Core member Balkan Beat Box severely injured

Posted on Jun 11, 2010 Posted by Diana Varbanescu

iraf

Balkan Beat Box’s leader, Tomer, has recently sufferend an accident: he fell from a 2m high stage. Balkan Beat Box performed live at La 7e Vague for an audience of about 8000 fans. During the show, Tomer leaned on a light spot and fell from the stage. After the incident, he was taken to a hospital for close monitoring and medical treatment and he was released the following day. Tomer has suffered severe injuries – rib, leg and shoulder fractures and, in addition, the accident left bruises all over his body. The band had to cancel all their gigs planned in the US in June. Before he is recovedered, the doctors has forbidden any physical effort, so he’ll have to put his drums aside for a while now. BBB is coming to IRAF in Timisoara this July and Tomer should be fully recovered by then.

Balkan Beat Box is a band formed by ex-Gogol Bordello - Tamir Muskat, jazz saxofonist Ori Kaplan of Firewater and Big Lazy, and Tomer Yosef (MC, vocals, percussion, sampler unit).

Balkan Beat Box’s first album, released in 2005, and their 2007 follow up, both received global acclaim. While their first, self-titled album focused more on Mediterranean sounds, their new album Nu-Med included Arabic and Spanish influences featuring rappers from Syria and Palestine, a clarinetist from Macedonia and singers from Bulgaria, Israel and Morocco, even though the whole recording is steeped in studio techniques popularised in Jamaican music. The song Bulgarian Chicks off their first album has already become popular in clubs and dancehalls, proving that the music scene is ready to embrace diverse and hybrid musical forms.

Balkan Beat Box will perform live at the 4th edition International Romani Art Festival fron 22th to 25th July in Timisoara, Romania. Those of you heading to Timisoara this year can also see other popular gipsy sound bands like Antwerp Gypsy Ska Orkestra, Mitsoura, Paco Pena, Swing Manouche Project, Trilok Gurtu, NADARA Gypsy Band. Festival tickets can be purchased from www.bilete.ro.