Alice in WonderBand (AWb) is a duo of performers who combine world music and odd beats from the Balkans with body music and body percussion. Ana Vrbaški and Marko Dinjaški are performing on stage in theaters and concerts and are a couple living in nature near Fruška gora National Park.
Their unique lifestyle brings music in connection with the body and nature. Performances are vibrating and rhythmic, powerful and energetic, a crossroads of dance, stage movement, and music. The deep, primordial experience takes the audience through the Balkans and the depths of the being. Performers create a singing and clapping community with the audience, feeling rooted, grounded, and inspired.
Performance
The band performs songs in eleven European languages (Germany, France, Italy, Turkey, etc.) and the ex-Yugoslav region. They prove that in the eternally stormy Balkan area, there is unity through culture, music, and movement, which brings understanding and reconciliation. They are currently in the MOST Balkan Music Export program.
Alice in WonderBand (aliceinwonderband.com) performs on big stages (they performed at the Jazz festival in Sofia and Balkan: MOST festival for thousands of people) and more minor.
The debut album “Rikataka, New Balkan Rhythm”
The debut album, “Rikataka, New Balkan Rhythm,” was released by a German label, CPL Music, and is in seventh place in the World Music Charts Europe list in December 2022. The album combines genres, acoustic and electronic music, tradition, and contemporary artist expression. Rooted in Balkan music tradition and irregular rhythms, it makes a Western heart skip a beat and synchronize it to more primordial sounds of body music. Songs from Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Moldavia, Greece, Turkey, Albania, Kosovo, and even Hungary offer a broad palette of sounds and rhythms.
The List of Songs
The album includes 14 songs inspired by the traditional music from the Balkans.
- Uči me, majko, karaj me | 3.51
(Macedonia/traditional; arr. Ana Vrbaški/Marko Dinjaški) - Ergen dedo | 3.21
(Bulgaria/traditional; arr. Peter Lyondev/Ana Vrbaški/Marko Dinjaški) - Mene majka jednu ima | 2.44
(Bosnia/traditional; arr. Ana Vrbaški/Marko Dinjaški) - Sojka ptica | 2.38
(Serbia/traditional; arr. Ana Vrbaški/Marko Dinjaški) - Túl a vizen | 2.34
(Hungary/traditional; arr. Ana Vrbaški/Marko Dinjaški) - Nane tsokha | 2.06
(Eugen Doga/traditional; arr. Ana Vrbaški/Marko Dinjaški) - Bun îi vinul ghiurghiuliu | 3.31
(Romania/traditional; arr. Ana Vrbaški/Marko Dinjaški) - Jovano, Jovanke | 3.14
(Macedonia/traditional; arr. Ana Vrbaški/Marko Dinjaški) - Bukuroshja E Lales | 2.48
(Albania/traditional; arr. Ana Vrbaški/Marko Dinjaški) - Bratec kosio | 3.22
(Croatia /traditional; arr. Ana Vrbaški/Marko Dinjaški) - Mesečinka | 4.12
(Bulgaria/traditional; arr. Ana Vrbaški/Marko Dinjaški) - Ruse kose/Kâtibim/Apo xeno topo | 2.57
(Serbia/Turkey/Greece /traditional; arr. Ana Vrbaški/Marko Dinjaški) - Zajdi, zajdi | 3.16
(Macedonia/Aleksandar Sarievski /traditional; arr. Ana Vrbaški/Marko Dinjaški) - Cigančica | 1.37
(Vojvodina/traditional; arr. Ana Vrbaški/Marko Dinjaški)
Musicians
People who participated in creating the album “Rikataka, New Balkan Rithm” are the following:
- Marko Dinjaški – vocals, body percussion, didgeridoo, drum, and percussion samples
- Ana Vrbaški – vocals, body percussion, instrument samples
- Alisa Dinjaški – vocals (Mesečinka)
- Dragan Radović – vocals (Bratec kosio), tamburica – kontra (Cigančica)
- Goran Panić – kaval (Zajdi, zajdi)
- Goran Vujičin/ MrV production – recording, sound design, music production
Alice in WonderBand are
- Marko Dinjaški – vocals, body percussion, didgeridoo
- Ana Vrbaški – vocals, body percussion
- Goran Vujičin/MrV production – sound design
If you’re wondering what a day looks like in the Alice in WonderBand (YouTube channel), we recommend you watch the following creative video for the song “Ergen dedo.”
New Balkan Rhythm Festival, Organized by Alice in WonderBand
The band members are active in many different fields. Events, especially festivals, are essential in the music industry. Alice in WonderBend is organizing the “New Balkan Rhythm” festival, which this year (2023) was held for the second time in Sremski Karlovci – Vojvodina. You can read more information about the second edition of the festival here.
