Songs shot straight from the hip

Balkan Beat Box make eclectic and vibrant music, with influences ranging from hip-hop to dance electronica.

Balkan Beat Box will get the party started at Womad -- with a message.

The Womad faithful will have noticed changes creeping into lineups in recent years.

In 2014, there was the inclusion of Kimbra. And this year, it's Sinead O'Connor and Rufus Wainwright. They're not mainstream acts as such, and certainly not artists who can be musically confined to one basket, but they are well-known names.

It's a move that might surprise those still wanting that traditional, "world music" experience. But it's a move Balkan Beat Box's Tamir Muskat has seen at festivals the world over. And it's a good one, he says, speaking from Tel Aviv, Israel, as the band heads this way for Womad 2015.

"It's about art and music, so if you want to bring in somebody that's just good because you think they're good, that's totally fine with me. If it brings in another 20,000 people who will discover other bands that no one would ever hear about otherwise, that's a blessing."

Muskat says there has been a similar shift with more mainstream festivals.

"We've seen pretty big changes in the last few years, with festivals like Glastonbury and Lollapalooza opening up to music from around the world because how much Western music can you hear? It's great, but there's other stuff out there.

"You know, world music was categorised that way in music stores. But around 10 years ago, all that went away and it became more about, 'let me hear great music. I don't care where it's from.' In America and Europe, people are so hungry for that stuff. And it opens people's minds. I see it happening a lot and it's fantastic."

Israeli-born Muskat is one of the founding members of BBB, which formed in the mid-2000s in New York with a passion for melding Mediterranean influences with the electronic. Over the years, their sound has expanded into a vibrant melting pot of everything from dub and ragga to dancefloor electronica and hip-hop.

He says BBB is essentially a party band but there's always a serious message.

"It comes with the territory, coming from where we are coming from. It's not like we have to have an opinion on every Middle Eastern issue ... But we're not really in favour of what our Government is doing. The whole conflict [with Palestine] is killing us.

"Our weapon is art and music and that's how we deliver our message. We've been accused of saying the wrong thing, about the wrong subject, but we don't give a f***. So even if we're like this big party band, we are still delivering our lyrics smartly. We've always said these things, we still are. I don't know how not to."

Womad is held in New Plymouth from March 13 to 15. For more information and the full lineup, visit womad.co.nz