Happy Machine

Touring Australia this month, December, is the band born from the post war trauma of Bosnia Herzegovina, Dubioza Kolektiv, a band that has pulled together a raft of musical influences to create something that is powerful, subjective, influential and mostly a powerhouse of sound and talent.

In 2004 the band released their first album ‘Dubioza Kolektiv’ to great acclaim within Bosnia, something that had not been seen for many, many years. An ep followed with the addition of musicians Benjamin Zephaniah and Mush Khan, adding to the line-up of talent, to create ‘Open Wild’. ‘Dubanamite’ followed and by this time their popularity was spreading past the Bosnian boarders and gathering a following across the Balkan region.

Over the years their following has increased with the group gaining world-wide acclaim with their fifth album ‘Wild Wild East’ being picked up by Koolarrow Records and their music going global. This encouraged the group to produce their next album ‘Apsurdistan’ in 2013 which attracted more than 300,000 downloads, which is not bad for a band that says straight up they are confrontational, their subject matter can be ‘bold and uncompromising’ and always challenging.

This latest album Happy Machine shows a band that has come of age, presenting a raft of beats and sounds from techno ‘thrash’ to SKA, Latino and somewhere in there reggae, amongst other influences and even a dash of Punjabi vocals from BEE2. Happy Machine has been inspired by the troubled times we live in, the Syrian refugee crisis, and the Gezi park protests in Istanbul.

But the reality is that it really does not matter what the driver is behind the creation of the music, but it sure does matter that the beat is appealing; it does matter that whoever you are when you are listening to this group of talented musicians and friends that you enjoy the music, and it does matter that no matter what mood you are in when you first come face to face, or rather beat to beat, with this remarkably sophisticated ‘urban beat’ created by  Dubioza Kolektiv that you really will enjoy it for exactly what it is, a great sound, a great beat and a pulsating statement about life and living.

Touring Australia in December Dubioza Kolektiv is a group that you should make time to catch at an venue near you, as it is one show you will long remember with the unapologetic beat remaining with you long, long after the concert is over.

Check out their video clip on you-tube to get a taste of what is to come when this remarkable group hit your town this December. Best of all download their tracks for free – it is their gift to you.