Gypsy Punk

Gypsy punk is a hybrid musical genre that crosses traditional Romani music with punk rock. One of the first rock groups to incorporate elements of punk and Eastern European music was Motherhead Bug, which was active mostly in the early 1990s. A broader audience became aware of the genre after the band Gogol Bordello released the album Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike, with front man Eugene Hütz describing their performance as a "Gypsy Punk Cabaret". The term "gypsy punk" then came to describe the genre and then came under criticism as it was considered exploitative of Roma culture. Gogol Bordello have since insisted it was just the name of their album, which was then taken and used by the music press as a term to define the genre of their music and similar artists — not an offshoot term for authentic Gypsy music.

Gypsy punk bands usually combine rock beats and instrumentation with more traditional Gypsy instrumentation such as drums, tambourine, accordion, fiddle, trumpet and saxophone. In addition, due to the varied ethnic makeup of the Gypsy culture, many bands sing in several different languages, often switching language many times within a single song.

Read more about Gypsy Punk:  History, Philosophy, Gypsy Punk Bands

Famous quotes containing the words gypsy and/or punk:

    You and you alone bring out the gypsy in me.
    Ira Gershwin (1896–1983)

    When there’s no future
    How can there be sin
    We’re the flowers in the dustbin
    We’re the poison in your human machine
    We’re the future
    Your future
    God Save the Queen
    The Sex Pistols, British punk band (1976-1979)