The News From Romania.......

is that there is no news. Romanians are eternally proud of their historic links with the Italians - sharing large parts of their language, their cuisine and, it appears, their almost complete disregard for a domestic pop industry. While folk music and the traditional songs of the Romany minority remain enormously popular, most TV and radio stations seem to devote less time to all their own pop stars put together than they do to Enrique or Fergie. In addition, unlike in most of their neighbours, it's not the easiest job to track down a record shop with a decent selection of local hits, even in the capital Bucharest. Inevitably, there is some good stuff though - the pop-rock of Voltaj is rather cute.



Romania can also boast one of the finest 90s-throwback techno-pop acts in Europe in the form of Activ. Many will have heard Visez before but it can still make me dance around my kitchen at six in the morning on a work-day.

Activ - Visez