Tapan is a Belgrade-based production duo formed by one of the protégés of club 20/44 Nebojša Bogdanović and Goran Simonoski, a producer who has been behind the music projects Belgradeyard Sound Sistem, Piece of Shh, and is also the author of theater music for several plays in Serbia and Great Britain. Both have been present on the Belgrade and international music scene since the 1990s, and in 2015 they combined their diverse musical experiences in a collaborative creative act they called TAPAN.
Tapan is not your ordinary “electronic” project, and skillfully avoids simple categorization. This studio music project has evolved into a full quartet, building bridges between electronic sound, jazz improvisation, and the unique pulse of Eastern percussive orientalism.In addition to Bogdanović and Simonoski, the group also includes saxophonist Džemal Al Kisvani and renowned Serbian percussionist Feđa Franklin, but the scope of collaboration with other local and foreign instrumentalists is constantly expanding.
So far they have released several albums and EP releases, mainly for foreign labels from the USA, Israel and Germany. Their debut album “Europa” appeared at the end of 2017 and was met with great acclaim from both domestic and international audiences, and was followed by numerous invitations to perform in Italy, France, Israel, Morocco, Slovenia, Croatia, Romania and other countries. This double LP reflects the atmosphere of disappointment and uncertainty about the future of Europe and the world as a whole. The album also features a collaboration with Radvan Ghazi Moumneh, a Lebanese instrumentalist based in Canada, and was soon followed by remixes of some of these tracks by renowned artists from the world scene. Tapan, together with the Moroccan band Generation Taragalte, also released the album “Atlas” on the prestigious British label Soundway.The long-awaited new album “Novi Svet” was released in September 2022 for the German label Offen Music.
Their performances range from free improvisations to interpretations of their own songs released on recordings, offering a fluid glimpse into the encounter between live, traditional instruments and contemporary music production. Collaboration is one of the key aspects of this musical project, and their recordings feature numerous local and foreign musicians who then, through renowned labels, place this unique, multicultural musical blend on the global stage.
Links: Bandcamp / Soundcloud
