The The Loulou Djine group was established in Paris in the mid of nineties under the leadership of the Sarajevo violin player Dragan Urlić.
Dragan Urlić, founder and conceptual leader and frontman of this multicultural band, singer, violin player, composer and score writer, was born in Sarajevo in 1968 in the family of musicians where he started with classical education in violin at the age of eight. Permanently employed as violin player of the Sarajevo Opera and Philharmonic within the period 1990 - 94, he was active member of several groups playing traditional music. Finally, in 1989 he established his own group. During the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1994 he moved to Paris where he reactivated his old band the Loulou Djine, very soon after.
The Loulou Djine means the flower of Paradise in the Romany language and it consists of six musicians, three of them are singing, too. Violin, accordion, clarinet, guitar, bass and drums, enriched with various percussion instruments, make this group very attractive, explosive, excitable and interesting for the audience. In their specific musical expression beside the French chanson they approach the music of the Balkans and gipsy jazz.
The Loulou Djine members:
Dragan Urlić (violin and lead vocal ) Bosnia and Herzegovina / France
Branislav Zdravković (guitar and back vocal Serbia / France
Kentaro Suzuki (contrabass or bass guitar) Japan/ or
Petar Gojković (clarinet and vocal) Srbia / France
Laurent Ghenin (drums, percussions France / Algeria
Ivica Bogdanić (accordion) France
Emek Evci Turkie
Always fascinated by traditional music, especially that one coming from the Balkans area, this virtuoso on strings and cords has succeeded in all these years to put across his passion and make this sound familiar to the contemporary audience. In the last sixteen years of his life in France, he has been working with many classical orchestras and mega popular performers of pop-rock and jazz music, like Eddy Mitchell, Florin Niculescu, Guy Marchand, Luciano Pavarotti. Besides, he was doing studio recording for the cult band of Paris named Paris Combo, for the Corsican group I Muvrini promoting the Corsican culture and tradition all over the world, and for the controversial French-American singing diva, actress, director and model Arielle Dombasle...
The Loulou Djine discography
The first album “Aldranidjo” (1999) was highly recognized for its quality by the French Fundation ”France Télécom”, where on annual contest their CD was declared the best one.
The second album “Transversal” (2003) got very good reviews, among them to be singled out 4 stars (out of four in specialised French musical journal “Monde de la Musique” (World of Music).
Thethird one, “Fragments” (2006) was supported by the French magazine “Rock&Folk”, for the top quality of the recorded material, as well. The last album “Zapad” (West) was published, in February of 2009. Very soon it was noticed by the competent critique and “Le Monde” journal enlisted it in the CDs selection published in February. Besides, it appeared in the play-list of two big national radios (FIP and France Inter). This album is dealing with very topical issue – people starting from the East and heading towards the West, looking for their paradise promised: better life, money and dreams coming true, unrealized during their previous life in their native country. The Loulou Djine music is some kind of «soundtrack» of all these emigrants. Although inspired by the Balkans tradition, music of the Loulou Djine is constantly moving away and leaving towards some new directions of them. Namely, its music sound is on the same level with the recent world music production, but in the same time it keeps connection with its initial basis, i.e. traditional music of the Balkans with great influence of gypsy music.
From East towards West, between happiness and illusion, between love and hope, with specific humour and ecstasy the Loulou Djine passes across the roads of perpetual, eternal passengers, looking for their happiness somewhere else. For more than twelve years the group) is visiting the clubs, small, medium and big stages and festivals all over France, Europe and the world. Distribution of the Loulou Djine group compact discs is provided by the French distributor “L’Autre Distribution” , supplying about fifteen European countries, Japan, Corea and Canada. In 2006 even a documentary film on the Loulou Djine group work and life was made in Paris. It was shown at the Film Festival in Biaritz in official selection and after that in 40 countries all over the world. The band had tours in Germany, Switzerland, Luxemburg, Belgium, Italy, America and New Caledonia with over 350 concerts. So far, in Croatia they have participated at Siscia Jazz & Blues Festival, and the Festival of Labin Art Republika.
Taken from press clipping The Loulou Djine is one of the most original and most attractive Slavic - Parisian bands, originating from the Central Europe, the very musical tornado itself. Nova magazine Mixing the oriental rhythms and the Balkan influences, the Loulou Djine produces original gipsy music. Le Monde – Aden The Loulou Djine makes actual again some sorrowful laments and other melancholic and exultant or euphoric melodies emerged in the areas among the Pannonian lowlands, mountains of the Balkans and Russian steppes. Liberation You can find more details on the Loulou Djine group, on web-site www.louloudjine.net or at link www.myspace.com/louloudjine (many photos, pieces of information on their work, audio and video records from their three preceding albums). Additional information for media:
