The album “Roma Soul Food” has been released — an emotion to be heard and savoured

The music album “Roma Soul Food” has just been released on all digital platforms. Music is widely recognised as one of the key expressions of Roma culture — a way through which Roma people have lived, preserved and passed on the customs and culture of their community for centuries.

The album “Roma Soul Food” emerged from the international project of the same name. It presents contemporary Roma culture as an exceptionally dynamic phenomenon, creating a balance between respect for tradition and the breaking of boundaries that have historically been imposed upon it. At the heart of the project are Roma music and gastronomy, which the “Roma Soul Food” concept creatively connects with the aim of preserving Roma culture in digital form — highlighting its diversity and its potential as an important part of Europe’s rich cultural heritage.

The music segment of the “Roma Soul Food” project brought together performers who reflect the full diversity of Roma culture: artists of different genres, generations, genders and backgrounds, from Belgrade and Zaječar to Niš. Each of them brings their own perspective on what Roma music can be today. Together, they do not merely perform tradition — they question it, redefine it and lead it in new directions.

The “Roma Soul Food” album features Pretty Loud, Džipsii and Ivan Kurtić, with Tihomir Radić Toshi as producer. The album was recorded at the Helem Nejse studio in Sarajevo, with music editing by musicologists Maja Vasiljević and Biljana Leković. The result is a bold fusion of cultural heritage and contemporary musical expression.

The album offers a rich diversity of genres and a fusion of traditional and contemporary sounds — from elements of flamenco, trap and hip-hop to more traditional musical expressions.

“Roma Soul Food” is also a conceptual release of sorts, capturing the dynamics of everyday Roma life. Half of the album is performed in the Romani language, presenting its unique sound, character and musicality.

What makes this release even more authentic are the opening and closing tracks, created from field audio recordings woven together from the voices of members of Roma communities from Padinska Skela, Obrenovac and Bački Monoštor.

Songs

1. Intro

2. Džipsii – ,,Nokelen”

3. Pretty Loud – ,,BG Mahala” 

4. Ivan Kurtić – ,,Romani tradicija”

5. Pretty Loud – ,,Roma Swag”

6. Ivan Kurtić – ,, Kokalencar o fusuji”

7. Džipsii – ,,Blizina”

8. Outro