Rotfront
VisaFree
Catalogue No.: AY CD 30 (EAN 4250536400065)

Drink a bottle of vodka, eat a pound of garlic -

This is the taste of Emigrantski Republic...
Yesterday Emigrantski Republic, tomorrow the world, VisaFree!

Here are 15 brand new songs of (from) the Emigrantski Raggamuffin Collective, produced and recorded by Kraans De Lutin (known for his work with Culcha Candela, Flo Mega, Tiger HiFi, Irie Revoltes) in the Phlexton Studios in January / February 2011. Each track embraces a different subject, with winking statements and clear attitude: ranging from the oppression of minorities in Eastern Europe to single mothers and ex-wives of notorious secret agents, to smoking in space or wild weddings in the multi-cultural suburbs of Berlin and of course some hilarious stories from RotFront’s tour diary.

How to describe the sound of VisaFree? Imagine Naftule Brandwein jamming with Nirvana, while Lee Scratch Perry at the controls is mixing the session, making some songs sound like disco and others like heavy metal. These are sounds as full of sweat and emotion as good sex, as strong and crystal-clear as Bulgarian home-brew liquor, and as refreshing and full of colours as Berlin itself.

„The immigrant choir singing in their different languages, several genres are proudly displayed equally. In sharing celebrations- as banal as this may sound- all antagonism dissolves and music ascends to the international language.“ Le Monde

The new album reflects the biographies of the band members, presents hipshaking music with lyrics defying boredom, prejudice and discrimination against foreigners. RotFront wishes not only to entertain- the band’s multinational line-up demonstrates, how exciting and successful a cultural interchange can be and how profoundly ugly racism is. This is global pop, which is open to diversity and doesn't fit in narrow labels such as „world music“. The second album VisaFree is the soundtrack for the citizen of the world and a global fest, (which is not only celebrated in the German capital.) The sound of RotFront is no longer just world music, it’s an urban sound of the new world. „Our music“, says Gurzhy, „is a model of an ideal modern society: someday nationalities will be irrelevant.“ taz

In 7 years of existence the Emigrantski Raggamuffin Collective has created a unique presence in the European music scene. Breaking down barriers is RotFront’s mission – and in that sense they are a political band. They may not talk the talk, but they certainly walk the walk: instead of singing about politics, they actually live the easy-going, harmonious interaction of nationalities, ethnicities, musical genres and cultures. And it works! A Ukrainian, two Hungarians, an Australian and five Germans mix Ska, Reggae, Dancehall and Cumbia sounds with Klezmer, Berlin’s own in-your-face brand of Hiphop, Eastern European Turbopolka, Mediterranean melodies and rock riffs. Guitarists and vocalists Yuriy Gurzhy and Simon Wahorn were joined by bombastic brass/woodwind trio Max Bakshish (clarinet and saxophone), Dan Freeman (saxophone) and Anke Luchs (trombone) with drummer Jan Pfennig (a legend in the Berlin Drum'n'Bass-scene, with a band called Human Sampler), fabulous female vocalist Dorka Gryllus (a Hungarian actress who has appeared in Sam Garbarsky’s “Irina Palm”, Wolfgang Murnberger’s “Der Knochenmann” and Fatih Akin’s latest film “Soul Kitchen”), and while he is the youngest band member, Mad Milian, is a name to watch out for in the Berlin HipHop scene.

The first album Emigrantski Raggamuffin (supported by Initiative Musik) catapulted the band from a packed Kaffee Burger (in Berlin) to the international stage. RotFront has headlined at festivals such as Fusion (DE), Sziget (HU), Path Of Peace (IT), Konzerthaus Wien (AU) Arriano Folk Festival (IT), Winterthurer Musik Festwochen (CH) and Helsinki Flow Festival (FIN). In July 2010 the band won the German Worldmusic Award RUTH: „RotFront not only convincingly represents their own story, they act as a catalyst for streams of urban immigrant sounds.“ In summer 2011 VisaFree will conquer club and festival stages all over Europe.

TRACKLIST

01. VisaFree
02. Ein Tsvey
03. Gay, Gypsy & Jew
04. Revolution Disco
05. Cosmos
06. Vodka & Garlic
07. Money Money Money
08. Real Berlin Wedding
09. Csőváz
10. Live is Life
11. No Sleep Till Berlin
12. Village Superstar
13. James Bondski
14. Sigaretta
15. Backsteinpulver