Stand Up People. Various Artists

Various Artists

"Stand Up, People is an astonishing collection of rare pop songs by Roma Gypsy musicians from Tito's socialist Yugoslavia. Combining rootsy Gypsy Folk rhythms with the new influences of Bollywood film music, Turkish psychedelia and British and American Pop-Rock, the album showcases Roma musicians' early experiments with synthesizers and electric guitars. These nineteen tracks have been resurfaced thanks to the vinyl-hunting efforts of London duo Vlax Records (Philip Knox and Nathaniel Morris), who rescued the original 45rpms from provincial flea markets across the Balkans, and from the National Library in Belgrade. All the tracks were then painstakingly restored to their former analogue glory at Carvery Cuts Studio, London. Included are rare early recordings of the King and Queen of Gypsy music, Šaban Bajramovic and Esma Redžepova, as well as other lesser known singers like Muharem Serbezovski, but what is perhaps most remarkable is the inclusion of incredibly rare Kosovan Roma music. The albums comes with detailed liner notes, packed with photographs, and best of all, complete English translations the Romani-language songs."

Price: $23.98