Balkan Brass World

Shukar Collective is a Romanian act, an electro-dance band, a world-music idea, an audio-visual project, a mix of generations of musicians, a re-arranging of traditional Romanian and Rroma sounds, or an eclectic mixture of spoons, wooden barrels, violins, accordions, bass, roots vocals, samples, sequencers, loops, scratches, turntables and beats.

The collective idea was born on a very hot summer day in 2003 when DJ Vasile and Dan Handrabur AKA Dreamdoktor heard the original rroma songs of the Shukar original band. Immediately after, the musicians from these different generations met and decided to try and create a new project that have a new and contemporary sound.

“We wanted to bring together rroma singers and a group of musicians and DJ's to form and create a unique sound, the Shukar Collective sound.” explains Dan Handrabur.

The final result was the debut album ‘Urban Gypsy’, released in the spring of 2005 on Riverboat/World Music Network in UK, which has been praised by the press from all over the world. The release of the debut generated enough interest in the band for it to be invited to perform at various festivals: Trans Musicales Festival in France, Exit Festival in Serbia, BAM Festival in Spain, Sfinks Festival in Belgium, to name a few, where audiences were thrilled by the unique blend of styles and cultures.

And now, to prove that “Urban Gipsy” was no flash in the pan, the Collective are back with their second effort called “Rromatek”. Whereas the previous album had taken shape in the studio, "Rromatek" captures the spirit of the band as it really is, with vocals being recorded in hotel rooms, backstage at concerts or during jams in buses. Production was sometimes shared by the musicians and at times each one worked solo.

With the addition of a drummer and a horn player, a more organic sound is evident throughout the album without ever forgetting the electro spice-up. With “Rromatek”, continues to open up the new horizons of the idea they started exploring almost five years ago.

In the Autumn of 2009 HBO Romania decide to start the production of an Original Series Documentary production about the history behind an the band. The result was “The Shukar Collective Project’ a music documentary that chronicles the ups and downs, the struggles and successes in the life of Shukar Collective, a Romanian music project that fuses ursari (gypsy music) with electronica producers and DJ’s.

Shukar Collective line-up