Balkan Beat BoxAlbums, songs, members and where shows are announced

World music band formed in New York in 2003 by Ori Kaplan and Tamir Muskat, with singer Tomer Yosef, mixing Balkan sounds with hip hop and electronica.

Israel.com does not list Balkan Beat Box's shows yet. New dates are announced first on the official pages below.

Official site

These are Balkan Beat Box's official accounts, with the latest from each

Posts, videos and songs straight from Balkan Beat Box's own pages, as they publish them.

Balkan Beat Box began when two Israeli musicians met on a band's tour bus

Balkan Beat Box began in New York around 2003, when two Israeli musicians, saxophonist Ori Kaplan and drummer and producer Tamir Muskat, started mixing Balkan and Mediterranean sounds with hip hop and dancehall. Kaplan was playing with Gogol Bordello at the time, and the two had met on the tour bus of Firewater, Muskat's band.

Their first album, Balkan Beat Box, came out in 2005, and the next year the Tel Aviv singer Tomer Yosef joined as frontman. Nu Med followed in 2007, and in 2013 Jason Derulo's hit Talk Dirty sampled Kaplan's saxophone line from its track Hermetico.

Their music has been heard in the film You Don't Mess with the Zohan and in the game FIFA 17, and in 2013 they won an ACUM prize for arranging. Their sixth studio album, Wild Wonder, recorded at Kibbutz Tze'elim in southern Israel, came out in 2024.

Formed
2003, in New York Wikidata
Members
Tomer Yosef, Ori Kaplan and Tamir Muskat Hebrew Wikipedia
Style
Balkan and Mediterranean music with gypsy punk, reggae and electronica Wikipedia
Studio albums
6, the latest Wild Wonder (2024) Hebrew Wikipedia
ACUM prize
Arrangers' achievement of the year, 2013 Hebrew Wikipedia
Sampled in
Jason Derulo's Talk Dirty (2013), from Hermetico Wikipedia

Tomer YosefLead vocals and percussion
Ori KaplanSaxophone
Tamir MuskatDrums, percussion and programming

Balkan Beat Box on stage under pink light: a singer with his arm raised, between a guitarist and a saxophone player — Photo: Timothy Lloyd, CC BY 2.0

Balkan Beat Box at Brooklyn Bowl in New York, 2015, with a guitarist and a saxophone player at the front of the stage — Photo: Steven Pisano from Brooklyn, NY, USA, CC BY 2.0

Balkan Beat Box went from a New York studio scene in 2003 to a sixth album in 2024

2003
Ori Kaplan and Tamir Muskat began Balkan Beat Box in New York, where Muskat's Manhattan recording studio had become a hub for musicians mixing punk, hip hop and dancehall with Balkan sounds. Balkan Beat Box's official site
2005
Released their first album, Balkan Beat Box, on JDub Records. Wikipedia
2006
The Tel Aviv singer Tomer Yosef joined in December and became the band's frontman. Wikipedia
2007
Their second album, Nu Med, brought Arabic and Spanish influences into their sound. Wikipedia
2008
Their song 9/4 the Ladies was used in the film You Don't Mess with the Zohan. Wikipedia
2010
Blue Eyed Black Boy was recorded in Romania with the brass band Jovica Ajderevic Orkestar, and in Tel Aviv. Wikipedia
2013
Jason Derulo's hit Talk Dirty sampled Ori Kaplan's saxophone line from Hermetico, a track from Nu Med. Balkan Beat Box's official site
2016
Released Shout It Out, and the single I Trusted U was included in the soundtrack of FIFA 17. Hebrew Wikipedia
2018
Released Lobster with Berry Sakharof, a song written by Gilad Kahana. Hebrew Wikipedia
2024
Released Wild Wonder, their sixth studio album. Hebrew Wikipedia

These are Balkan Beat Box's best-known albums and songs

Wild Wonder
Album · 2024 · Hebrew Wikipedia
Lobster (with Berry Sakharof)
Song · 2018 · Hebrew Wikipedia
Shout It Out
Album · 2016 · Wikipedia
Give
Album · 2012 · Wikipedia
Blue Eyed Black Boy
Album · 2010 · Wikipedia
Nu Med
Album · 2007 · Wikipedia
Hermetico
Song · 2007 · Wikipedia
Balkan Beat Box
Album · 2005 · Wikipedia
Bulgarian Chicks
Song · 2005 · Wikipedia

You can watch Balkan Beat Box on the band's own YouTube channel

2025

2024

These are the questions people ask about Balkan Beat Box

Where does Balkan Beat Box announce new shows?

New dates are announced first on Balkan Beat Box's official pages: Official site, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Israel.com does not list these shows yet.

What is Balkan Beat Box's Instagram?

Balkan Beat Box's official Instagram account is @balkanbeatbox. The latest posts from it are on this page.

Where can I listen to Balkan Beat Box's songs?

Balkan Beat Box's songs are on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and SoundCloud, on the official artist pages linked here.

Who are the members of Balkan Beat Box?

Tomer Yosef (vocals and percussion), Ori Kaplan (saxophone) and Tamir Muskat (drums, percussion and programming). On stage and in the studio they are joined by a changing group of musicians.

How did Balkan Beat Box start?

Ori Kaplan, then playing with Gogol Bordello, met Tamir Muskat on the tour bus of Muskat's band, Firewater. Around 2003 the two started Balkan Beat Box in New York.

Which Jason Derulo song samples Balkan Beat Box?

Talk Dirty (2013), which samples Ori Kaplan's saxophone line from Hermetico, a track on Nu Med (2007).

Which films and games feature Balkan Beat Box?

9/4 the Ladies is in You Don't Mess with the Zohan (2008), Slushious, made with Stargate, is in the film Home (2015), and their songs are in FIFA 10 and FIFA 17.