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Kalculations
Serbian Gypsy rockers Kal are working hard to achieve
international recognition, not just for their music but
Roma problems too. Garth Cartwright catches up.
C
elebrating Sanctuary – the free sent to fight in Kosovo) are playing with ambitious album, one that reflects both
festival held on London’s South real fire and singing about fighting the touring band and the huge number of
Bank every June literally cele- racism, and unity. That Celebrating Sanc- ideas he has running around in his head.
brates the capital as a place of tuary has connected with the UK’s Gypsy
“It would be easy to just play variations on
refuge for myriad peoples flee- Roma Traveller History Month (in June)
what the West European public have come
ing conflict and persecution – is bathed in means Kal and the festival are connecting
to expect as Balkan Gypsy music,” he says,
crisp sunshine as 2009’s headliners take with local and international issues. This lit-
“but I can’t do that. I need to take the
the stage. It is the tenth anniversary of erally a week after right-wing nationalists
music forward. It consumes me.”
Celebrating Sanctuary so to really cele- the BNP and UKIP have declared their best
brate, the festival organisers have gone ever results in British elections.
I first met Dragan Ristic in Belgrade in
the extra mile and hired Kal, a Serbian
summer 2003. Back then I was research-
The following day I catch up with Ris-
Romany Gypsy band.
ing for my book and Lemez Lovas (then
tic to conduct this interview and exchange
leader of Oi Va Voi) had passed me Dra-
This extra mile – and all involved have notes on how our lives have been since we
gan’s phone number with the suggestion
ridden it to get here: the cost of airfares last met 18 months ago in Belgrade. Back
I look him up. I’m certainly pleased I did:
and visas eating up the band’s fee, the then he played me demos of what would
booking agent skipping her fee, Seb Mer- prove to be Kal’s second album, Radio
here was a young Roma musician steeped
rick driving the band everywhere – proves Romanista, and I was none too enthusias-
in Balkan music-making but wishing to
well worth it as Kal create a great blend of tic. Do I, Dragan asks, like the finished
push the musical envelope, to create
what band leader Dragan Ristic calls “rock album more than the demos? Well, of
what he called “a kind of 21st century
‘n’ Roma”. Kal’s blend of electric guitar- course. But I still have my reservations.
Gypsy music”. Dragan spoke fluent
bass-drums-accordeons-violin forges a dis- Having just caught Kal in concert I now
English and across an afternoon I
tinctive, high-energy sound, equal parts realise how Radio Romanista is very much
watched him direct a black-haired young
Balkan folk and ferocious, Clash-style rock a document of the band live: tough, fast,
woman to do a vocal over and over. In a
’n’ roll. The festival’s audience react full of zip and anger and the desire to
New Belgrade tower block Ristic was
strongly to this, dancing and leaping push Balkan Gypsy music head-on into a
slowly creating what would become Kal’s
about, fists punching the air, caught up in 21st century collision with rock ’n’ roll.
debut album. At the time he was doing
the excitement and drama Kal generate. Combat rock, as The Clash once called it.
this completely independently, financing
Ristic’s a consummate showman, getting
But… the sense of an epic Eastern folk
his recordings by translating human
everyone to shout and squat and shake
rock that the best tracks on Kal’s epony-
rights documents into Romany. Highly
the proverbial tail feather.
mous 2006 debut album hinted at is gone.
intelligent – he speaks fluent English and
Celebrating Sanctuary has hosted Radio Romanista offers very little musical
several other languages – I noted him as a
many memorable musical moments over space – this is more music for moshing
future contender and mentioned Kal to
the past decade but surely none matches than listening to in more tranquil envi-
Henry Ernst of Asphalt Tango Records in
Kal – here a band who know all about rons. At least, I say to Ristic, he took my
Berlin. This, and a connection I made
persecution and seeking refuge (Ristic advice and dropped the song where he between Ristic and Kiwi expat producer
fled Milosevic’s Serbia in the late ‘90s to sang in German. He chuckles and admits Mike Nielsen, proved pivotal in Kal’s
avoid being conscripted into the army and that Radio Romanista is an extremely international development.
Photo: Gregor Rajewsky
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