Slavic Soul Party – New 45rpm – Featuring Jackson

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Slavic Soul Party (EC026)

45rpm, 7″
4.99

Side A: Jackson
Side B: Gangsta

“Jackson” is a karşilama (9/8 rhythm) that was the result of sitting around on a couch with a little old Casio keyboard, in the tiny village of Jackson, PA, contemplating the global reach of the king of pop: Michael Jackson.  Michael Jackson might be the closest thing to “world music” if you mean music that the whole world has heard.  It seems impossible now to ever appeal to that many people again at the same time.  But what if Michael Jackson had grown up Roma in Serbia?

“Gangsta” is a tune of unknown origin (to SSP! anyway) that was a big hit in the southern Serbian brass band scene a few years back.  We first heard it when we were hanging out in Vranje with Ekrem Mamutović; he led his band through it at a rehearsal and we fell in love with it instantly.  The next day we asked him to teach it to us, and he said he couldn’t – it’s their hot new tune, and he couldn’t give away the trade secret.  We definitely respected that.  The next day in the car, we put on the latest Boban and Marko Marković album, and there was a version of the tune on the album, attributed to Marko.  With competing claims as to whose hot new tune it was, we decided it was open season and whipped out our recording of the rehearsal.  Peter Stan said with wonderment, “that tune is so gangsta”, and lo it had a title.