Biography

Since they began their journey in early 2015 in Barcelona, Balkan Paradise Orchestra has shown, in each and every performance, their potential as an unusual and ground-breaking group. Composed by wind and percussion players, the Balkan Paradise Orchestra (aka BPO) is a breath of fresh air for the music panorama of their country.

Despite taking as a starting point the sounds of Balkan roots, their compositions mix different rhythms and traditions worldwide, resulting in an eclectic and festive music. BPO has a surprising capacity to generate empathy with the public, bringing joy and desire to dance in every corner of the world.

In their first year, Balkan Paradise Orchestra won the Projecte Cabal Musical 2015 prize from Taller de Músics de Barcelona, which allowed them to record their first ep and video clip. Later on, they were also awarded by the 1st Prize at Haizetara 2017, the International Street Music Competition from Amorebieta-Etxano (Euskadi), Sons de la Mediterrània 2017 in Catalonia, which helped them release their first album, K’ataka. After three nominations at the prestigious Enderrock 2018 Awards as best Folk album best video clip and young talent band, they were awarded for the Best Folk Album 2018 by popular vote for “K’ataka”. During 2019, they received one more prize as a new talent, from Premis Alícia 2019 organized by Acadèmia Catalana de la Música. In 2022 they received the Premis Arc for Best International Tour.

After releasing “K’ataka” and their presentation throughout Catalonia and Spain, it began the “Unza Unza Tour”; a show characterized by its energy, freshness and originality, by the hand of Sonde3.

In 2020, in the middle of the pandemic, the band released their second album,”Odissea”, inspired by Homer’s Odyssey and 2001: The Kubrick’s Space Odyssey. The album includes nine original tunes and a traditional song, creating a very varied sound universe; a kind of kaleidoscope where shapes, colors and textures all blend together.

In 2021, Balkan Paradise Orchestra also released a new project called “Game Sessions”, an EP based on four tracks from their latest album “Odissea”. For each song they invited a different producer and collaborator; reliable artists they admire musically, to play and create new experiences around these songs.

The members of the BPO in 2022 presented “BPΩ”, a concert full of magnetism (B), which captivates the audience, making it impossible not to dance to their beat; on the power (P) of their choreography and the sound of their instruments; and on their physical resistance (Ω) to give it all and engage with their music, transmitting a powerful force in constant movement.

In 2023 BPO premiered “Catarsis”, its new show. “Catarsis” symbolized the moment of emotional release through music, movement and the party feeling that BPO transmits in their concerts. The energy shared between the band and the audience makes this catharsis possible; a unique and powerful show, whose choreographic staging blends perfectly with their original music proposal. After having premiered the concert in New York, BPO traveled from Barcelona to many cities of the Iberian Peninsula, Europe and North-America in what was their most international tour.

This 2024 the Barcelona fanfare premieres its new album, Nèctar, which transports us to the world of bees, teamwork, personal and collective effort; the desire to live intensely, with full awareness and without complexes; fly, travel, squeeze and savor every moment, every corner of the world. And above all, Nèctar is the beehive, the family, the daily work and the constant struggle for the BPO project.
Nèctar is a mainly instrumental album that mixes very diverse styles and genres, but you can also hear some vocal parts. It features the collaborations of Meritxell Neddermann on synthesizers and the singers of the band Maruja Limón. This new album mixes and plays with several representative sonorities of BPO, from calmer, acoustic songs with Balkan influences, to more danceable and festive tracks that flirt with electronic, pop or disco music.

In March, BPO will start the Nèctar Tour, their new live presentation of the album, which will take them to visit many cities of the Peninsula, Europe and America.