Real name: Kočani Orkestar

Effective period / Period of releases: 1994 - 2011

Members: Nestor Çok Rakia, King Naat Veliov, Redzaim Juseinov, Ali Memedeov, Dalkran Asmetov, Mendu Saliev, Orhan Veliov, Vinko Stefanov, Hikmet Veliov, Ismail Saliev

The Kočani Orkestar, one of the most innovative and original Balkan brass bands, comes from the city of Kočani (Kochani), in the Republic Of Macedonia. Founded by trumpet player Naat Veliov, the group has over the years undergone many line-up changes, yet has managed to maintain unaltered the freshness and spirit of its early years. After the departure of leader Naat Veliov and his brothers, Ismail Saliev (alto sax and vocals) is heading the ensemble.

The Orkestar's musical style, described in their region as Romska Orientalna Musika ('Oriental Gypsy music'), combines a variety of influences: traditional dance music from Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Turkish/Bulgarian rhythms (including characteristic asymmetrical time signatures such as 7/8, 9/8 etc), elements of rumba and salsa, and even Indian film music. True to the multicultural, multilingual nature of the Balkans, it contains lyrics in Macedonian (Slavic), in Romani (a Gypsy language, related to Hindi), and in a Turkish dialect spoken by the Gypsy community of Kočani.