Haris Pilton & The Balkan Voodoo Orchestra – Soon in Your Village (Asphalt Tango Records, 2025)
The Balkan Voodoo Orchestra is a genre-defying ensemble led by Slovenian producer Haris Pilton, which unites 14 musicians from across Alexandria, Tel Aviv, Beirut, Rajasthan, Shutka, Sofia, Skopje, Belgrade, Paris, and beyond. Their debut album, Soon in Your Village, melds Balkan brass traditions with hooky reggae rhythms, tribal percussion, Bulgarian choral vocals, heavy bass lines, dub reverb, and electric guitar.
Rather than adhering to a fixed genre, the album embraces contrast: celebratory yet mournful, ritualistic yet dance-driven, ancient yet futuristic. Tracks like “Gipsy Soul Balkan Heart” and “Balkan King Dance” present explosive brass lines over hypnotic grooves, while other, such as “Last Train to Chaosville” (featuring Balkan beat pioneers La Cherga) or “No Brass No Love” (with outlaw crooner Doggy Brasco), highlight the album’s cinematic scope and collaborative spirit.
Additional guests include Stereo Partizan (linked to Besh o Drom), who brings a psychedelic folk twist, and The Ufoslavians, known for their cosmic Balkan-electro hybrid.
The project’s visionary, Haris Pilton, draws from a wide-ranging musical palette which he developed while working with Kali Fat Dub (post-apocalyptic dub) and The Ufoslavians. While his fingerprints are evident throughout the recording, the Balkan Voodoo Orchestra is structured less as a showcase for a single artist and more as a collective joyful expression, with the spirit of a street parade and party.
Track list:
- Gipsy Soul Balkan Heart
- Pirates of Danube
- Bubblegum for a Shepard
- Last Train to Chaosville (feat. La Cherga)
- Shake Your Mustache (feat. Stereo Partizan)
- No Brass No Love (feat. Doggy Brasco)
- Trouble, Trouble, Rakija
- Balkan King Dance
- Brass Caravan
- Alo Alo Ciganko (feat. The Ufoslavians)
- Fiesta Tungusia
- Balkan Tornados
- One More Drink and We Go
Buy Soon in Your Village.
Author: JGurski
