Gypsy punk is the term used to describe a hybrid musical genre that crosses traditional Roma music with punk rock and other brands of rebel music. The term first was coined by musician Eugene Hütz, when describing his band Gogol Bordello, to the New York City weekly newspaper The Village Voice.[1] Representatives of this genre include Gogol Bordello, DeVotchKa, Haydamaky, J.U.F., Golem, Zydepunks, Kultur Shock, Jabul Gorba, Luminescent Orchestrii, Jason Webley, Blackbird RAUM, and to an extent, Emir Kusturica & The No Smoking Orchestra, and Alamaailman Vasarat. Gypsy punk bands usually combine rock beats and instrumentation with more traditional Gypsy instrumentation such as accordion, fiddle, trumpet, and saxophone. In addition, due to the varied ethnic makeup of the Gypsy culture, many bands sing in several different languages, often switching language multiple times within a single song. Described by the Village Voice as "The CBGB of Gypsy Punk," the New York Bulgarian bar Mehanata has become legendary in the scene, partly due to Eugene Hütz's long-term residence there. The term "premium" has been adapted by the gypsy punk movement as a form of expressing positivity or affirmation in any context. This originated in Jonathan Safran Foer's novel, Everything is Illuminated. The phrase was later popularized within the scene after Eugene Hütz starred in the film version of the book opposite Elijah Wood as the character who uses the phrase in this manner. Fans of gypsy-punk music today will often make comments such as "Ryabtzev's violin is sounding premium on this track," etc.
References
See also
- Folk punk
- Anti-folk
- Dark Cabaret (i.e. Rosin Coven)
- Circus Punk
- Klezmer Punk
