Ghetto Plotz

Fresh musical collective GhettoPlotz have been rocking an ever-growing and loyal following with their unique klezmer mash-up sound since they played major festival Limmudfest in summer 2005 – and now, set to play their biggest night yet at Islington bar and club Clockwork next month, their jackin’ and funky star is set to soar to new heights.

Think Fatboy Slim meets a Jewish wedding or the sounds of old-time Russia stirred up with fat and funky beats à la Basement Jaxx and you’re on your way to understanding the GhettoPlotz phenomenon.

GhettoPlotz – literally the word “ghetto” fused with “plotz”, Yiddish for “explosion” – is the brainchild of DJ Little Miss Tan (aka Tanya Winston) and producer Mark White, both constants on the dance scene since the days of the Hacienda and now proud members of the house fraternity. Taking their cue from the success of the reinvention of the Asian scene, they decided to draw on their own cultural roots and bring klezmer – traditional Jewish folk music – into clubland.

Tanya – a regular on the decks at London’s Turnmills and Egg as well as a former Mixmag DJ competition winner - says: “I always wanted to combine Jewish music with my love of dance music and when I started working with Mark, he said he loved the idea. We work together really well as we tend to agree on sounds.

“The reaction to our first gig, in an Arabian tent at Limmudfest, was amazing. One guy said it was history in the making (which sounded a bit extreme to me!) and someone else cried at the end. That showed me what power music can have when it combines a deep heritage and tradition with modern upfront sounds – it taps into the subconscious connections to culture and religion, as well as getting you rocking on the dancefloor.”

Together with violinist and vocalist Laoise Davidson and VJ Miki Grahame – who brings her expertise as a computer games designer into the mix – the group have created an attention-grabbing audio visual experience which not only reconnects young Jews with their musical heritage but also brings the sounds to a wider audience.

As Mark says: “We want to bring traditional Jewish, Eastern European and Middle Eastern sounds to a wider club audience, and also to make music which connects with Jews who love dance music and partying.” And that’s a world away from the usual tired and so-called “Jew-dos” – parties put on for young Jews to mix and mingle but without a relevant musical mix.
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