‘Kočani Orkestar’

Also paying homage to their pygmalion Stephane Karo, great friend of the festival who passed away at the end of last year, the Kočani Orkestar is a Macedonian Romani orchestra which reconnects with the tradition of the brass bands, the heritage of the Turkish Janissaries. Their repertoire is drawn from the gypsy music of the various Balkan regions as well as the rhythms of Turkish and Bulgarian music, with a touch of the Hispanic.  They enjoy growing international success with each new album release, they are acclaimed by major artists in the field of World Music, electronic music and rock who have remixed their creations (such as Señor Coconut, Animal Collective, Mercan Dede, Smadj and Buscemi). This added to their fame that culminated in the inclusion of their music (despite themselves) in the film Borat. The Kočani Orkestar have performed at numerous international festivals and have worked with the Italian singer Vinicio Capossella, the jazz trumpeter Paolo Fresú and Taraf de Haïdouks.