JUF - Gogol Bordello Vs. Tamir Muskat

JUF, "Gypsy Part of Town"

JUF, "Roumania"

JUF, "Muskat (Slishal, No Ne Zapisal)"

I couldn't discuss Gogol Bordello without mentioning a side project of Eugene Hutz's called JUF, a.k.a. Jewish Ukranian Friendship. [I'm assume they mean, "Jewish Ukranian Friendship, starting NOW. Let's forget about Babi Yar and those pogroms." Whatever. This side project features Hutz, Tamir Muskat and Oren and Ori Kaplan, creating a music sui generis. The album, Gogol Bordello Vs. Tamir Muskat, is a sort of dubby version of klezmer and gypsy music, a digital look at these traditional musics, Gogol with DJs and laptop musicians. The quartet and occasional guests really take the multi-cultural aspect that is hinted at with Gogol and run with it, throwing everything into the mix, taking advantage of the digitalness of this group. You hear lots of beats, all kinds of music thrown into the mix like Latin, reggae and jazz, and lyrics in a few different languages.

I actually really like this album, but can only recommended it to people with open ears and a penchant for weirdness. This is much more in the territory of DJ Cheb I Sabbah, dj/rupture or the Radical Jewish Series on Tzadik Records, not something for the weak of heart. Do not buy this if you are looking for the next Gogol Bordello album or a replication of the live show. It is nothing like that, and that is one of the best parts about the music. The punk act is traded in for something more experimental, a curveball that I think gives one a better view into the musical genius that Hutz is. His influences are enormous and varied, but that doesn't come out as well in the context of Gogol. Here, the songs are more open, less constrained by the Gogol sound and all the better for it. Go here and buy a copy, and let us know what you think. We'll have one more post of a similar vein, and then we'll see what comes next.