North Macedonia is a country situated in southeastern Europe with geographic coordinates 41°50′N22°00′E, bordering Kosovo and Serbia to the north, Bulgaria to the east, Greece to the south and Albania to the west. The country is part of the wider region of Macedonia and makes up most of Vardar Macedonia. The country is a major transportation corridor from Western and Central Europe to Southern Europe and the Aegean Sea. North Macedonia is a landlocked country but has three major natural lakes: Lake Ohrid, Lake Prespa and Lake Dojran. It has a water area of 857 km2, while its land area is 24,856 km2.
The Macedonian music refers to all forms of music associated with ethnic Macedonians. It shares similarities with the music of neighbouring Balkan countries, yet it remains overall distinctive in its rhythm and sound.
Blagoevgrad is а town in Southwestern Bulgaria, the administrative centre of Blagoevgrad Municipality and of Blagoevgrad Province. With a population of almost 70,000 inhabitants, it is the economic and cultural centre of Southwestern Bulgaria. It is located in the valley of the Struma River at the foot of the Rila Mountains, 101 kilometres south of Sofia, close to the border with North Macedonia.
Gogol Bordello is an American punk rock band from the Lower East Side of Manhattan, formed in 1999 by musicians from all over the world and known for theatrical stage shows and persistent touring. Much of the band's sound is inspired by Romani and Ukrainian music mixed with punk and dub, incorporating accordion and violin.
Skindred is a Welsh band that fuses heavy metal with other genres, most notably reggae. Formed in Newport in 1998, they are well known for their energetic and involving live performances and have won several awards including "Best Live Band" at the 2011 UK Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards and the "Devotion Award" at the 2011 Kerrang! Awards.
Todor Aleksandrov Poporushov, best known as Todor Alexandrov, also spelt as Alexandroff, was a Macedonian Bulgarian revolutionary, Bulgarian army officer, politician and teacher. He favored initially the annexation of Macedonia to Bulgaria, but later switched to the idea of an Independent Macedonia as a second Bulgarian state on the Balkans. Alexandrov was a member of the Internal Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Organisation (IMARO) and later of the Central Committee of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organisation (IMRO).
Wickeda are a Bulgarian rock band. They are quite popular in Bulgaria, and have occasionally topped the charts. Their style comprises punk, ska, reggae, funk and some traditional Bulgarian folk music elements. The witty lyrics filled with wordplay dealing mainly with stories from everyday life and the danceable tunes with memorable hooks have largely contributed to the band's success.
Eugene Hütz is a Ukrainian-born singer, composer, disc jockey and actor, most notable as the frontman of the Gypsy punk band Gogol Bordello.
Gypsy punk is a hybrid musical genre that combines traditional Romani and Eastern European folk music with punk rock, and is considered a subgenre of the wider label of folk punk. One of the first rock groups to incorporate elements of punk and Roma music was Boiled in Lead, which was founded in 1983 and is still active today. 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".
Esma Redžepova-Teodosievska was a Macedonian Romani vocalist, songwriter and humanitarian. She was nicknamed "the Queen of the Gypsies" per her contribution to Romani culture and music.
Balkan Beat Box (BBB) is an Israeli musical group. Founded by Tamir Muskat and Ori Kaplan in 2003, BBB was later joined by Tomer Yosef who became a core member. The group plays Mediterranean-influenced music that incorporates Jewish, Southeastern Europe and Middle Eastern traditions, Gypsy punk, reggae and electronica. As a musical unit they often collaborate with a host of other musicians both in the studio as well as live.
"Ederlezi" is a popular traditional folk song of the Romani people in the Balkans.
Theodosius of Sinai, was a Bulgarian priest, writer and printer. He founded the first Bulgarian printing-house in Thessaloniki.
Next Time is a rock duo from Skopje, North Macedonia. The duo consists of twin brothers Martin and Stefan Filipovski. Stefan fronts the band as the lead singer, while Martin plays the guitar and sings back-up vocals. The group represented the Republic of Macedonia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 in Moscow, Russia but failed to reach the final. In their active years, since 2008, they have released three studio albums including the self-titled debut in 2008, Na krajot od denot in 2011 and Majka in 2022.
Andon Lazov Yanev, nicknamed Kyoseto, was a Bulgarian revolutionary and a freedom fighter of the Internal Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Organization (IMARO). Although he identified as Bulgarian, according to the historiography in North Macedonia, he was an ethnic Macedonian.
The Skints are an English reggae punk band from London, described by Clash Music as "the torchbearers for modern British reggae music." The Skints mix reggae, ska, dub, punk rock, dancehall, soul, and rap, touring extensively across the UK, Europe and the United States. Their album Swimming Lessons (2019) debuted at number 1 on the Billboard reggae chart. Their original style of music has been described as "tropical punk".
Phase is a UK-based rock band formed in Larissa, Greece in 2003. It was founded by Thanos Grigoriou, who was performing and recording with various members until the line-up was completed in 2011, with the addition of Damos Harharidis and Vasilis Liapis. They debuted with their digital single Perdition under Microsoft's "Playlist Seven" co-promotion campaign for the release of Windows 7, which was followed by two full-length albums In Consequence and the Wait.
Małgorzata Babiarz, professionally known as Megitza, is a Polish singer, double bass player, and composer. She combines Polish and Eastern European folk music, Romani music and gypsy jazz with world music, Latin music, pop, worldbeat, Americana and reggae.
Desislava Ivanova Doneva, known by her stage names Desi Slava or DESS, is a Bulgarian singer-songwriter and producer. She was born in Radnevo, Bulgaria. Her first stage appearances began at an early age, when she would win awards at festivals for children. Shortly afterwards, she became the soloist of "Radnevo" orchestra. This led to her being noticed by one of the most famous Bulgarian folklore singers of all time – Valkana Stoyanova, who took her under her wing, coached her and declared Desislava as her possible music heir.
Simon Kiselicki is a Macedonian jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. He is considered "one of the most important personalities of the Macedonian jazz scene", as a solo musician and as a member of “The Simon Kiselicki Group”, “Klerzo”, and “La Colonie Volvox”. Kiselicki’s contributions across Europe and the Balkans include being one of the first musicians to bring jazz music to Macedonian stages and clubs at the start of the 90s.
