It’s hard to believe that Kultur Shock’s “FUCC the INS” came out over 20 years ago! I remember this period well, Jello Biafra had rung me to tell me about this Bosnian guy in Seattle who had this really unique thing happening, and as I was super-interested in music outside of the “Matchbox 20 / Backstreet Boys” matirix, I flew up to Seattle to check them out. I liked them immediately, even though with 2 Bosnian guys, 2 Bulgarians, a Seattle experimental artist, and a bass player from Japan, it made a hell of a challenge to describe to someone else. They recorded this album themselves in a garden shed, which seems hard to believe, but it was this focus and dedication to getting good results that sealed the deal from me. We ended up mixing it in my basement, and I probably got a few grey hairs from that…but we got what we needed.
Okay, so it came out right around the time of 9/11 in 2001. I remember sending cd’s out to press, college radio, only to find that the Eastern influenced melodies were deemed offensive– getting hate letters or broken cds returned were not uncommon. I remember playing the music for the head of a large label in Serbia, only to have him ask me if I was playing a joke on him. The point is, there was nothing like this at the time…and, besides the bands hardcore group of fans, very little for the rest of the world to appreciate.
Fast forward 20 years, and as it turns out, it didn’t die the death in obscurity that much of the hipster music world had predicted. In fact, it became a template for a genre that would later be known as “Gypsy Punk”, a de-facto grandfather of a movement later shared with the likes of Gogol Bordello, Balkan Beat Box, Devotchka, Dubioza Kolektiv, gaining the admiration of artists like System of a Down and Manu Chao.
But this is not why this album is so cool– what I admire is how this crew did a crazy thing that made no sense except to themselves, without blinking, and they had the stubborness and drive to see it through. I have seen these guys pull of the impossible for over two decades ever since, they are the kings of the 36 hour drive between shows, only to arrive straight at showtime, but pull off a flawless 2 hour set. In fact, I cannot recall a single show I’ve seen where they gave any less than 100%. It has always been about the music, and this album is the epitome of this approach and attitude. Since this release they’ve put out another 7, and have toured consistently ever since. There is no other way for me to view this other than with admiration and respect.
So it gives me great pleasure to announce the re-release of this little gem of willfulness as a tribute. And to make it worthwhile, we employed the skills of Oggi Kiossovski at OK Sound (Sofia, Bulgaria) to produce the remaster. Believe me, the difference in quality is night and day. Hats off!
Today marks the release of “Nadija”, the first single of the album, you can find it here: https://pias.ffm.to/nadija.
Full album release date is March 18, 2022, you can preorder/save it here: https://pias.ffm.to/fucctheins
Bill Gould
Feb 18, 2022
SF, CA
