The inspiration for the song and video are explained in a statement by the group below:

“Balkan Beat Box expresses our dissatisfaction with the social, economic and political systems which govern our lives and set the tone for what kind of world our children will grow up to live in. This video shows our support for the various movements and revolutions taking place in the world today and attempts to highlight the fight against corporate greed which has gripped our society and paralyzed or bought off our leaders.”

The video–which has already been viewed over 17,000 times on YouTube–was selected as Arabic-language news network Al Jazeera’s Internet Video of the Week on November 26, 2011. Rolling Stone South Africa also featured the video online and wrote, “The explosive New York-based trio are at their provocative and edgy best again, with their mashup of all things exotic, eclectic and politically sensitive.” (12/6/11) There has also been support for BALKAN BEAT BOX in the blogosphere: “…this is BBB going all Beastie boyz vs Sex Pistols in the Balkans…I’m loving this and I’ve been a huge fan of this band since day 1! If you’ve never seen this band live, you won’t believe the energy of their live shows.  So I would suggest that you make sure that you DO NOT miss them when they play…and make sure you grab all of their discography cause you need it…”

Balkan Beat Box has also asked their fans to get involved by translating the lyrics of “Political F*ck” into their native language and posting it on the Balkan Beat Box Facebook page here.

“People, people, see the rain fall down U wash yourselves from slavery, U rule this town I say now, middle, middle, simple man not radical U free yourselves, u change your luck It’s a political f*ck Not an attack…”

Balkan Beat Box first burst out of New York City’s underground music scene in 2005, with their self-titled debut that introduced the world to their multikulti musical mashup. Founded by Israeli-born Ori Kaplan (ex-Gogol Bordello, ex-Firewater) and Tamir Muskat (ex-Firewater), the band built their reputation on explosive live shows, becoming an audience favorite and a critic’s darling. The group soon added frequent collaborator Tomer Yosef as frontman, his wild onstage energy galvanizing live audiences ever since. The three emerged as a cohesive songwriting trio on 2007’s Nu Med, and found that each had strengths that complimented the others. Together they created an entirely new sound–equal parts Balkan-Mediterranean tradition, punk intensity, electronic cool, jazz discipline and hip-hop swagger. Their third album, 2010’s Blue Eyed Black Boy, was recorded in Belgrade and Tel Aviv and had a big impact on the band. “While we were in Belgrade there were anti-Kosovo demonstrations and riots, and mobs tried to burn down the American embassy,” Kaplan explains. “It was a very tense atmosphere, but we were in our studio, away from all that, translating that intense energy into something positive and good.”

Balkan Beat Box is working on a new album to be released early next year. For up-to-date information like them on Facebook or follow them on Twitter.

It’s been a long year–exacerbated by a miserable economy, more war, the heightened threat of global warming—so take your mind off it all with the good that happened. Like, for instance, a year full of great music we posted!

Oh No Ono – Internet Warrior is one of those bands that manages to combine the hip sounds of disco and the new wave sounds of yore with a variety of different musical synth-dance melodies, infectious as they are danceable.

Russian Circles – Malko -  it’s also exciting to see what a band like Russian Circles is doing to bend the laws of musical physics, and always a mystery as to what’s going to happen on the way out.

Warpaint – Billy Holiday - Give in to reverb-heavy arpeggios draped overtop the dewy, luscious voices of Emily Kokal and Theresa Wayman. It’s easy to get lost in the stereo world of Warpaint’s sound.

Jogger -Gorilla Meat - one of those bands that proves hard to describe through praiseful adjectives. You’re sort of lost on an ocean of schizophrenic sound, where swells of jazz and blues and electronica intertwine with the indefinable, the somber and ethereal emotions of life.

State Radio -State of Georgia (Live Acoustic) – Their radio-friendly image will please many and perhaps drive away many others, but one need only listen to their new LP Let It Go to get a sense of the band’s diverse musical territory.

The Slits – Ask Ma – Around the time that The Runaways were proving girls could handle the big leagues of hard rock, The Slits went even further by embracing a more schizoid musical palette that extended far beyond the punk rock realm.

Revolting Cocks – I’m Not Gay - On their latest, Sex-O Olympic-O, Revolting Cocks re-establish themselves as pioneers of a genre all their own, while adapting, kind of, to that modern trend of re-hashing the sounds of industrial days past.

The Mary Onettes – Puzzles – Imagine a Swedish equivalent of The National on a diet of speed, Planet Earth DVDs, and 80’s guitar pop singles and you’ll have a vague idea of how amazing this is.

The Darlings – Teenage Girl – t’s rare that a band manages to masterfully merge the catchy hooks of yore with that je ne se qua indie sensibility and a bit of proto-punk abrasiveness (remember The MC5?)– but it proves to be a conglomeration of endearing traits which have already helped NYC’s own Darlings garner notoriety outside the city that never sleeps.

Bobby Evans and Freakazoid Robots – Them Jeans Remix – With a smash hit single, Freakazoid Robots, DJ Bobby Evans has created something modern, danceable, yet defiantly retro.

Peudo Slang – Bedouin – is the collaborative effort of Emcee Sick of Xtracts of Slang and producer Tone Atlas of Pseudo Intellectuals. Based in Buffalo and Chicago respectively, PS have been closely followed for almost a decade, garnering international praise and acclamation for creating music that steps outside the standard boundaries of contemporary rap.

Battlehooch – The Special Place – For any other band, it’d be unreasonable to say you want to be the first band to play on the moon, but for Battlehooch, it only seems natural.

The Jaguar Club – Beautiful House – The band has released 2 EP’s of danceable pop tunes and played shows up and down the Eastern seaboard from Maine to Florida. At home they have been thrilled to play with some very fine bands including: The Duke Spirit, The Cinematics, Scissors For Lefty and many more.

Ancient Astronauts – I Came Running – Their very name, “Ancient Astronauts,” implies a mash-up of the distant past and the far future; traits exemplified in their melding of old school hip hop, funk, and dub reggae with forward-thinking flair and production technique.

Thunderheist – Nothing 2 Step 2 – if you’re in the front row, expect to get wet. Thunderheist sweats Belvedere and Red Bull, and sprays more hooks than a heavyweight championship bout.

Balkan Beat Box – Nu-Made - blends electronic music with hard-edged folk music from North Africa, the Middle East, the Balkans and Eastern Europe…the natural reaction of passionate musicians that demand the erasure of political and geographical divisions in music.

These Arms are Snakes – Red Line Season – After seeing These Arms are Snakes at Red Eyed Fly in Austin, I now know why everyone I talked to said “I HAD TO SEE THEIR LIVE SHOW.” They were NOT lying. These Arms are Snakes have been touring for a long time, and it shows – they’re live show is ruckus, rowdy and tight.

Late of the Pier – Space and the Woods – Jack Paradise would like you to know that 2009 will have birthed the third coming of the “Summer of Love” and he personally would like to wish you “Happy Hunting.”

The Lords of Altamont – Named for the infamous speedway immortalized in the Rolling Stones concert film, Gimme Shelter, the Lords of Altamont evoke the feeling of psychedelic influenced, 60’s, biker culture. Their attitudes and attire are more reminiscent of the Steve McQueens of the motorcycle movie world, than say, the Peter Fondas.

Fitz and the Tantrums – They aren’t what you expect. Their melodic retro Motown/Soul infused rhythms keep the crowd guessing. Think Amy Winehouse on Orange Juice.

The Shackeltons – Your Movement – This band calls to the forefront an energy that has all but dissapeared in contemporary music in decades and somehow, bafflingly, they infuse pop into the cocktail without polluting this sweet and volatile mix.

Balkan Beat Box blends electronic music with hard-edged folk music from North Africa, the Middle East, the Balkans and Eastern Europe.  The group was formed in 2004 by Ori Kaplan, former member of Gogol Bordello, and Tamir Muskat, producer of J.U.F.’s “Gogol Bordello vs. Tamir Muskat” and drummer for Firewater and Big Lazy.

Balkan Beat Box is the natural reaction of passionate musicians that demand the erasure of political and geographical divisions in music.  While breaking down these borders, the band has created a new, unique sound that brings people together on dance floors all over the globe.  Balkan Beat Box has steeped their music in a lifetime’s worth of research into their own non-Western roots. A quasi-circus event, BBB performers collaborate with artists from Bulgaria, Morocco, Spain, Israel, and Turkey, all of them drawing on a variety of styles from around the world. Every event keeps the audience guessing what the next surprise will be.

Red Bula (Mahala Rai Banda Vs. BBB)

It seems like Eastern Europe is finally starting to get some respect from Americans. Nico Bellic and the GTA giant made thick accents cool. Gogol Bordello has been able to take his mustachioed gypsy punk to a mainstream audience while smaller acts like Golem and The Sway Machinery are putting a fresh spin on ancient sounds.

The Sway Machinery’s Hidden Melodies Revealed: “Anim Zemiros”

The Machinery boasts an incredible lineup of musicians who’ve played with Arcade Fire, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Tom Waits and the Wu Tang. “People ask all the time what kind of music do you play, and I say ‘New York music,” says saxophonist Jordan McLean. The rollicking blend of music is nearly impossible to define. Inspired by Cantorial music and guided by the warped mind of Balkan Beat Box maestro Jeremiah Lockwood, The Sway Machinery are an organic mashup of world styles from Mali blues to Polish dances.

Playing such a selection basically dictates the band understand musical theory, world cultures and history, so it’s not a surprise that the five band members can be cerebral and mystical. “We’re moving beyond style and into idea,” says McLean, “because we’re creating our own myth with this music. We invite the audience to explore and create their own myths along with us—and kick their fucking asses at the same time.”

The underlying party rhythms of dance music is a huge influence for JDub labelmates Golem, a six-piece also out of New York. Golem began years ago covering klezmer traditionals, and has slowly evolved a hybrid rock version of the ancient songs. “It was originally party music so it’s not an academic pursuit for us,” says singer and accordionist Annette Ezekiel Kogan.  “The energy in the music is party energy,” she says. The new album, Citizen Boris, spins together accordion, horns, fiddle and feedback into dance rock that stands out for its creativity. History never sounded so fun.

By Jacob Cottingham

The Sway Machinery’s Hidden Melodies Revealed “Tell it All to Me”

Golem’s Citizen Boris: “Tucheses & Nenes”

Golem’s Citizen Boris: “Mirror Mirror”