Shantel

Shantel, real name Stefan Hantel, is a German DJ and producer born in Frankfurt am Main in 1968, of Romanian and German descent from Bukovina.

After growing up in Frankfurt, he studied graphic design in Paris. In 1991, he opened the Lissania Essay club in Frankfurt’s red-light district. Observing the unleashed energy that Roma brass bands like Fanfare Ciocarlia or the Boban Marković Orkestar could generate, he had the idea to integrate Balkan and Roma melodies into his DJ sets by reworking them electronically.

He launched parties called Bucovina Club in Frankfurt, which met with great success. The concept blends lively brass with electronic rhythms, creating a fusion between traditional Balkan music and a modern pulse suited for the dance floor. Some tracks, naturally funky, are played as they are, while others are remixed with the addition of electronic beats.

The notoriety of these parties led to the release of a self-titled remix album on his label Essay Recordings. He was then hired by the label Crammed Discs to participate in the Electric Gypsyland project, remixing recordings by artists such as Taraf de Haïdouks or the Kočani Orkestar.

His album *Bucovina Club Volume 2*, released in 2005, was a major success in Europe. He collaborated with heavyweights of the Balkan scene such as Goran Bregović and Fanfare Ciocarlia, and even offered a Roma version of the North African anthem *Ya Rayah*. His approach is sometimes compared to that of Goran Bregović, both being non-Roma who imaginatively drew from Balkan Roma music to create a sound for a wide audience.

Shantel chose the name Bucovina Club in reference to the Bukovina region, the origin of his maternal ancestors, a region once part of the Habsburg and Ottoman empires, now shared between Romania and Ukraine. His work consists of remixing and reinventing Balkan Roma music for an electronic music audience.

Among his aliases and name variations are Chantel, DJ Shantel, S. Hantel, or Shantell.