A[ch]a-I-Viat[s]a

Move out of the way: this heady mix of Balkan tunes, electronic beats and myriad international influences is crossover music at its most brash and bold. Asa-i-Viata (meaning ‘That’s Life' in Romanian) was born in 2010 from a meeting of violinist Antoine Marhem and accordionist Cyrille Crépel, two French musicians passionate about Eastern European music. After becoming a quartet and eventually a quintet, their new album brings together disparate styles into a cohesive whole.

Where else would one find the traditional Serbian folk song ‘Ajde Jano’ followed by the original track ‘Propaganda’, featuring British ragga artist MC Brother Culture? Also to be found here are Chilean vocals and French rap from Sidi Wacho, as well as Greek and Bulgarian Gypsy singing from Bastien Charléry. All, of course, set against the backdrop of Balkan melodies and tonalities. Although there is the occasional drop in intensity, from the guitar intro to the blatantly political ‘Election Corruption’ to the apocalyptic turbo folk of ‘Haidu’, this is high-octane party music with an anti-establishment flair.