Oi Va Voi

“Oi Va Voi”在猶太意第緒語中意為“Oh my God”，正如這個可以被賦予多種表情的感嘆詞一樣，這支來自英國由多位年輕猶太音樂人組成的實驗樂隊“Oi Va Voi”，他們的音樂也呈現出多樣、糅合多元文化的風貌。“Oi Va Voi”組建于2000年，最初成員包括六位各自身懷爵士、Funk、電子舞曲、搖滾和Klezmer（中歐猶太人的傳統(tǒng)舞曲）等不同音樂背景的猶太音樂人。一直以來，宗教原因和種族歧視傷害讓猶太人采取自我封閉的態(tài)度，外人很難了解他們的文化藝術，而“Oi Va Voi”則大膽地把傳統(tǒng)猶太音樂融合流行音樂并推向主流社會，算得上是離經叛道。在2003年推出了官方首張專輯《Laughter through Tears》并大獲好評及關注后，2004年隨著主唱K.T.Tunstall單飛出輯、小提琴手Sophie Solomon展開獨奏生涯、樂隊內部矛盾等，他們把音樂計劃暫時擱置下來，直到找到了新的主唱后才又重新出發(fā)。
他們于今年剛推出的這張同名新專輯，繼續(xù)帶領樂迷向著中歐、東歐、地中海、中東開啟神秘的音樂旅程。其中除了猶太Klezmer舞曲外，還糅合了阿拉伯舞曲、吉普賽舞曲、匈牙利民謠等元素，你很難說得清他們的音樂是世界音樂融合體、還是電音舞曲、另類搖滾，總之那一份詭秘優(yōu)美的異國情調已經能讓人深深著迷。開篇《Yuri》用近乎瘋狂的小號和俄羅斯舞曲節(jié)奏宣泄著原始的快樂；以阿拉伯音色吉他構筑出豐富層次盤旋上升的《Further Deeper》頗能引人入勝，新加入的女主唱Bridgette Amofah也有不俗演繹；匈牙利男歌手Agi Szalok獻聲、融合古老民謠的《Dissident》和緩而意味悠長，讓人沉浸于發(fā)古幽思之情；最后由單簧管引領的純器樂《Spirit Of Bulgaria》則以純凈的女聲道出全輯的音樂主旨。
★揉合搖滾、電子、嘻哈、東歐、中東等元素，KT Tunstall出道之太空吉普賽樂團
　　★Jamiroquai、Kylie Minogue制作人Mike Spencer；被譽為Marianne Faithful和Bjork綜合體的新任女主唱Alice McLaughlin助陣
　　★宛如庫斯杜利卡遇上Daft Punk的瘋狂慶典；The Telegraph譽為「英國最重要的樂團之一」
　　2006年Beirut將吉普賽傳統(tǒng)樂章融入Lo-Fi、民謠骨干，攻陷各大傳媒年終榜單，讓東歐民族旋律意外踩進主流領域之際，疏不知早在2003 年便有一組留著猶太血液的六人單位Oi Va Voi，以首張專輯《Laughter Through Tears》征服英倫，被英國傳媒The Telegraph譽為「英國最重要的樂團之一」，還將在專輯中獻唱〈Refugee〉、〈Yesterday`s Mistakes〉、〈Ladino Song〉三曲并身為巡迴演出固定班底的蘇格蘭女伶KT Tunstall引薦給全球樂迷！這組1999年由Lemez Lovas（小號）、Josh Breslaw（鼓手）、Leo Bryant（Bass）、Steve Levi（黑管）、Nik Ammar （吉他）、Sophie Solomon（小提琴）成軍於倫敦的Oi Va Voi，團名起自意第緒語的「Oh！Dear God」，您想稱他們?yōu)椤鸽娮用裰{」或「實驗世界音樂」都行，雖然這組人又是太空人、又是吉普賽游民的搞怪造型，一看就知道不會是乖乖待在類型框架裡的善男信女，但他們揉合搖滾、電子、嘻哈和東歐、中東等南轅北轍民族音樂元素的旋律，其實再平易近人不過！
by Sergey Mesenov
London-based collective Oi Va Voi makes it hard to pin them down -- while their music easily allows for such diverse labels as "dance," "rock," "electronica," and "world music" to be applied to them, none of these labels describes the sound of the band to the fullest. Oi Va Voi was able to achieve this through a rather unique combination of cultural and ethnic backgrounds of its bandmembers, with each of them bringing something original to the table. Rock & roll and Jewish music, dance beats and klezmer, Eastern European horns and trip-hop sensibilities -- all these elements co-exist in the music of Oi Va Voi, creating a dense and exciting whole that sounds like little else out there.
Oi Va Voi (which is Yiddish for "Oh, dear God," though at certain occasions bandmembers hinted at the fact that literal translation is a bit raunchier) came together in late '90s. Founding members Nik Ammar (guitars, vocals), Josh Breslaw (drums, percussion), Leo Bryant (bass), Steve Levi (clarinet, vocals), Lemez Lovas (trumpet, vocals), and Sophie Solomon (violin) had their backgrounds in truly diverse music outfits, yet this diversity didn't stop them from trying to create something of their own together. The title of their very first, self-released record pretty much gave away what the band was trying to achieve -- it was called Digital Folklore (and had since become a valued collectors' item). Vibrant live shows played around England earned Oi Va Voi a very strong reputation, and in 2002 they were nominated for BBC Radio 2 World Music Awards solely on the strength on their performances. Soon after that, KT Tunstall joined the band on vocals, and Oi Va Voi released their "proper" debut, Laughter Through Tears, in 2004 via Outcaste Records. The album deftly showcased their potential -- next to more traditional, dancefloor-oriented songs like "Refugee" sung by Tunstall were compositions inspired by traditional music of Israel, the Balkans, and Yemen performed by a range of guest vocalists from all around the world, from Tunis to Uzbekistan.
Reviews were glowing, but soon internal problems threatened to stop the band dead in its tracks. First, Tunstall left to pursue a solo career; then founding member Sophie Solomon followed suit. Left without a voice, Oi Va Voi began auditioning vocalists -- the bandmembers claimed that at a certain point they felt like they had listened to "every vocalist in London," with frustratingly little results. Label executives weren't happy with album sales and tried to push the band in a more commercial direction, which did not agree with Oi Va Voi at all. Recording of a follow-up album was further complicated by a serious illness within the band. Without a contract, without a singer, and down to the core of only four members (Ammar, Breslaw, Levi, and Lavoc), Oi Va Voi was dangerously close to calling it quits.
In fact, they did stop all group activities for about a year, until things began to get considerably brighter in 2006. First, Oi Va Voi found the right singer, newcomer Alice MacLaughlin. Then they met producer Mike Spencer, best known for his work with such pop artists as Erasure, Kylie Minogue, and Jamiroquai yet also hugely interested in traditional music. With a renewed band, rounded up by bassist Matt Jury, and a new label behind them, the re-energized Oi Va Voi departed to Tel Aviv to work on their next record. The album, recorded in both Israel and London, was issued by V2 Records in summer 2007. It was left eponymous, perhaps to signal a new beginning of sorts for the band, and saw Oi Va Voi embracing their peculiarities and creating a swirling mix of rock music, soulful electronica, and world music influences. Upon completion MacLaughlin chose to continue as a solo artist, so a new singer had to come into the fold. It was Bridgette Amofah, who became a wonderful replacement for both Tunstall and MacLaughlin. Another member, virtuoso violinist Anna Phoebe, joined the live lineup. Now a seven-piece, Oi Va Voi went on to tour extensively in support of their second record. Their touring schedule included a number of European festivals as well as concerts in Israel, Turkey, and Russia.