Kal

Kal is a Serbian Romani band that blends traditional Balkan Romani music with tango, Middle Eastern, Turkish and Jamaican sounds. Its name means "black" in Romani. The band was formed in Valjevo in 1996 and is now based in Belgrade, led by the singer and guitarist Dragan Ristić, with Milorad Jevremović on vocals and violin.

In its early years Kal played the Sziget festival in Budapest (2001, 2002 and 2004), Exit in Novi Sad (2004 and 2005) and the European Biennale of Young Artists in Athens, and appeared on compilations such as Romano Suno and Serbia Sounds Global 3 (both 2003, B92).

The debut album Kal came out in 2006 on B92 and internationally on Asphalt Tango. In April 2006 it reached number one on the World Music Charts Europe and finished third in that year's list. The band appeared at WOMEX 2006, made its first national TV appearance on B92 on New Year's Eve, and reportedly played over a hundred concerts that year across Europe and in the United States.

Radio Romanista followed in 2009, again on B92 and Asphalt Tango, and Romology in 2013 on ARC Music in the UK and City Records in Serbia. Songs such as "Radio Romanista", "Dikh tu kava", "Gadžo DJ", "Da li znaš ko sam ja", "Bibi" and "Kiss Me Please" are the core of their live shows.

Dragan Ristić and his brother Dušan also founded the Amala Summer School in Serbia, a workshop on Romani language, history and culture.