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  Cheb Balowski
Potiner (Propaganda Pel Fet PGD030 CD, 2004)
The number of mestizo (musical hybrids) bands in Spain keeps growing. Cheb
Balowski is an inspired band based in the Barcelona metro area. It includes
local musicians as well as North African players. The group's sound includes
powerful rock beats, Balkan influences, French chanson and Spanish Gypsy rumba
combined with North African Gnawa and Rai beats. The instruments used include
Flamenco guitars, Moroccan percussion, accordion, palmas (Flamenco handclap
percussion) and brass.
The hybrid sound not only applies to the music. Cheb Balowski's singers draw on
four languages used by the residents in the area: Catalan, Spanish and Arabic.
The lyrics have strong social content, focusing on the plight of immigrants,
globalization, world poverty, and injustice.
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