Slavic Soul Party is a Balkan-fusion brass band that produces a unique form of melting-pot musical madness. Their new single, “Jackson” — now available on 7? single from Electric Cowbell Records — is an infectious concoction; an anthem for warm summer nights in the city. It opens with a lightly stuttered swell of horns, and we’re quickly flung into a world of gypsy jazz-funk, adrift and swinging, whisked through three minutes of heavy groove with cross-continental inflections. Trombones and trumpets lead the way, percussion follows quickly, and the melody winds its way through cultures and landscapes, leaving dancing and romance in its wake. The track on the B-side, “Gangsta“, is every bit as compelling: a Latin stomp with Romanian flourishes, it’s one part vodka, one part mezcal, mixed with a secret blend of botanicals and served chilled. It’s refreshing, melodic, and unexpectedly intoxicating.

While indebted to traditional forms, Slavic Soul Party imbues their music with a deeply funky sensibility. As America’s foremost Balksploitation group, they bring together the best of many cultures and create unique hybrids of sound: fanfares for international carnivals, dance tunes for trans-atlantic discotheques, and imaginary soundtracks to long-lost Eastern European midnight movies.