Manele, Romanian pop music
May 14, 2013 12:07 PM Subscribe
Modern Manele is a deliciously vulgar, cheesy-fun, bouncy Eastern European pop music.
About Manele on Wikipedia.
Ye old thyme Manele. More folky, less bouncy.
Some other examples of modern Manele:
Nicolae Guta & Sorina - Nunta
Sandu Ciorba - Ha, ha, ha, te chelau
About Manele on Wikipedia.
Ye old thyme Manele. More folky, less bouncy.
Some other examples of modern Manele:
Nicolae Guta & Sorina - Nunta
Sandu Ciorba - Ha, ha, ha, te chelau
You know what youtube clip I need right now? The one with the two romanian kids dancing at a wedding. I think someone linked to it in a MeTa.
posted by Foci for Analysis at 12:40 PM on May 14, 2013
posted by Foci for Analysis at 12:40 PM on May 14, 2013
One of my friends from college was an exchange student from just post-Ceaușescu Romania, a great guy and now (though a bit more grey and a bit more round in the middle as are we all) a rising rock star.
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 12:42 PM on May 14, 2013
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 12:42 PM on May 14, 2013
Great links! Gotta add my favorite, though:
Tzigan European - Nicolae Guta
Seriously, if you are feeling down, having a bad day, go watch this video immediately! It is impossible not to smile while watching this.
(also, the way that the video mimics the bling bling, showoff style of American hip hop, but in a distinctly Manele way is just awesome)
posted by artichoke_enthusiast at 1:04 PM on May 14, 2013 [4 favorites]
Tzigan European - Nicolae Guta
Seriously, if you are feeling down, having a bad day, go watch this video immediately! It is impossible not to smile while watching this.
(also, the way that the video mimics the bling bling, showoff style of American hip hop, but in a distinctly Manele way is just awesome)
posted by artichoke_enthusiast at 1:04 PM on May 14, 2013 [4 favorites]
Tzigan European - Nicolae Guta
Usually, I prefer it when Tejanos play in an Eastern European style, not the other way around!
The 10th Regiment of Foot: not manele.
Sadly, no, another aging Romanian rock star.
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 1:13 PM on May 14, 2013
Usually, I prefer it when Tejanos play in an Eastern European style, not the other way around!
The 10th Regiment of Foot: not manele.
Sadly, no, another aging Romanian rock star.
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 1:13 PM on May 14, 2013
artichoke_enthusiast, delightful addition to the thread. Thanks for that.
posted by nickyskye at 1:17 PM on May 14, 2013
posted by nickyskye at 1:17 PM on May 14, 2013
This is cool. I love how some of it sounds like a crazy mix of styles all the way across Europe and Asia. The singer in the "deliciously vulgar" song (Sandu Ciorba) could almost pass off as a Punjabi sufi singer, while his backing band - such as it is - sounds like it's covering a Mario Bros. soundtrack.
posted by vanar sena at 1:48 PM on May 14, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by vanar sena at 1:48 PM on May 14, 2013 [1 favorite]
vanar sena, that's exactly what I like too. Lots of layers and culture combos going on in a somewhat absurdly unlikely mix. Romani gypsy, Turkish, Serbian turbo-folk, Greek pop, Arabic pop, German oompapa, some ancient Asian folk in there. But it still ends up sounding fun and likable.
posted by nickyskye at 2:00 PM on May 14, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by nickyskye at 2:00 PM on May 14, 2013 [1 favorite]
Apparently a hybrid mix of Danny DeVito, lap dancers and klezmer...
posted by jim in austin at 2:10 PM on May 14, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by jim in austin at 2:10 PM on May 14, 2013 [1 favorite]
I'm really happy to see this post, because I play a lot of Romanian music, and listen to way more Manele than I (or anyone) should. My Romanian friends roll their eyes at me for liking this trashy stuff, and they try to help by sending me links to "good" Romanian music. Which I also love. But...
It's been fascinating to discover the appropriation and cultural back-and-forth that goes on in Manele. For an example, here is a Bollywood song, and a more contemporary working of the same song. And the song gets picked up by Manele artists and sounds like this, and this.
It's fun to listen to and see what catchy bits of culture are going to be appropriated, like a Missy Elliot sample turned into Reggaeton (NSFW jiggly). And the Jamaican folk song that became Shaggy's dancehall hit turned into manele, mutated back into a Romani folk version with strings and brass band.
I suppose it's like Robin Williams said in the Fisher King: you find some wonderful things in the trash.
posted by Benjamin Nushmutt at 2:12 PM on May 14, 2013 [3 favorites]
It's been fascinating to discover the appropriation and cultural back-and-forth that goes on in Manele. For an example, here is a Bollywood song, and a more contemporary working of the same song. And the song gets picked up by Manele artists and sounds like this, and this.
It's fun to listen to and see what catchy bits of culture are going to be appropriated, like a Missy Elliot sample turned into Reggaeton (NSFW jiggly). And the Jamaican folk song that became Shaggy's dancehall hit turned into manele, mutated back into a Romani folk version with strings and brass band.
I suppose it's like Robin Williams said in the Fisher King: you find some wonderful things in the trash.
posted by Benjamin Nushmutt at 2:12 PM on May 14, 2013 [3 favorites]
Danny DeVito, you say? I think you meant Adi de Vito!
posted by Benjamin Nushmutt at 2:26 PM on May 14, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Benjamin Nushmutt at 2:26 PM on May 14, 2013 [1 favorite]
Danny DeVito, you say? I think you meant Adi de Vito.
I rest my case...
posted by jim in austin at 2:33 PM on May 14, 2013
I rest my case...
posted by jim in austin at 2:33 PM on May 14, 2013
Great post! I listen to a lot of European folkish pop music seen by many as 'trashy' and Romanians really excel at this genre. I like these songs lately, for example.
Gotta link some Albanian music too, though, since I have the chance ... (And here's an Albanian cover of a Nicolae Guta song.)
posted by Bektashi at 3:27 PM on May 14, 2013 [2 favorites]
Gotta link some Albanian music too, though, since I have the chance ... (And here's an Albanian cover of a Nicolae Guta song.)
posted by Bektashi at 3:27 PM on May 14, 2013 [2 favorites]
The "bouncy eastern European" video has been making the rounds on FB as a sort of "lol, wut" video. If anything could dethrone Tunak Tunak Tun, this might be it.
posted by xedrik at 3:38 PM on May 14, 2013
posted by xedrik at 3:38 PM on May 14, 2013
Wonderful Manele additions to the thread, Benjamin Nushmutt and Bektashi.
posted by nickyskye at 3:41 PM on May 14, 2013
posted by nickyskye at 3:41 PM on May 14, 2013
I grew up in Romania and am in the US now. Hearing this immediately transported me back to every outdoor market I ever shopped at :D Thanks for the fun, nickyskye!
posted by persephone's rant at 3:45 PM on May 14, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by persephone's rant at 3:45 PM on May 14, 2013 [1 favorite]
For the other side of the coin, here's some Romanian folklore as seen through the lens of EDM: argatU Subcarpati Subcarpati pt. 2
posted by theSinisterMushroom at 4:27 PM on May 14, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by theSinisterMushroom at 4:27 PM on May 14, 2013 [1 favorite]
Thanks for those links theSinsisterMushroom. I had only heard Subcarpati from a remix, this zgomot track on soundcloud, but I never followed through to look up the original song. Fortunately, it's the first song in the set that you linked. Appreciated!
posted by Benjamin Nushmutt at 9:06 PM on May 14, 2013
posted by Benjamin Nushmutt at 9:06 PM on May 14, 2013
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posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 12:37 PM on May 14, 2013