On the heels of celebrating their 21st birthday in December, Balkan party band Orkestar Bez Ime (OBI) now celebrates the birth of their first album in ten years — the aptly named “21” — by returning to Celtic Junction on Saturday, April 6. (Fun fact: OBI’s previous album was recorded live on CJ’s stage in 2014!) Coming in at a healthy 10 tracks, the new album is chock-full of the exciting Eastern European dance music OBI is known for, including Romani classics like “Djelem djelem” and “Ederlezi.” The band — comprised of a who’s who of the Twin Cities Balkan music scene — features bold and border-crossing vocals; dizzyingly ornamented violin, clarinet, and accordion; and a metronomic rhythm section of bass, guitar and Bulgarian tambura, and drums, together amplifying the impulse to dance and celebrate.

OBI will be playing two sets (no opening band), including songs from the album and several long-time audience favorites. Space will be alloted both for sitters and dancers. Please join us for this special family-friendly album release party!

Orkestar Bez Ime, meaning “orchestra without a name” in Bulgarian, was formed in 2002 to recreate the sounds of the village with a presentation as festive as the music itself. Focusing on Eastern Europe and music of the Rom (“Gypsy”) people, OBI’s repertoire reaches from Albania to Ukraine, with plenty of stops in between. Orkestar Bez Ime is a winner of the 2011-2012 McKnight Artist Fellowships for Performing Musicians administered by MacPhail Center for Music and a recipient of a 2012 Minnesota Emerging Composers Award from the American Composers Forum.