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This is the debut full-length release by Berlin's ultimate party collective, Rotfront. Founded in 2003 and the brainchild of expat Ukrainian musician Yuriy Gurzhy, Rotfront is the resident band at Berlin's Kaffee Burger, which is also the birthplace and home of the legendary DJ crew, RussenDisko. Rotfront, with its high-octane brew of musical references, has taken the baton from all the other collectives that have come out of Berlin to take the world by storm with their Eastern European sounds (polka, klezmer) and smoldering southern rhythms (ska, cumbia). Yuriy Gurzhy joined forces with Hungarian musician Simon Wahorn, initiator of the Hungaro Groover Soundsystem, to create the entirety of the "Emigrantski Raggamuffin Kollektiv," Rotfront. A Ukrainian, two Hungarians, an American, an Australian and five Germans mix ska, reggae, dancehall and cumbia sounds with klezmer, Berlin's own in-your-face brand of hip-hop, Eastern European turbopolka, Mediterranean melodies and rock riffs. Russian, Hungarian, German and English lyrics tell of life in Berlin and the adventures of immigrants in the city. Guitarists and vocalists Yuriy Gurzhy and Simon Wahorn were joined by accordionist Daniel Kahn (of Daniel Kahn & The Painted Bird), bombastic brass/woodwind trio Max Bakshish (clarinet and saxophone), Dan Freeman (saxophone) and Anke Luchs (trombone) with drummer Jan Pfennig (a legend in Berlin's drum'n'bass scene with a band called Human Sampler), fabulous female vocalist Dorka Gryllus (a Hungarian actress), and while he is the youngest band member, Mad Milian is a name to watch out for in the Berlin hip-hop scene. Whether there are 7, 12 or 15 musicians on stage at any one time, nobody is going to be alone on the dancefloor for long. Includes a Emigrantski Republik passport booklet.
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