TUNE OF THE WEEK: Balaton DUB (Pannonia Allstars Ska Orchestra, Victor Rice)
(Szerzöi Kiadás, 2024)
Pannonia Allstars Ska Orchestra have long championed ska music in their native Hungary. The group recently released the pair of singles Balaton DUB and Hillyei DUB, folk and dub re-imaginings of tracks from their latest album.
The first ska bands in Hungary started in the early 80s inspired by the UK 2tone bands. By the early 2000s, the novelty had worn off, and ska was relegated to a niche sub-sect of the punk scene.
Enter Pannonia Allstars Ska Orchestra (aka PASO) who inspired a new generation of ska fans and performed the original Jamaican-style ska, infused with jazz, reggae, and Hungarian folk.
The ensemble celebrated its 20th anniversary last year with a new album Heritage (On Bartók’s Path), made in collaboration with two-time Latin Grammy-Award-winning producer Victor Rice. Under Rice’s expert hand in production, the album blends reggae, ska, and traditional folk instruments such as the hurdy-gurdy and cimbalom (hammered dulcimer).
Since their formation in 2003, PASO has released six full-length albums, several EPs and toured internationally, including festivals Sziget, Lowlands, Iboga and Electric Castle. They also founded the live agency PASO booking, which has successfully imported acts such as The Toasters, Bad Manners, The Slackers, and The Aggrolites to the region. They also organise a yearly youth ska camp, the brilliantly named Big Skaland Skanking Camping.
In June, Rice and PASO released dub reworks of a two album tracks, one of which is Balaton. Hungarian folk and Caribbean ska may seem like an odd match, but they complement each other perfectly. The swaggering electric bass and trumpet are offset by dance-like violin melodies and guest vocals from folk singer Fanni Nádasdy.
Speaking to WHAT A TUNE about the ska scene in Hungary, the band explain that although it’s not what is once was, the community lives on: “…there are only a few active bands nowadays, but the handful of followers are still enthusiastic.”
“[We] are grateful to the fans for taking part in this journey, which started more than two decades ago!”
Watch the video for the live DUB mix of the track Balaton DUB by Victor Rice.
