Romania is a country of multicultural musical influences and Romanians seem to love to listen to music in general. In an attempt to find out how the Romanian music scene evolved from the 90s and what sort of music makes Romanians click, we've talked to Mihai Dobre - aka Dobrica, member of popular Romanian band Suie Paparude. To some, he's also known as DJ Haute Culture.

By Irina Popescu

Back in 1993, when the then-23 years old Dobrica and Michi (Mihai Campineanu) created the Romanian band Suie Paparude, Romanian music was rarely played on the radio. This was soon after the communist period, when Romanians used to listen mostly to Romanian music. So they wanted some foreign sounds for a change. “From what I know, only the Romanian bands that were singing in English were played on the radio. That is why we’ve chosen a Romanian name for our band. Even though we were playing electronic music with influences from abroad, we wanted to keep a Romanian feel to it,” says Mihai Dobre. Suie Paparude started out as an alternative-new wave band, but changed over time into an alternative rock band with industrial electronic influences.

No longer the case of the 'all foreign music' from the 90s. One can listen to plenty of Romanian bands and songs on the radio and in clubs nowadays, and many Romanian artists have even become famous internationally. (We at Romania-Insider.com also write regularly about Romanian music in this section.)

Romania is a country of contrasts, and so is its music, Mihai Dobre believes. The music played and listened to nowadays in Romania is in direct connection to the way of living in this country. There are artists who play a 'not-so-good music', but there is also quality electronic music made by Romanian DJs and producers who have signed with labels from abroad. “There was an evolution, at least in the number. It doesn’t directly mean quality, but the good thing about electronic music is that it’s very democratic and allows everybody to create,” says Mihai Dobre. “Romanian music is more diverse now, and I believe, from a qualitative point of view, that it is better than it was in the 90s because people have more access to information,” he goes on.

Romanians seem to dig electronic music - breakbeat or drum and bass- more than other genres, such as rock, and they listen to more and more foreign music nowadays, mostly because foreign sounds have invaded the market.

Romanians and foreigners go well together in this mix. Dobrica, who also mixes as DJ Haute Culture and brings electro music to breakbeat, minimal, acid-house and techno sounds, performed the opening act for Fatboy Slim's concert in Romania in 2006. In 2004, he went on stage with James Zabiela, Hybrid, and Freestylers, while in 2005 he was invited to play, also as a DJ, in the opening of the Elite Force.

Suie Paparude too got to share the stage with some big international names. The band, now made of Dobrica, Miki and Bean (by his real name Alexe Marius Andrei) has played opening for Depeche Mode and 2 Unlimited's acts in Romania.

Romanians make good audiences. “I like the Romanian public. I like that it is active, reacts to the music and to the artists’ requests,” says the artist.

Crowds that gather for Suie Paparude’s concerts are “extremely active and nice,”, and people's reactions during concerts are one of the main things that make bands grow. “I like that when I tell the crowd to put their hands in the air or to clap their hands, they do it, and not because they feel forced to do so, but because they feel the music”.

If you want to feel the music too, listen to one of the latest songs from Suie Paparude- 'Moartea boxelor' (translated roughly as 'The death of the speakers'), from their latest album - below. 

Reporting by Irina Popescu (irina.popescu@romania-insider.com), editing by Corina Saceanu (corina@romania-insider.com)

(photo credits: Camil Dumitrescu)