CD RELEASE

Amsterdam Klezmer Band: Remixed!
Catalogue no.: AY CD 10

Since its foundation in 1996, the Amsterdam Klezmer Band has evolved explosively. Starting as a trio that mostly played in the bars and on the streets of Amsterdam, they now are popular guests at numerous international festivals, dance events and pop clubs. The sound of the band is exclusively Oriental. With the heritage of Klezmer music, the intensity of a punk band and the inspiration of all kinds of Gypsy and Balkan dance music, the seven musicians leave their audiences astonished and covered with sweat after frantic dancing. The band performs their own music but has also collaborated with various groups over the last few years: The Galata Gypsy Band from Turkey, Shantel (Bucovina Club), Zuco 103 (a new collaborative effort), C-mon & Kypski and the contemporary jazz trio Man Bites Dog are just a few examples.

After 10 years of live performances and the release of 9 albums (including joint productions) they were looking for a new way of displaying their musical tastes. After some shared club dates with DJs and creative experiments with drum computers and samplers the idea arose to invite some exciting DJs and producers to work on their material. Now here is the result: Amsterdam Klezmer Band Remixed! Klez Dance to 13 original and electrifying Balkan & Klezmer tracks from Amsterdam’s finest, de-constructed and re-constructed by well-known European DJs including Shantel (Bucovina Club), DJ Yuri Gurzhy (Russendisko), Stefan Schmid (Zuco 103), Cmon & Kypski, Peter Millenaar and Marcel Vos. Along with 6 remixes out of the Amsterdam Klezmer Band repertoire you will also find 7 brand new and original tracks especially recorded for this album! Most of the producers generate from Electronica and DJ Underground scenes alike: Cmon & Kypski from Utrecht (DJ Kypski being especially known for being the winner of many DJ competitions), La Boutique Fantastique from Rotterdam, Frank Hebly known for his Benzo Productions, Peter Millenaar is well known for being the bass player of Dutch ska big band Jammah Tammah, Marcel Vos, aka Celliius is a multimedia freak and soundscaper from Amsterdam, Mimezine are a pop quartet featuring Vera van der Poel as a singer. Balkanic textures, Turkish Gypsy music, Rebetika influences, Klezmer, Darbuka beats all melt in a sea of electronica, dub, groove infused electronica taking the previously acoustically based music to a new level.

A word from singer Alec Kopyt: “If someone had told me, 28 years ago in the Ukraine, that I, a 19 year old hard rock freak, would become involved in and even start to enjoy the music of my motherland, I would have laughed in their face. However, these long years of changing countries of residence, jobs and musical orientation have brought me to the front of this seven piece die-hard acoustic band. How did I end up here and what has brought me to the position of the singer? The answer is dub music, minimalist bass thumping in my belly. Drums, sparse, precise and shamelessly distorted echoing in my head long after the night was over. In my heart and soul the magic of dub, produced on half-broken equipment in Jamaican slums, has replaced the multimillion productions of the well-known Western pop monsters. That's why I was thrilled to become involved in making dub versions of songs I have been singing for years. Now I can dance to them and forget that I am the singer of this very unconventional Klezmer Band. I hope you will enjoy these zesty versions of my beloved Eastern-European village music.”

A biography: With their talented musicians, the Amsterdam Klezmer Band (AKB) is an energetic and poetic stage act that charms international audiences. Their refreshing approach to Klezmer and Balkan music transcends the traditional aspects of this music and results in a very lively mix of Eastern-European sound. Their strength lies in their ability to appeal to a remarkably broad audience across all age groups; they play clubs or theatres, festivals, parties, weddings or formal functions. AKB can both fire up a crowd and create pure listening pleasure with the vibrancy of their playing. Their instrumental skills are complemented by the vocals of Alec Kopyt from Odessa and Job Chajes (also on saxophone). Since its foundation in 1996 by saxophone player Job Chajes, the band has evolved rapidly. In no time the band became world-famous in Amsterdam for its many vibrant performances on the streets, in the parks and in the pubs. Soon the rest of The Netherlands followed: the band performed at the Oerol Festival in 1999, 2000 and 2001 to great acclaim and was invited to the Noorderslagfestival in January 2001 (the media describing their performance as 'the great surprise of the festival'), followed by the Lowlands Festival in August 2001. During that period the band toured in Slovenia, Switzerland and Italy and completed three successful tours of Turkey. The third CD of the Amsterdam Klezmer Band, Limonchiki, was released on the New York label Knitting Factory label and the band had a grand tour of the Dutch club scene in the autumn of 2001, with as its highpoint the presentation of Limonchiki at the Paradiso, Amsterdam. In September 2003 the CD Katakofti was released. It's the result of a collaborative effort of the Amsterdam Klezmer Band and the Galata Gypsy Band from Turkey. The CD was released on Turkish label Kalan Records. In January 2005 SON (Russian for ‘dream') was released, containing a veritable treasure-trove of new Amsterdam Klezmer and Balkan music. The album received an enthusiastic reaction from the (international) press and led to a year of heavy touring and playing gigs in clubs and theatres including world famous Concertgebouw Amsterdam and venues in New York, Moscow, Paris and Hamburg.

Nowadays only part of the Amsterdam Klezmer Band repertory consists of traditionals of Balkan or Klezmer origin. Most of the AKB repertory has been created by the band members themselves, who all without exception contribute musically to an ever-growing melting-pot of infectious Balkan/Gypsy/Klezmer cross-over grooves. In this manner the band endeavours to breathe new life into the Eastern-European Balkan, Klezmer and Gypsy music tradition. Passionate performances, spectacular live shows and a good dose of street credibility form the ingredients of their cocktail: Klez dance!

TRACKLIST

1. Sadagora Hot Dub - Remix by Shantel
Music: S. Hantel/Gijs Levelt / Words: A. Kopyt
2. Terk - Remix P. Millenaar
Music: traditional / Words: J.D. Chajes
3. Constantinopel Babes - Original production by J. de Beer & F. Hebly
Music & words: J. de Beer & F. Hebly
4. Rumania Calling - Original production by Th. van Tol
Music & words: Th. van Tol
5. Ludacris - Original production by C-Mon and Kypski
Music & words: S. Akkermans/T. Elbers
6. Pluk a Dub - Remix by M. Cornelisse
Music & words: G. Levelt and M.Cornelisse
7. Kolo Chimera - Original production by J. van Strien
Music & Words: J. van Strien
8. Ispjenzola - Original production by La Boutique Fantastique
Music & words: T. Bergman & M. Goossens
9. Alter Ego - Remix by S. Schmid (Zuco 103)
Music: J. D. Chajes & S. Schmid / Words: A. Kopyt
10. Harmandalidub - Remix by P. Millenaar
Music & words: traditional
11. Immigrant Song - Remix by Yuriy Gurzhy
Music: Y. Gurzhy, J.D.Chajes, Chubbanak Club & CapodiMonte / Words: Y. Gurzhy
12. Nasha Ljubov - Original production by M. Baronner and G. Levelt
Music & words: M. Baronner/G. Levelt/B. Mattie/V. van der Poel/A. Kopyt
13. Odessa's Blast Out - Remix by M. Vos
Music & words: traditional

Artist's website: www.amsterdamklezmerband.nl

Booking: 3S MUSIC PRODUCTIONS
email: info[at]mp-3s.nl

ABOUT AKB

With their talented musicians, the Amsterdam Klezmer Band (AKB) is an energetic and poetic stage act that charms international audiences. Their refreshing approach to Klezmer and Balkan music transcends the traditional aspects of this music and results in a very lively mix of Eastern-European sound. Their strength lies in their ability to appeal to a remarkably broad audience across all age groups; they play clubs or theatres, festivals, parties, weddings or formal functions. AKB can both fire up a crowd and create pure listening pleasure with the vibrancy of their playing. Their instrumental skills are complemented by the vocals of Alec Kopyt from Odessa and Job Chajes (also on saxophone).

Since its foundation in 1996 by saxophone player Job Chajes, the band has evolved rapidly. In no time the band became world-famous in Amsterdam for its many vibrant performances on the streets, in the parks and in the pubs. Soon the rest of The Netherlands followed: the band performed at the Oerol Festival in 1999, 2000 and 2001 to great acclaim and was invited to the Noorderslagfestival in January 2001 (the media describing their performance as 'the great surprise of the festival'), followed by the Lowlands Festival in August 2001. During that period the band toured in Slovenia, Switzerland and Italy and completed three successful tours of Turkey. The third CD of the Amsterdam Klezmer Band, Limonchiki, was released on the New York label Knitting Factory label and the band had a grand tour of the Dutch club scene in the autumn of 2001, with as its highpoint the presentation of Limonchiki at the Paradiso, Amsterdam. In September 2003 the CD Katakofti was released. It's the result of a collaborative effort of the Amsterdam Klezmer Band and the Galata Gypsy Band from Turkey. The CD was released on Turkish label Kalan Records. In January 2005 SON (Russian for ‘dream') was released, containing a veritable treasure-trove of new Amsterdam Klezmer and Balkan music. The album received an enthusiastic reaction from the (international) press and led to a year of heavy touring and playing gigs in clubs and theatres including world famous Concertgebouw Amsterdam and venues in New York, Moscow, Paris and Hamburg.

Nowadays only part of the Amsterdam Klezmer Band repertory consists of traditionals of Balkan or Klezmer origin. Most of the AKB repertory has been created by the band members themselves, who all without exception contribute musically to an ever-growing melting-pot of infectious Balkan/Gypsy/Klezmer cross-over grooves. In this manner the band endeavours to breathe new life into the Eastern-European Balkan, Klezmer and Gypsy music tradition. Passionate performances, spectacular live shows and a good dose of street credibility form the ingredients of their cocktail: Klez dance!

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