A white town reflecting across Lake Balaton, grey sheep close to the water, and a voice calling out each thing in sight. “Grad Se Beli” comes from Međimurje, the northern Croatian region between the Drava and Mura rivers and the Hungarian border. The title means “The City Is White.” Zagreb band Balkalar recorded their version on their 2024 self-titled album.

Balkalar formed in 2016 when double bassist and vocalist Pavle Kladarin returned from the JMI Ethno Bosnia music camp and started playing traditional Balkan songs on Zagreb streets with high school friends. The current line-up is Kladarin on double bass and vocals, Irma Vicula Bulaja on violin and vocals, Juraj Valentić on acoustic guitar and vocals, and Marko Šturman on percussion and vocals. Šturman joined in 2023; most percussion on the album is by former member Ivan Judaš.

The band play songs from Serbia, Macedonia, Bosnia and Croatia. On “Grad Se Beli” and other Međimurje pieces they use a style close to međimurski bandisti, local bands that combine cymbal, violin, clarinet and bass. During the Austro-Hungarian occupation of Međimurje, people were prohibited from maintaining their customs and dances, so solo singing became the main way of preserving culture. After World War I, those songs formed the basis for new national dances.

Balkalar have played festivals including Balkan Trafik, Paléo, MittelFest, A to JazZ, Floating Castle, Goulash Disko and Seasplash. The album Balkalar came out in February 2024 on Croatian label JeboTon, with recording supported by MOST – the Bridge for Balkan Music., a Creative Europe backed programme that links Balkan artists with the wider world music circuit.

Stream “Grad Se Beli” and get your copy of the album HERE