Arhai’s Balkan folktronica: Serbian ethno music reimagined for British market

Abstract

This article focuses on Serbian composer Jovana Backović and her band/project Arhai, founded in Belgrade in 1998. The central argument is that Arhai made a transition from being regarded a part of the Serbian ethno music scene (which flourished during the 1990s and 2000s) to becoming a part of the global world music scene, after Jovana Backović moved from her native Serbia to the United Kingdom to pursue an international career. This move did not imply a fundamental change of her musical style, but a change of cultural context and market conditions that, in turn, affected her cultural identity. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 177004: Serbian Musical Identities within Local and Global Frameworks: Traditions, Changes, Challenges]

Keywords

• Arhai
• Jovana Backović
• world music
• ethno
• Balkan Folktronica