) * ''Planet Paprika'' (2009) * ''Kosher Nostra Jewish Gangsters Greatest Hits '' (2011) * ''Anarchy + Romance '' (2013) * ''Viva Diaspora '' (11th of Sept. 2015)

References

External links

*
Shantel on MSN Music

Shantel page
on the Crammed Discs website {{Authority control 1968 births Living people German DJs Folk-pop singers German people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent German people of Greek descent Musicians from Frankfurt Electronic dance music DJs