Timpuri Noi

Timpuri Noi is a Romanian alternative rock band.

History

Timpuri Noi was formed in 1983, and remained an underground act up to 1991. This was mainly due to what was perceived as "subversive lyrical content" in the Ceauşescu era. Incidentally, the name derives from a cliché of the period: its literal meaning is "New Times" (in the sense of "New Age"), used to signify Marxist Socialism. The tongue-in-cheek reference is somehow associated with the Bucharest metro station of the same name (see: Timpuri Noi). The name is also the Romanian translation of Modern Times, the title for Charles Chaplin's classic 1936 film.

In the early nineties, up to around 1995, the band was arguably the top Romanian act. Around the time, they had the opportunity to be the opening act for rather prestigious (albeit musically different) foreign acts during concerts in Bucharest: Ian Gillan and Uriah Heep in 1992, Scorpions in 1993, Saxon, Paradise Lost and Jethro Tull in 1994, Iron Maiden and Kreator in 1995, Eros Ramazzotti, Joe Cocker and Rod Stewart later in the same year.

1994 also signified an important event in both Timpuri Noi's career and Romanian music in general: Timpuri Noi gives the very first unplugged performance in this country, recorded as an album in the same year (see below).

In 1997, the band was presented with one of the [http://www.mcm.net/ MCM] French music television and Radio France Internationale "Decouvertes de Rock a l'Est" (Eastern European New Acts) Awards, performing in a special gala concert. (The previous year, Timpuri Noi had been interviewed for MTV Europe during the Golden Stag Festival in the Romanian city of Braşov.)

The band split in 2001, with members becoming involved in personal projects - Partizan for Artan, ZIDD (sometimes mentioned as "Zidd" - Romanian for "wall") for Dan Iliescu. It reunited in early 2005 and is now touring across the country. An album is planned to appear in 2006 - "Timpuri Noi, Vechi, Noi si DJ" ("Timpuri Noi, Old, New and DJs") containing reedited versions of all songs from the first album (and some remixes).

Timpuri Noi's early music reflects New Wave influences. Later, the band incorporated a sound that was a mixture of Red Hot Chili Peppers guitars, Led Zeppelin intermezzos, clear vocals (Artan is a classically-trained vocalist, and a member of the Romanian Radio House Choir; he also cites Simple Minds as a personal favorite) and grunge-influenced additional sounds. They are noted for highly original, usually melancholic lyrics - all in Romanian. The songs had anthem-like qualities - most notably the likes of "Luca", "Perfect", "Stan", "Emigrant USA", "Nămol", "Stere", "Mistreţul", "Malu Valu" (Lume care m-a lucrat), "Fumatul" (all performed on their "Unplugged" album) or "Albele furtuni". Most take the form of social commentary and revolve around past and present cultural stereotypes, authentically depicting the world as seen from inside large peripheral quarters of the capital city.

Lineup

* Adrian Pleşca, nicknamed "Artan" (a name usually turned into "Artanu", meaning "chicken wing") - vocals
* Dan Iliescu - guitar (vocals on some songs)
* Andrei Bărbulescu - drums
* Silviu Sanda - bass guitar

Additional or early members

*Cătălin Moldovan - drums
*Radu Cartianu - bass guitar
*Cătălin Răsvan - bass guitar
*Marian Moldoveanu - guitar
*Cătălin Neagu - drums
*Adrian Borţun - bass guitar
*Florin Barbu (2001) - bass guitar

In some concerts, the band would add two backing female singers to its line-up (whether vocalists or violinists): the official site mentions Denis Iliescu, Crina Godescu and Maria Radu as its main collaborators.

Discography

*"Formaţii Rock Nr. 11" (1988), B-side, last 3 tracks.
*"Timpuri Noi" (1992)
*"Timpuri Noi Unplugged" (1994)
*"De regiune superior" (1995)
*"Basca Abundenţei" (1998)
*"Back in Business" (2006)

External links

* [http://www.timpurinoi.eu/ Official website]
* [http://www.rockmania.net/timpuri.noi/ Fan site]
* [http://www.muzicisifaze.com/trupa.php?id=136&cat=1 Album reviews]