Friday, September 12, 2008

BALKAN BEAT BOX"Nu-Med"JDub

IF A NAME like Balkan Beat Box suggests a cultural goulash, it barely hints at the musical breadth of the group's latest album, "Nu-Med." The New York ensemble records for JDub, a company that specializes in "innovative Jewish music," a term the Beat Box is happy to stretch to its limit.

Eastern Europe is the home of klezmer, jaunty folk melodies that Jewish hipsters have lately reclaimed and reinvigorated. "Nu-Med" includes klezmer, of course, as well as the unearthly harmonics of Bulgarian women's choirs. But Beat Box composers Tamir Muskat, Ori Kaplan and Tomer Yosef define Balkan music broadly: They also include Anglo-American hard rock, Jamaican dub, Spanish guitar and lots of hip-hop. The album's highlights include "Habibi Min Zaman," which is more Arabic than Balkan, and "Joro Boro," a track named for the group's DJ. The latter does a trip-hop (a sort of fusion of hip-hop and electronica) promenade from Bulgaria to Old Mexico, via a traditional Jewish wedding.

Such cultural pileups don't always work, but the group's frantic eclecticism assures that any stumbles will quickly be danced beyond.

-- Mark Jenkins

Appearing Wednesday with Joro Boro at the Black Cat (202-667-4490,http://www.blackcatdc.com). Show starts at 8 p.m.