Romania & Rep. of Moldova / Listening

Romania is a European country whose population includes ethnic Romanians, Hungarian and Roma populations. Like in Hungary and other neighboring countries, Roma musicians heavily influence Romania’s modern popular music, especially by modifying traditional café music into orchestral popular ensembles in the aftermath of World War II. Romania also has thriving scenes in the fields of hip hop music, heavy metal and rock and roll. Traditional Romanian folk tarafs (orchestras) remain popular, and some folk musicians have come to national (and even international) fame.

Moldovan music is closely related to that of its neighbor and cultural kin, Romania. Moldovan folk is known for swift, complex rhythms (a characteristic shared with many Eastern European traditions), musical improvisation, syncopation and lots of melodic ornamentation. Pop, hip hop, rock and other modern genres have their fans in Moldova as well. The probably best known Modovan pop stars are O-Zone, the band whose "Dragostea din tei" was a major 2004 European hit.