Nominally, Smetnaki straddle the cross-section between ska, punk and funk. The band themselves insist that they are not bound to any specific genre. But listen closely and you'll hear jazz in all its forms. Check them out on this week’s Balkan Express
Brainswitch (Balkan Express 173)
Brainswitch are a five-member outfit from Mostar, one of the oldest and most iconic cities in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Known around the world for their Ottoman-era bridge and its tragic fate and resurrection, the city is also home to contemporary sounds that could be placed in Berlin or New York, just as well.
Kawaski 3P (Balkan Express 172)
As a seven-member act and with a wide variety of musical instruments at their disposal, punk turns out to be a very broad description of Kawasaki 3P and their music. Check them out on this week’s Balkan Express.
Kanda, Kodža i Nebojša (Balkan Express 171)
This week, Balkan Express makes a stop in Serbia to take a look at band named Kanda, Kodža i Nebojša. While they are usually billed as an alt-rock band, their music encompasses everything from funk, soul, reggae, jazz and, yes, alt-rock
Arhangel (Balkan Express 170)
This episode of Balkan Express takea a look at a foundational piece of North Macedonian rock music. Arhangel is an alternative rock band led by Risto Vrtev which has had massive influence of the Macedonian rock scene.
AKA Neomi (Balkan Express 169)
When does a band stop being a band and/or becomes another band? While maybe not holding the answer, Slovenian indie-pop-trip-hoppers AKA Neomi sure know how to pose the question. More on this on this week's Balkan Express.
Vrpca (Balkan Express 168)
Music of Vrpca is, for the lack of a better word, urban. If it weren’t for the language, you might have well mistaken then from any of the alternative rock bands this side of the language barrier. Check them out in this week's Balkan Express.
Damir Avdić (Balkan Express 167)
To bill Damir Avdić as a musician is doing a great disservice to every other aspect of his work. But seeing as Balkan Express on Ara City Radio is primarily intersted in music, this is what we're focusing on that. And at any rate, his music is integral, or at least complementary to his other works, as well.
Ničim Izazvan (Balkan Express 166)
Completely unprovoked, this week Balkan Express made a stop at Ničim Izazvan. A nine-member indie-pop act from Serbia, they've been around the block one or twice. And their distinctive sound and lyrics separates them from the rest of the field.
Chui (Balkan Express 165)
Boldly going where no band has gone before, Chui are an amazing mix of jazz, electro, hip hop, rock and science fiction. As well as science fact. A musical gem if there ever was one, this Croatian band more than deserved its place in the Balkan Express orbit.
Gušti (Balkan Express 164)
Today it seems weird, to borrow a phrase, thinking that it took Gušti this long to step behind the microphone and do his thing. But such is life. Check out this week's Balkan Express to learn more about this prolific singer/songwriter.
Koala Voice (Balkan Express 163)
Koala Voice were the very first band featured on Balkan Express. That was back in the early days of the pandemic. In the mean time, the band released two more albums and have morphed from an up-and-coming band into a mainstay of Slovenian indie scene.
Them Moose Rush (Balkan Express 162)
Them Moose Rush, a Croatian alt-rock band, occasionally sound a bit like Björk, but less suicidal. If you’re into math-rock, then this week’s episode of Balkan Express is for you.
Crvi (Balkan Express 161)
Crvi are not your usual fare of Balkan alt-rock. Too peculiar to be mainstream and yet not in-your-face shockingly different, they stand appart by leaps they make with every album and every single they release. Check them out on this week’s Balkan Express on Ara City Radio.
Masharik (Balkan Express 160)
Masharik hail from Radovljica, a town in North-Central Slovenia. They are a curious combination of old and new music as they carry more than a few references to the flower-power era, both musically and visually. Check them out in this week’s Balkan Express.
Pseća Plaža (Balkan Express 159)
Pseća Plaža hail from Croatian capital of Zagreb. And although they’ve been around only since 2016, they went through several lineup changes, eventually stabilizing as a five-member act, doing psychedelic surf rock. And yes, that’s a thing.
Masayah (Balkan Express 158)
Masayah is an outlier in the small hip-hop community of Slovenia. Not only because her unique dedication to her work but also because she didn’t really start out as an inveterate hip-hop artist. Check her out in this week’s Balkan Express on Ara City Radio.
Radio Luksemburg (Balkan Express 157)
The music of Radio Luksemburg sounds as if it was born old. Fully formed, without any infantile rage or teenage self-importance. The band came to this world for tell us their story and then blend into the background until it was needed again. In this, they are a rarity among contemporary Balkan bands who rarely know when to ease off.
Eurosong, Balkansong (Balkan Express 156)
The 2024 Eurosong competition in Sweden features a number of Balkan countries. Which means this episode of Balkan Express was a bit special. In a good way. Raiven, Baby Lasagna and Teya Dora were namecheked and their Eurosong presented. Among others. Check it out!
Fed Horses (Balkan Express 155)
Fed Horses are, primarily, Urša and Jure Mihevc, whose on- and off-stage partnership is the driving force of the whole thing. Over the years, the band’s additional lineup stabilized around guitarist Andraž Mazi, bass player Matej Tekavčič and drummer Enos Kugler. Check them out on Balkan Express on Ara City Radio.