Oi Va Voi

“Oi Va Voi”在犹太意第绪语中意为“Oh my God”，正如这个可以被赋予多种表情的感叹词一样，这支来自英国由多位年轻犹太音乐人组成的实验乐队“Oi Va Voi”，他们的音乐也呈现出多样、糅合多元文化的风貌。“Oi Va Voi”组建于2000年，最初成员包括六位各自身怀爵士、Funk、电子舞曲、摇滚和Klezmer（中欧犹太人的传统舞曲）等不同音乐背景的犹太音乐人。一直以来，宗教原因和种族歧视伤害让犹太人采取自我封闭的态度，外人很难了解他们的文化艺术，而“Oi Va Voi”则大胆地把传统犹太音乐融合流行音乐并推向主流社会，算得上是离经叛道。在2003年推出了官方首张专辑《Laughter through Tears》并大获好评及关注后，2004年随着主唱K.T.Tunstall单飞出辑、小提琴手Sophie Solomon展开独奏生涯、乐队内部矛盾等，他们把音乐计划暂时搁置下来，直到找到了新的主唱后才又重新出发。
他们于今年刚推出的这张同名新专辑，继续带领乐迷向着中欧、东欧、地中海、中东开启神秘的音乐旅程。其中除了犹太Klezmer舞曲外，还糅合了阿拉伯舞曲、吉普赛舞曲、匈牙利民谣等元素，你很难说得清他们的音乐是世界音乐融合体、还是电音舞曲、另类摇滚，总之那一份诡秘优美的异国情调已经能让人深深着迷。开篇《Yuri》用近乎疯狂的小号和俄罗斯舞曲节奏宣泄着原始的快乐；以阿拉伯音色吉他构筑出丰富层次盘旋上升的《Further Deeper》颇能引人入胜，新加入的女主唱Bridgette Amofah也有不俗演绎；匈牙利男歌手Agi Szalok献声、融合古老民谣的《Dissident》和缓而意味悠长，让人沉浸于发古幽思之情；最后由单簧管引领的纯器乐《Spirit Of Bulgaria》则以纯净的女声道出全辑的音乐主旨。
★揉合摇滚、电子、嘻哈、东欧、中东等元素，KT Tunstall出道之太空吉普赛乐团
　　★Jamiroquai、Kylie Minogue制作人Mike Spencer；被誉为Marianne Faithful和Bjork综合体的新任女主唱Alice McLaughlin助阵
　　★宛如库斯杜利卡遇上Daft Punk的疯狂庆典；The Telegraph誉为「英国最重要的乐团之一」
　　2006年Beirut将吉普赛传统乐章融入Lo-Fi、民谣骨干，攻陷各大传媒年终榜单，让东欧民族旋律意外踩进主流领域之际，疏不知早在2003 年便有一组留著犹太血液的六人单位Oi Va Voi，以首张专辑《Laughter Through Tears》征服英伦，被英国传媒The Telegraph誉为「英国最重要的乐团之一」，还将在专辑中献唱〈Refugee〉、〈Yesterday`s Mistakes〉、〈Ladino Song〉三曲并身为巡迴演出固定班底的苏格兰女伶KT Tunstall引荐给全球乐迷！这组1999年由Lemez Lovas（小号）、Josh Breslaw（鼓手）、Leo Bryant（Bass）、Steve Levi（黑管）、Nik Ammar （吉他）、Sophie Solomon（小提琴）成军於伦敦的Oi Va Voi，团名起自意第绪语的「Oh！Dear God」，您想称他们为「电子民谣」或「实验世界音乐」都行，虽然这组人又是太空人、又是吉普赛游民的搞怪造型，一看就知道不会是乖乖待在类型框架裡的善男信女，但他们揉合摇滚、电子、嘻哈和东欧、中东等南辕北辙民族音乐元素的旋律，其实再平易近人不过！
by Sergey Mesenov
London-based collective Oi Va Voi makes it hard to pin them down -- while their music easily allows for such diverse labels as "dance," "rock," "electronica," and "world music" to be applied to them, none of these labels describes the sound of the band to the fullest. Oi Va Voi was able to achieve this through a rather unique combination of cultural and ethnic backgrounds of its bandmembers, with each of them bringing something original to the table. Rock & roll and Jewish music, dance beats and klezmer, Eastern European horns and trip-hop sensibilities -- all these elements co-exist in the music of Oi Va Voi, creating a dense and exciting whole that sounds like little else out there.
Oi Va Voi (which is Yiddish for "Oh, dear God," though at certain occasions bandmembers hinted at the fact that literal translation is a bit raunchier) came together in late '90s. Founding members Nik Ammar (guitars, vocals), Josh Breslaw (drums, percussion), Leo Bryant (bass), Steve Levi (clarinet, vocals), Lemez Lovas (trumpet, vocals), and Sophie Solomon (violin) had their backgrounds in truly diverse music outfits, yet this diversity didn't stop them from trying to create something of their own together. The title of their very first, self-released record pretty much gave away what the band was trying to achieve -- it was called Digital Folklore (and had since become a valued collectors' item). Vibrant live shows played around England earned Oi Va Voi a very strong reputation, and in 2002 they were nominated for BBC Radio 2 World Music Awards solely on the strength on their performances. Soon after that, KT Tunstall joined the band on vocals, and Oi Va Voi released their "proper" debut, Laughter Through Tears, in 2004 via Outcaste Records. The album deftly showcased their potential -- next to more traditional, dancefloor-oriented songs like "Refugee" sung by Tunstall were compositions inspired by traditional music of Israel, the Balkans, and Yemen performed by a range of guest vocalists from all around the world, from Tunis to Uzbekistan.
Reviews were glowing, but soon internal problems threatened to stop the band dead in its tracks. First, Tunstall left to pursue a solo career; then founding member Sophie Solomon followed suit. Left without a voice, Oi Va Voi began auditioning vocalists -- the bandmembers claimed that at a certain point they felt like they had listened to "every vocalist in London," with frustratingly little results. Label executives weren't happy with album sales and tried to push the band in a more commercial direction, which did not agree with Oi Va Voi at all. Recording of a follow-up album was further complicated by a serious illness within the band. Without a contract, without a singer, and down to the core of only four members (Ammar, Breslaw, Levi, and Lavoc), Oi Va Voi was dangerously close to calling it quits.
In fact, they did stop all group activities for about a year, until things began to get considerably brighter in 2006. First, Oi Va Voi found the right singer, newcomer Alice MacLaughlin. Then they met producer Mike Spencer, best known for his work with such pop artists as Erasure, Kylie Minogue, and Jamiroquai yet also hugely interested in traditional music. With a renewed band, rounded up by bassist Matt Jury, and a new label behind them, the re-energized Oi Va Voi departed to Tel Aviv to work on their next record. The album, recorded in both Israel and London, was issued by V2 Records in summer 2007. It was left eponymous, perhaps to signal a new beginning of sorts for the band, and saw Oi Va Voi embracing their peculiarities and creating a swirling mix of rock music, soulful electronica, and world music influences. Upon completion MacLaughlin chose to continue as a solo artist, so a new singer had to come into the fold. It was Bridgette Amofah, who became a wonderful replacement for both Tunstall and MacLaughlin. Another member, virtuoso violinist Anna Phoebe, joined the live lineup. Now a seven-piece, Oi Va Voi went on to tour extensively in support of their second record. Their touring schedule included a number of European festivals as well as concerts in Israel, Turkey, and Russia.