Kal (meaning "black" in

Romani Romani may refer to: Ethnic groups * Romani people, or Roma, an ethnic group of Indo-Aryan origin ** Romani language, an Indo-Aryan macrolanguage of the Romani communities ** Romanichal, Romani subgroup in the United Kingdom * Romanians (Romanian ...

) is a

world music "World music" is an English phrase for styles of music from non-English speaking countries, including quasi-traditional, Cross-cultural communication, intercultural, and traditional music. World music's broad nature and elasticity as a musical ...

band from

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

(originally from

Valjevo Valjevo (Serbian Cyrillic: Ваљево, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Kolubara District in western Serbia. According to the 2022 census, the city itself has a population of 56,145 while the city admini ...

, now based in

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

). They attracted Serbian and worldwide public interest with their eponymous debut album, released in 2006, presenting a blend of traditional Balkan Roma music with influences of

Tango Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries from a combination of Arge ...

, Middle Eastern, Turkish, and even Jamaican influences. Kal was formed in 1996, and they participated in several compilation album with other Roma, Serbian and world music performers. Their first national TV appearance was in a

B92 RTV B92, or simply B92 (stylized as b92, formerly BΞ92 and B 92), is a Serbian news station and broadcaster with national coverage headquartered in Belgrade. Founded in 1989 as radio station, it was a rare outlet for Western news and informati ...

show Timofejev in New Year's Eve 200

, where they presented their unique style. During 2006, Kal toured over a hundred concerts worldwide, including most of the European countries and

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. They participated in

Sziget Festival Sziget Festival (, ) is one of the largest music and cultural festivals in Europe. It is held every August in northern Budapest, Hungary, on Óbudai-sziget ("Old Buda Island"), a leafy 108-hectare (266-acre) island on the Danube. More than 1,0 ...

s (in 2001, 2002, and 2004), La notte di San Lorenzo in

Milano Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nearly 1.4 million, while i ...

, and 11th European biennale of young artists in

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

EXIT Exit(s) may refer to: Architecture and engineering * Door * Portal (architecture), an opening in the walls of a structure * Emergency exit * Overwing exit, a type of emergency exit on an airplane * Exit ramp, a feature of a road interchange A ...

in Novi Sad in 2004 and 2005, and featured in 2006 World Music Expo,

WOMEX WOMEX (short for Worldwide Music Expo) is an international world music support and development project based in Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany ...

. In April 2006, the album reached the first position of World Music Charts Europe and ended up 3rd in the annual list. The band, particularly the frontman Dragan Ristić, are also politically and socially engaged, fighting the prejudices and Anti-Roma sentiment. Dragan and his brother Dušan founded the Amala Summer School in Serbia, a workshop of Romani language, history, culture heritage, and political power.

Lineup

* Dragan Ristić – Vocals, Guitar, *Aleksandra Veljković-Vocals * Milorad Šalajko Jevremovć – Vocals, Violin * Rade Arsenović – Accordion * Marko Ćurčić – Bass Guitar * Dušan Gnjidić – Drums

Discography

Compilations

* Violeta & Kal: Budva '97 (1997,

Komuna Belgrade Komuna (full legal name: ''Komuna-International mešovito preduzeće za unutrašnju i spoljnu trgovinu d.o.o. Beograd'') is a Serbian record label and media production company. Established in 1985, its headquarters are in Belgrade, Serbia with a b ...

) * Balkan Ambience (1998, Marko's music, Bulgaria) * World Rhythms (1998, United One Records, Germany) * A zenne unnepe (2000, France Cultural Institute) * Romano Suno (2003, B92 Records) * Serbia Sounds Global 3 (2003, B92 Records)

Albums

* ''Kal'' (2006) (

/reissued internationally Asphalt Tango) * ''Radio Romanista'' (2009) (

/ Asphalt Tango) * ''Romology'' (2013) ARC music (UK)City Records,Multimedia records Serbia),Lou rocked boys (Poland)

References

* * *

External links

*
Kal at Amala Summer School web site

on Asphalt Tango, the international record label Serbian Romani musical groups World music groups Musical groups established in 1996 Gypsy punk groups Romani-language musical groups from Serbia {{Romani-stub