Palko!Muski - Portrait
Palko!Muski is a Swiss band from Zurich. They mix punk, ska and rock with music of the Travellers and from Eastern Europe to create their own inimitable sound. The group is made up of five musicians and is known even beyond the borders of Switzerland for their highly explosive and energetic live shows. Palko!Muski was formed originally as a trio in 2006 by singer and keyboarder Baptiste Beleffi, bassist Matthias Honegger and accordionist Christoph Craviolini. Following their initial concerts, other musicians joined the band with change being the name of the game time and again.Each time they performed, the relatively young group would receive offers for new gigs and it wasn’t long before the band was given the chance to play weekly for one month in Zurich’s “Helsinki” club. That series of concerts proved to be popular and other gigs followed throughout Switzerland. In 2008 Palko!Muski’s debut recording came out, a live album entitled “Fish & Gipsies”. The album featured recordings of the Helsinki club concerts. This was followed in 2010 by the EP “Boomerang” for which Palko!Muski was able to get producer Adrian Weyermann. Together with Roli Mosimann, Weyermann also produced the album “Street Desire”, which came out in 2012. That album was followed by a number of concerts at home and abroad including performances in Germany and Italy. Another EP called “Panik” was released in 2013, and in summer 2014, the remix of their song “Like a Boomerang” by Argentinian DJ and producer El Hijo De La Cumbia. The band was also invited by the Argentinian football club "Club Atlético Colón" of Santa Fé to contribute their interpretation of the club anthem “Sabalero” for a compilation.
Following extensive and intensive touring as well as diverse changes in the line-up, guitarist Bertrand Vorpe and drummer Pascal Lopinat eventually joined the band. Palko!Muski had at last found firm footing. Together they got down to the business of recording the album “Land of Ego”, which came out in 2016. That eclectic work was produced by Swiss star producer Rolf Stauffacher, and includes the single “Pupazzo” for which a video was also made. The band went on an extended concert tour in conjunction with the album release, and appeared at a number of festivals. That same year, they were represented with a track on “Pandemonium Gitano”, a compilation by the Zurich Balkan beats/Gypsy punk DJ Rock Gitano.
Palko!Muski is a live band, indeed, and their concerts are a once-in-a-lifetime experience. With their unbridled energy, the group takes their audience along on a journey of emotions, allowing listeners to experience at first hand the emotional outbursts of Baptiste Beleffi and his fellow musicians. In the French-speaking part of Switzerland they have been called «Les brutes de Zurich». We could not have put it better.
Members:
Baptiste Beleffi – lead vocals, keyboards
Matthias Honegger – bass, backing vocals
Bertrand Vorpe – guitar, backing vocals
Pascal Lopinat – drums
Christoph Craviolini – accordion
Matthias Honegger – bass, backing vocals
Bertrand Vorpe – guitar, backing vocals
Pascal Lopinat – drums
Christoph Craviolini – accordion
Text: Robert Lippuner / Gypsy Music Network
Translation: Jamie Davies
