Format: CD-Album/Download Cat.No.: EBM025 EAN-Code: 4015698001969 Release: 09.10.2015   Order now at Eastblok Music or Digital   Bandinfo

In the beginning of the millennium party sounds from Eastern and South Eastern Europe began to conquer
the metropolises of the world.
In Berlin the Russendisko, the hot spot for Slavic party sounds, and its Gypsy sibling Balkanbeats were
becoming the party talk of the town.
The only missing piece was the soundtrack to take home from these parties. So Alexander Kasparov and I set
up Eastblok Music. Our label was to become an expert for music from Eastern Europe.
In 2005 we started off our label with a compilation that tried to present the scene of a whole country: Ukraina
— Sounds of the Orange Revolution. That revolution has eaten its children by now. But some of these bands
are still amongst the best in the Ukraine.
The concept of compilations as acoustic visit cards of a region or scene proved to be successful. Next was
Café Sputnik, a compilation of smooth electro pop and easy listening from Russia. This turned out to be a
long seller and is still considered to be one of our most original compilations.
The time was ripe for Balkanbeats now. For four compilations we accompanied DJ Robert Soko’s successful
party series of the same name on vinyl and CD. We started to organize concerts and parties ourselves to
bring the Eastblok sound to the clubs. The music world started to recognize us, we received the Label Award
at the music trade fair Womex and the press kept writing about us and our bands.
The first band album we released was the Hungarians Little Cow. Back then they were very successful in their
home country. They combined their own folk melodies, instruments and most of all their own language with all
sorts of modern music — rock, pop, electro, dub. That’s the way to create new sounds today — Eastblok
sounds.
The cultures of Eastern Europe are especially gifted with a rich folklore. But that doesn’t mean they are living
under a rock, musically. The next bands we signed also tried to combine the best of both worlds: Shukar
Collective from Romania, which mixes gipsy sounds with club music, folk rockers Haydamaky from Ukraine,
Leningrad, La Minor and Markscheider Kunst from Russia, Shazalakazoo from Serbia, the Italians Figli di
madre ignota, that have more Balkan in their blood than most Croats, the politically explicit Lyapis Trubetskoy
from Belarus or our first German-Russian signing Skazka Orchestra from Berlin.
Each of these bands creates unique music. All of them have this certain Eastern European touch, an extra
spark of passion and joy of life. Some of our bands fill stadiums back home. Others still prefer to feel the
audience in smaller clubs.
Most successful still are our concept compilations. After Balkanbeats there came Balkan Grooves, Polska
Rootz, Swing Diskoteka, Lunapark and Go Ost. Those of you, who have neither the nerve nor time to dig the
music of a whole country, we provide at least with a nice way to start digging.
Ten years, 26 releases. On this double CD you can get a little overview. CD1 presents a sort of best of our
first ten years. CD2 features exclusive tracks and remixes from our artists and their side projects. So far we
have only scratched the surface. But there we left traces.

Armin Siebert

Tracklisting: