But Shukar takes a giant bear-step away from the traditional sound of spoons and wooden barrels by teaming up with half a dozen non-Roma musicians, composers and producers in what Handrabur calls a “social integration experiment.”

He pooled talents like Cristian Stanciu, founder of Yama Studios and member of internationally acclaimed Natural Soft Killers; Romanian double-bass master Vlaicu Golcea; composer Mitos Micleusanu; Lucian Stan, one of the founding fathers of Romania’s underground club scene; and composer/filmmaker Marius Matesan. It was an undertaking he admits took months to coordinate, but was well worth it. The vision is simply to successfully mix ursari music with contemporary electronic sounds that could have a lasting appeal to both communities.

For the urban members of this outfit, it’s been an honour to work with veteran musicians like Napoleon and Tamango. Legends of ursari music, these two vocalists are seasoned performers, weathered by harsh village life in post-Ceaucescau Romania. Ironically, it’s their hard-won struggles that give their music its reassuring quality, a wisdom of sorts, the stuff no doubt, Gypsy stories are made of. Both live in small villages with their families and daily activities include riding a horse-drawn carriage in search of scrap metal to collect and sell.

The hardship of the Roma is undeniably present throughout Urban Gypsy. Napoleon, the younger of the two singers at age 38, appeared as special guest on Taraf De Haïdouks’ 1998 Dumbala Dumba and brings a confrontational yet welcoming sound to Shukar. He sings with an intensity and philippic tempo (“Malademna”). Tamango, 62-ish, has been playing spoons since age 16. Still smacking away, it is his voice that lends a gruff, raspy and bluesy quality to the record. He cites Louis Armstrong as his inspiration.  Clasic, a mature 24, contributes percussion and vocals. Meshing well with his elders, Clasic represents the new generation of Roma, offering a crucial voice of innocence and youth. He is living in a Romania much removed from what Tamango and Napoleon experienced, yet there is still genuine struggle and hardship in his voice as well. Clasic is stepping into a tradition in transformation.

Through the beats and bass lines, Napoleon, Tamango and Clasic’s vocals and instrumentation skip and sink with precision, dropping in over the delicate orchestration. “Taraf” is traditional Roma string band music, sampled here and complemented by Handrabur on violin and synthesizer, revealing his personal interpretation of this ancient styling (with a hint of Brian Eno and David Byrne).

Pouring the heart of traditional folk music through a contemporary filter has a piquant flavor for the members of Shukar Collective. Shukar means “happy-go-lucky person,” evidence that the Roma members take their social struggles with a grain or two of salt.

Of course, it’s never been easy for the Roma in Romania. Subject to chattel slavery, servitude and grinding poverty for generations, they continue to face hostility, racism and harassment today. Reshaping their image has been challenging, a daunting task for the Roma. Battling reputations as criminal-minded thieves and thugs, their passion and love for music may be a catalyst to reversing their status in Romania. As Handrabur puts it, “It is possible to change one’s social condition, but it takes a lot of understanding and compromise.  

“We do not always speak the same language but we have the same needs and desires,” he continues. “With this project we hope to change the bad image that Roma have in society [be it in Romania or outside] and show that most people are born good but society and life’s hardships make some of us go the wrong path. Global Rhythm