Album Notes

As a paean to the gritty energy and mettle of life in New York City, Songs and Dances for Life NONSTOP, Ansambl Mastika’s sophomore release, captures the fervor of the rapturously funky grooves and ardent horn lines the band calls the New Balkan Uproar. Still drawing influence from the myriad styles of Eastern Europe, the Mediterranean basin and the Middle East, the New Balkan Uproar now embraces vocal song that uses both traditional and original lyrics to transcend simple instrumentalism and forge a sound that pulsates with life . . . NONSTOP.

"Led by a scorchingly fast, incisive clarinetist who goes by the name Greg Squared . . . [Ansambl Mastika] is something beyond mesmerizing: ecstatic, powerful and danceable as hell."
Lucid Culture,
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