My
'birthday' week in Spain takes on an even more Dali-ish quality when
Oha tells me that Dubioza Kolektiv are coming round for tea. They
have been gigging in Spain and are 30 kilometres away on the road
from Barcelona to France. They are on a European tour which ends at
the Glastonbury Festival on 28 June. (Shangri
La and Glade stages for those going there this year). DB are returning to the UK on 21 November to perform at the 100
Club. They are known for their fresh take on hip-hop, reggae, dub, rock and
Bosnian folklore. The concept of the band has been to show
the rest of the world that life in the Balkans exists outside the overused media
stereotypes. Many of DB's
lyrics revolve around themes of peace, understanding and tolerance,
alongside criticism of nationalism and injustice. They are known in Bosnia for
lending
support to the country's first grass-roots civil society group “Dosta!”
and
their
album release party for album “Firma Ilegal” took place in front
of the Bosnian Parliament, in a powerful statement against government
corruption. Oha had been in DB as percussionist and singer and I was at their performance at the Arena stadium in Belgrade in April 2014
when he
made a guest performance which you can see here. Check
out the last five minutes.
It
was great to meet up again with Senad Šuta, who I knew when we were
both at the Pavarotti Music Centre, Adis, Amir, Vedran, Brano,
Armin, Mario and others. Yesterday
they
arrived with
a Carhu
single malt
whisky as a present
for
me.
Thank you guys. Hey, the bottle is empty
this morning! Want
to join me at the 100 Club in November? More about Bosnia and music in 'Left Field'
PIC: Dubioza Kolektiv with me at La Torre de Dalt, 15 June 2015: Teo, Oha and Senad Šuta are 2nd, 3rd and 4th from left
