Balkanarama Special @ Studio 24, 9 Jun

If you want to do one thing this month that you can be sure you'll remember come the end of the year then Balkanarama is your baby. The fourth edition of this annual celebration of Balkan music crams in a truly diverse line-up featuring almost as many conceivable aspects of Eastern European music that can reasonably be fitted under one roof, and a little bit of the culture too. Try the Turkish coffees, sample the free shots of a plum brandy called rakija, watch the small army of dancers (or learn for yourself at the pre-event belly dancing class), or just soak up the films and visuals that accompany the music. 

It is, after all, the music that underpins the whole night and the line up is bigger and just as eclectic as ever, with nine piece Smash Kafana playing gypsy and Balkan music while Derry’s Balkan Alien Sound reinterpret the traditional music through their own celtic perspective. There will also be plenty of Balkan beats being deployed across the two floors of what will be a night bursting with activity, while members of Black Cat and the Edinburgh-based Orkestra Del Sol conduct an off-the-cuff jam session.