The Etnika project started in 2000 with a group of musicians who travelled to Malta’s oldest villages hunting down the last remaining artistes and representatives of traditional Maltese music genres, namely the bagpipe and the tambourine. The aim was to document their findings, learn to play the instruments and the music-making techniques and revive the musical heritage to which, back then, most Maltese people were oblivious.
The project was a success, with Etnika becoming a hit among Maltese audiences with an album sounding uncannily familiar to the ear, as it conjured images, moods and memories printed in the Maltese subconscious. Etnika gave life to their music with quaint, festive shows that drew upon charming Maltese environments, characters and traditions like pastizzi and the village feast. It is not that often that the Maltese have the luxury of enjoying a good quality product that is relevant to their local identity, so no wonder people thrived on Etnika’s offering.
Five years on, Etnika seemed to have become stuck in a rut. In their 2005 concert, after two released albums – Nafra in 2000 and Zifna in 2003, the music was still alluring and charming, merged with soulful, jazzy tunes. However, the themes, lyrics and moods started to feel repetitive. Etnika felt the need to take a break and re-evaluate where they were going.
“We feel that the music should thematically reflect more contemporary and urgent issues rather than keep singing for the nostalgia of a past,” the band’s leader, Andrew Alamango, tells me. Etnika is made up of Andrew, percussionist Andrej Vujicic and flamenco dancer Francesca Grima, known as “Cikka”, as well as a series of other musicians, artistes and singers who contribute to making their shows lively and varied. Etnika is now embracing more upbeat trends in the global scene and is being more responsive to current events and the society immediately surrounding it.
“We are searching for a new sound that reflects international music trends on the world music scene, yet with themes reflecting local social and environmental issues like immigration, hunting, urbanisation and over-development,” Andrew continues.
The band is treading new paths and merging diverse styles, so that their new sound is more accessible and recognisable to younger ears. Their show Etnikafé is making a comeback, following its absence since 2005. If you have already come across one of their posters, you will have seen the three “local gypsy punks”, as dubbed by Andrew, looking up at you with sassy grins and piratical airs.
“We have reflected on the Etnika concept and decided to re-invent ourselves by changing our musical style and direction and creating music that appeals to a wider audience, and not only to those who attend our shows because of the cultural heritage relevance.” Etnika proposes a new, exciting repertoire that promises a tantalising blend of traditional sounds and instruments alongside urban sounds with an edgier, contemporary texture. “We are using sounds and rhythms that are on the air waves, traditional instruments to create ska or dance rhythms, or using traditional tunes in a rumba or Balkan mambo. We aim to make our music more accessible and listenable to and hope to have a couple of radio hits this summer.”
Andrew feels that there is a global move towards upbeat and entertaining shows that reach a wider public. The vibrant energy of Zifna still seems to be the essence of Etnika’s spirit, however. One questions whether this change in Etnika’s course implies that the band has exhausted its exploration of local musical roots. “Not at all. After all, it is what Etnika is known for,” Andrew explains. “It’s only that we feel that creating awareness of traditional music has been successful in the past few years, and now we can take a different perspective on the whole thing.”
Neither is the band worried that introducing a more commercial flavour to their work will betray their initial, authentic goal. “Even though there is a change in musical style, there cannot be a total break. The change has made the music more listenable to than complicated rhythms and harmonies, easier to play and more likely to be marketable internationally,” Andrew says. “We feel the need to evolve musically and stylistically as artists and musicians and to constantly re-interpret ourselves. We are confident that this will be our most daring venture, departing from the past yet retaining all that which makes Etnika relevant and successful.”
Etnika is standing up to modern issues, and to the future. It is not standing aside as the world spins by. The title of Etnikafe ’07 reflects the fusion between the past and the present, new and old. Karavan Petlor combines the romantic image of a free travelling caravan with the inevitable reality of the developed, in-your-face context of our 21st century. As Andrew explains: “The idea involves a rural and industrial theme. It reflects the contrast and change from a rural society to an urbanised society facing very urgent social issues as a result of its strive for material gain. Petlor – referring to the times the word ‘petrol’ is typically pronounced badly – gives it that Maltese touch. Karavan petrol was also a 60’s song by Neopolitan artist Renato Carosone.”
Andrew distinguishes between what Etnika meant to him in its dawning, and what it means now. “It was always a personal goal. Even before the project started, there was always a quest for learning about traditional music.” Etnika made a name for itself as a band that created awareness about traditional music. Now it is about the use of such music in a new and innovative way.
The members of the band amazingly still manage to work together, even if they live in different parts of the globe. Andrej and Cikka lead a life of music and dancing in Seville, Spain, yet through today’s blessed technology of laptops and high-tech music programmes, they still manage to work with Andrew, who is based in Malta.
“Ideas go back and forth until they are written. When we all meet, we rehearse and practise – its when we come together that the fun starts,” says Andrew.
So for those of you whose palates have been tickled by the prospect of this Maltese ethnic funk, Karavan Petlor will be held on 10 to 12 August at 9pm at the Royal Opera House site in Valletta. The event is part of this summer’s Malta Arts Festival.
For a preview of Etnika’s music, log on to www.
myspace.com/etnikafe and for ticket information visit
www.maltaticket.com