La Internacional Sonora Balkanera

Remember our piece on the Yugoslav-Mexian music of the 1950s? Apparently, at the beginning of the Cold War, the socialist Yugoslavia had a thing for Mexican sound, with local mariachi bands spreading throughout the country, armed with sombreros and acoustic guitars. Couple of decades later, the Mexicans are returning the favour.

La Internacional Sonora Balkanera mixes rock and jazz with Balkan beat, spiced up with their native Mexican influences. After their self-released debut Tan Lejos de Sarajevo (So far From Sarajevo/2009), they were picked up by the local LOV/RECS label, releasing their first eponymous full-length that won the Indie-O Music Awards – IMAS for “outstanding achievements in the independent music industry in Mexico”.

Here’s one of their furious live takes on Goran Bregovic’s Kalasnjikov:

*More tracks on soundcloud.com/lovrecs/sets/la-internacional-sonora