Recorded in Belgrade and Tel Aviv, Blue Eyed Black Boy takes BBB to their roots, scouring the Balkans and beyond for unique collaborations and new inspirations for their globalized urban mashups. Featuring the singles “War Again” and “Move It,” Blue Eyed Black Boy marks the return of Ori Kaplan, Tamir Muskat and Tomer Yosef – a.k.a. Balkan Beat Box – with their first album of all new material since 2007, and the group’s debut for the Nat Geo Music label. Blue Eyed Black Boy is due out on April 27th.
For the uninitiated, 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 ex-pats Ori Kaplan (ex-Gogol Bordello), Tamir Muskat (ex-Firewater), the band built their reputation on explosive live shows, becoming an audience favorite and a critic’s darling. BBB 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.
“It’s always amazing when the three of us get together in the studio,” says Kaplan. “It’s a great dynamic that none of us ever had before in a band, a true collaboration. Each of us has his specialty, Tamir brings the beats and production, Tomer is the lyricist, and I do the melodies and the horns. We trigger off each other.”
Balkan Beat Box
For the uninitiated, 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 ex-pats Ori Kaplan (ex-Gogol Bordello), Tamir Muskat (ex-Firewater), the band built their reputation on explosive live shows, becoming an audience favorite and a critic’s darling. BBB 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.
“It’s always amazing when the three of us get together in the studio,” says Kaplan. “It’s a great dynamic that none of us ever had before in a band, a true collaboration. Each of us has his specialty, Tamir brings the beats and production, Tomer is the lyricist, and I do the melodies and the horns. We trigger off each other.”