Stefan Hantel, better known by his stage name Shantel (born 2 March 1968), is a German DJ and

producer Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

based in

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its ...

. He is known for his work with Romani brass orchestras, DJing and remixing traditional

Balkan music Balkan music is a type of music found in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe. The music is characterised by complex rhythm. Famous bands in Balkan music include Taraf de Haïdouks, Fanfare Ciocărlia, and No Smoking Orchestra. Historica ...

with electronic beats.

Background and early life

Shantel is of

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

descent on his paternal side. His maternal grandparents were Ukrainian Jews from

Chernivtsi Chernivtsi ( uk, Чернівці́}, ; ro, Cernăuți, ; see also #Names, other names) is a city in the historical region of Bukovina, which is now divided along the Romania–Ukraine border, borders of Romania and Ukraine, including this ...

Career

Shantel began his DJ career in Frankfurt, Germany, and was inspired by the audience reaction to Romani brass bands such as Fanfare Ciocărlia and trumpeter

Boban Marković Boban Marković ( sr-cyr, Бобан Марковић) is a Serbian trumpet player and brass ensemble leader from Vladičin Han. He is of Romani background. Boban Marković Orchestra The Boban Marković Orchestra is a Balkan brass band from Vla ...

to infuse electronically tweaked Balkan Romani music into his DJ set. Shantel released two compilations of his popular DJ night, Bucovina Club, on his own Essay label, which won the Club Global award in the 2006

BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, drama, culture and the arts also featuring. The st ...

Awards for World Music. He was one of several DJs to remix recordings of Taraf de Haïdouks and Kočani Orkestar on the ''Electric Gypsyland'' compilations from

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

's Crammed Discs label, and released his next album on that label. He gained popularity in

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

after recording the clip of 'Disko Partizani' in

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

.Cartwright, Garth
Awards for World Music 2006 - DJ Shantel

. Shantel's 2007 album ''Disko Partizani'' departed somewhat from the

techno Techno is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally music production, produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central Drum beat, rhythm is typ ...

sound of Bucovina Club, concentrating more on the music's

Balkan The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

roots. The album was awarded Platinum award in Turkey by Mü-Yap in 2008 and 2009. In 2011 he released an album with Oz Almog named ''Kosher Nostra Jewish Gangsters Greatest Hits''. This album is a wild mix of

Swing Swing or swinging may refer to: Apparatus * Swing (seat), a hanging seat that swings back and forth * Pendulum, an object that swings * Russian swing, a swing-like circus apparatus * Sex swing, a type of harness for sexual intercourse * Swing rid ...

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...

, Twist,

Charleston Charleston most commonly refers to: * Charleston, South Carolina * Charleston, West Virginia, the state capital * Charleston (dance) Charleston may also refer to: Places Australia * Charleston, South Australia Canada * Charleston, Newfoundlan ...

and Yiddish songs and Ballads.

Discography

* ''Super Mandarine'' (1994) * ''Club Guerilla'' (1995) * ''Auto Jumps & Remixes'' (1997) * ''EP'' (1997) * ''No. 2'' (1997) * ''"II" EP'' (1998) * ''Higher than the Funk'' (1998) * ''Oh So Lovely EP'' (1998) * ''Oh So Lovely Remixes'' (1998) * ''Backwood'' (2001) * ''Great Delay'' (2001) * ''Inside'' (2001) * ''Bucovina'' (2003) * ''Disko'' (2003) * ''Bucovina Club Vol. 2'' (2005) * ''Gypsy Beats and Balkan Bangers'' (2006) * ''Disko Partizani'' (2007) * ''Disko Partizani Remixes'' (2008) * ''Planet Paprika'' (2009) * ''Kosher Nostra Jewish Gangsters Greatest Hits '' (2011) * ''Anarchy + Romance '' (2013) * ''Viva Diaspora '' (11th of Sept. 2015)

References

External links

*
Shantel on MSN Music

Shantel page
on the Crammed Discs website {{Authority control 1968 births Living people German DJs Folk-pop singers German people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent German people of Greek descent Musicians from Frankfurt Electronic dance music DJs