0:00:07 > 0:00:09For some of Romania's gypsy musicians,
0:00:09 > 0:00:11life has never been so good.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15HE SPEAKS IN ROMANI
0:00:21 > 0:00:23They are stars of a new kind of music.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29HE SINGS
0:00:36 > 0:00:40This gypsy pop glorifies money, cars and the good life.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50But for some, it's deadly.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00And there are claims it's linked to organised crime.
0:01:05 > 0:01:08Just who are these new gypsy kings?
0:01:29 > 0:01:32I'm travelling in the north-east of Romania,
0:01:32 > 0:01:34one of the poorest parts of the country.
0:01:34 > 0:01:36My name is Liviu Tipurita
0:01:36 > 0:01:40'and I've been making films about the Roma community for many years.'
0:01:43 > 0:01:4880% of Romania's Roma gypsies live below the poverty line
0:01:48 > 0:01:50with unemployment almost universal.
0:01:52 > 0:01:57More than 500 people live in this village, most of them Roma gypsies.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01The postman comes twice a week.
0:02:01 > 0:02:03Today it's benefits day.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09But not everyone here is poor.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12This village is home to one of the most famous gypsy bands
0:02:12 > 0:02:15in the world, musicians I've known for years.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19RHYTHMIC CLAPPING
0:02:23 > 0:02:26'I've come to visit them as they rehearse
0:02:26 > 0:02:28'for their upcoming international tour.'
0:02:46 > 0:02:49This is Fanfara Ciocarlia.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53They were discovered 20 years ago by a German sound engineer.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59Back in 1996 it was my personal hobby to travel
0:02:59 > 0:03:04all over Eastern Europe to record bands.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07I entered this very small village,
0:03:07 > 0:03:12and within two or three minutes a bunch of people showed up
0:03:12 > 0:03:16and they started instantly performing for this foreigner.
0:03:37 > 0:03:41Since then, Fanfara have sold hundreds of thousands of records
0:03:41 > 0:03:46and performed to packed houses as far away as Japan and New Zealand.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51This success has brought dramatic changes to their village.
0:04:13 > 0:04:18Back in the '90s, houses were made by mud, looked like this.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21Nowadays it looks totally changed.
0:04:21 > 0:04:25They have now electricity here, bathrooms,
0:04:25 > 0:04:29toilets and even two- or three-storey houses.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33The band do more than 100 international concerts a year.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36Travelling around the world has given them a new perspective
0:04:36 > 0:04:39on how their own community is treated here.
0:05:22 > 0:05:26In the poor part of the village, I meet two teenage boys who hope
0:05:26 > 0:05:29that music will help them escape the poverty.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34There aren't many other options here.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37Thousands of Romanian gypsies travel abroad each year
0:05:37 > 0:05:39to earn money.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41But there are risks.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43The boys' father has just returned from Sweden
0:05:43 > 0:05:46where he was exploited by a people trafficker.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50HE SINGS
0:06:54 > 0:06:59For 13-year-old Vladut, music is the passport to riches and status.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22- APPLAUSE - Bravo!- Bravo!
0:07:30 > 0:07:34Fanfara Ciocarlia is one of a handful of Romanian gypsy bands
0:07:34 > 0:07:37who have achieved international fame.
0:07:37 > 0:07:39But here in Romania,
0:07:39 > 0:07:43there's much bigger money to be made from a very different sound.
0:08:20 > 0:08:25Adrian The Miracle lives with his wife Cati and their three children.
0:08:46 > 0:08:50Adrian once boasted of a fortune of 100 million,
0:08:50 > 0:08:54until Romania's tax authorities began to take an interest.
0:08:59 > 0:09:01PHONE RINGS
0:09:01 > 0:09:03But however rich he is,
0:09:03 > 0:09:06Adrian The Miracle is an undisputed superstar
0:09:06 > 0:09:09of a new kind of gypsy pop...
0:09:10 > 0:09:12..manele.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14MANELE MUSIC
0:09:17 > 0:09:22Manele is now the most popular form of gypsy music in Romania.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25Videos like this can attract millions of hits.
0:09:31 > 0:09:36The songs are mostly about love, romance and...
0:09:36 > 0:09:38money.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49Today, Adrian is taking me to meet one of his friends and patrons.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52As always, he travels in style.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08This villa belongs to businessman Fabian Marin.
0:10:58 > 0:11:02One of the other family businesses is a little bit more unorthodox.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21Witchcraft runs in the family.
0:11:23 > 0:11:28Fabian's daughter is casting a purifying spell onto Adrian.
0:11:49 > 0:11:54Adrian has written a special song and made his video dedicated
0:11:54 > 0:11:57to Fabian's wife, the Witch Sydonia,
0:11:57 > 0:12:00known as the Princess Of White Magic.
0:12:15 > 0:12:20The reason why the Witch Sydonia is missing is because she's in jail.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23She was convicted for her involvement in a plot
0:12:23 > 0:12:26to bribe a judge - offering 45,000 euros
0:12:26 > 0:12:29and a luxury car in return for the release of Fabian
0:12:29 > 0:12:31and two of their sons.
0:12:32 > 0:12:36They were under arrest for suspected false imprisonment and blackmail,
0:12:36 > 0:12:38but were later released.
0:12:45 > 0:12:50Fabian and Adrian are having a little party amongst friends.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01Adrian is introducing a newcomer.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06Showing off is part of this culture.
0:13:31 > 0:13:35As night falls, the party moves inside.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48In return for the wads of money,
0:13:48 > 0:13:52Adrian provides a song about the Witch Sydonia for her son Ahmed.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01It's personalised dedications like this
0:14:01 > 0:14:03that are Adrian's main business.
0:15:20 > 0:15:25Adrian and his friends have come a long way in the last 25 years.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43To find out more about this new wealth
0:15:43 > 0:15:45and the whole manele industry,
0:15:45 > 0:15:47there's one man I have to see.
0:15:49 > 0:15:53Daniel Paraschiv, nicknamed Dan The Badger,
0:15:53 > 0:15:57is the most successful manele producer in Romania.
0:15:57 > 0:15:59Like a Romanian version of Simon Cowell,
0:15:59 > 0:16:03Dan The Badger has been a judge on popular talent shows.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06His support can make or break careers.
0:16:38 > 0:16:42Dan has opened a school for young manele singers.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44I'm here to meet a new talent he's discovered.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12THEY SING
0:17:22 > 0:17:24DRUMMING IN DISTANCE
0:17:59 > 0:18:03There are 12 students here, all from poor backgrounds.
0:18:03 > 0:18:07For each one of them, being at this school is a dream come true.
0:18:12 > 0:18:17Dan The Badger has even hired an opera singer to train them.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24OK.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27SHE SINGS
0:18:36 > 0:18:38APPLAUSE
0:18:48 > 0:18:50Dan The Badger invites me to see
0:18:50 > 0:18:54some of his students in action performing at a wedding.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58Dan makes most of his money providing live entertainment
0:18:58 > 0:19:00at events like this.
0:19:05 > 0:19:10He has also brought with him his group of established manele stars,
0:19:10 > 0:19:12who are major celebrities here.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29The whole town has turned up to see him.
0:19:58 > 0:20:02Many manele songs are about love, families and hardship,
0:20:02 > 0:20:06but some lyrics, celebrating a bling lifestyle and gangsterism,
0:20:06 > 0:20:09have made the genre controversial.
0:21:44 > 0:21:48From a humble background, Dan The Badger is proud of his roots
0:21:48 > 0:21:50and of his success.
0:22:58 > 0:23:02Romania's gypsy community has come a long way in the last 30 years.
0:23:03 > 0:23:07Until 1989, Romania was a Communist country
0:23:07 > 0:23:09ruled by dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.
0:23:10 > 0:23:14The Roma were not recognised officially as an ethnic minority
0:23:14 > 0:23:16and their music was banned.
0:23:33 > 0:23:39In December 1989, revolutions swept the country
0:23:39 > 0:23:43and the brutal dictator Ceausescu was executed.
0:23:43 > 0:23:45GUNFIRE
0:23:48 > 0:23:49With the country free,
0:23:49 > 0:23:54the gypsies finally could play their traditional music in public.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56Adrian The Miracle and Dan The Badger
0:23:56 > 0:23:59teamed up and starting performing at weddings.
0:24:01 > 0:24:05Until then, Romania had been a virtual prison.
0:24:05 > 0:24:07With the opening of the borders,
0:24:07 > 0:24:10many Roma gypsies went west to find their fortunes.
0:24:14 > 0:24:19One of those was crime boss of Bucharest Fane Spoitoru.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21He headed to Germany.
0:24:22 > 0:24:26With the money he made there, Fane turned this Bucharest cafe
0:24:26 > 0:24:30into THE venue for gypsy music in Romania.
0:24:30 > 0:24:35He hired Adrian The Miracle and Dan The Badger to play there.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55He took them under his wing and they soon became a hit.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11After years of oppression, people could bask
0:25:11 > 0:25:14in the joys of naked capitalism and let their hair down.
0:25:15 > 0:25:20The whole Bucharest underworld was hanging out in the Old Cafe,
0:25:20 > 0:25:23and I've been told that this is where modern manele
0:25:23 > 0:25:24was actually born.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31This footage from a feature film shot in those days
0:25:31 > 0:25:35capture some of the atmosphere of the place.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56But Fane Spoitoru's career in the music business
0:25:56 > 0:25:58was rudely interrupted in 1992
0:25:58 > 0:26:03when he was shot six times by a police officer.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07He fought back with a samurai sword and sliced the policeman's arm.
0:26:08 > 0:26:12Sentenced to nine years in prison, Spoitoru became a legend
0:26:12 > 0:26:15of both the gypsy underworld and the music industry.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21But that didn't stop the rise of gypsy pop.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26And Adrian The Miracle was at the heart of a revolution.
0:26:35 > 0:26:37To appeal to a wider audience,
0:26:37 > 0:26:42Adrian stopped singing in his native gypsy language.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08This music was called manele.
0:27:08 > 0:27:12Its lyrics reflected the realities of day-to-day life for Roma gypsies,
0:27:12 > 0:27:17but also the joys of bling, and sometimes outright gangsterism.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24Today is a big day.
0:27:37 > 0:27:43Dan The Badger and former crime boss Fane Spoitoru go back a long way,
0:27:43 > 0:27:47and today Dan is godfather to Fane's grandson at his wedding.
0:28:09 > 0:28:1420-year-old Elisabeta is marrying Fane's grandson Marian
0:28:14 > 0:28:16in a traditional Orthodox ceremony.
0:28:43 > 0:28:46The reception party promises a glittering line-up
0:28:46 > 0:28:48of manele superstars.
0:28:50 > 0:28:52As an old protege of Fane Spoitoru,
0:28:52 > 0:28:55Adrian The Miracle is one of the headliners.
0:29:22 > 0:29:25- ANNOUNCER:- ..Adrian Minune!
0:30:11 > 0:30:14The top of the bill is Florin Salam,
0:30:14 > 0:30:16also known as the King of Manele.
0:30:18 > 0:30:21Salam has also had some help from Fane,
0:30:21 > 0:30:24and he starts with a tribute to his benefactor.
0:30:45 > 0:30:46I wanted to ask Fane,
0:30:46 > 0:30:50what's he done for these musicians to deserve such praise?
0:31:28 > 0:31:32The guests shower Salam with money. Any currency will do.
0:31:56 > 0:32:03The groom throws 4,500 euros over the singer's head in one go.
0:32:07 > 0:32:12In just one hour I see over 20,000 euros handed over to Salam.
0:32:15 > 0:32:20Top manele singers make most of their fortunes like this.
0:32:20 > 0:32:23Giving wads of cash in public is a way for men
0:32:23 > 0:32:25to show off how rich they are.
0:32:33 > 0:32:35But before I can talk to him,
0:32:35 > 0:32:37Florin Salam suddenly leaves the party.
0:32:50 > 0:32:53Summer is the gypsy wedding season in Romania.
0:33:03 > 0:33:05This is a busy time for musicians.
0:33:08 > 0:33:12The top manele singers can make thousands of euros a day
0:33:12 > 0:33:14in cash.
0:33:25 > 0:33:29I want to talk to Florin Salam, the King of Manele, to find out more
0:33:29 > 0:33:32about where all this money is coming from.
0:33:32 > 0:33:33I can't get a moment with him,
0:33:33 > 0:33:36but I run into his manager, Puiu Gheorghiu,
0:33:36 > 0:33:39a retired Romanian air force colonel.
0:33:40 > 0:33:42Here, Florin is like a king.
0:33:42 > 0:33:47You can't have a wedding here without Florin Salam.
0:33:47 > 0:33:48It's not a wedding.
0:33:53 > 0:33:57Today, I'm in Oltenita in southern Romania.
0:33:57 > 0:33:59The bride and groom are both teenagers.
0:34:00 > 0:34:03Teenage weddings are common in this community.
0:34:03 > 0:34:07Many Romani gypsies still live outside mainstream society
0:34:07 > 0:34:09with their own laws and customs.
0:34:12 > 0:34:15The main man here is called Cimino,
0:34:15 > 0:34:18and soon the money starts flowing to Florin Salam.
0:34:32 > 0:34:34Unu, doua, trei...
0:34:47 > 0:34:51I still can't talk to Florin Salam, but his manager, Puiu Gheorghiu,
0:34:51 > 0:34:53explains to me what's going on.
0:34:53 > 0:34:58A party with Florin Salam, it's like a Forbes rich list for the gypsies.
0:34:59 > 0:35:04But they don't have a magazine to write this,
0:35:04 > 0:35:07and they don't need a magazine to write this,
0:35:07 > 0:35:10and they don't want to have a magazine to write this.
0:35:12 > 0:35:14It sounds like there's a lot of money.
0:35:14 > 0:35:16Where does this money come from?
0:35:16 > 0:35:18Oh... Um...
0:35:22 > 0:35:25Please be so gentle and...
0:35:27 > 0:35:31..let me to...
0:35:31 > 0:35:32not respond.
0:36:16 > 0:36:20But Florin Salam's lyrics certainly raise questions about his patrons
0:36:20 > 0:36:22and how they get all this cash.
0:36:47 > 0:36:49I wonder whether this is boasting,
0:36:49 > 0:36:51or whether these guys are real gangsters.
0:37:09 > 0:37:13As darkness falls, the lyrics get more and more specific.
0:37:28 > 0:37:33But once again, Florin Salam leaves the party before I can talk to him.
0:37:34 > 0:37:37And I'm not sure I want to ask these guys too many questions.
0:37:55 > 0:37:56So what's the news?
0:37:56 > 0:38:00He's sleeping now, but I promise you you shall have an interview
0:38:00 > 0:38:03- with Florin Salam.- Really?- Yes.
0:38:03 > 0:38:06- OK, thank you very much. - Yes, on my...
0:38:07 > 0:38:09Yes, OK.
0:38:09 > 0:38:11Thank you for your understanding.
0:38:23 > 0:38:26Only a tiny minority of Romania's gypsies
0:38:26 > 0:38:29live in the world of gangster bling inhabited by Florin Salam.
0:38:32 > 0:38:35I'm heading to the village of Clejani,
0:38:35 > 0:38:38famous across Romania as a home of traditional gypsy music.
0:38:42 > 0:38:45On my way, I stop to see Viorica,
0:38:45 > 0:38:49a traditional singer who is struggling to get by.
0:40:00 > 0:40:02Viorica isn't just any musician.
0:40:05 > 0:40:10She's a lead singer in the legendary band Taraf De Haidouks.
0:41:04 > 0:41:08For the Taraf De Haidouks, this new gypsy pop manele is threatening
0:41:08 > 0:41:11a musical tradition that has been handed down for centuries.
0:41:28 > 0:41:30It hasn't always been like this.
0:41:34 > 0:41:38Taraf de Haidouks took the West by storm in the '90s.
0:41:40 > 0:41:42Their music is like...
0:41:42 > 0:41:44You know, it's beyond anything I've ever heard.
0:41:44 > 0:41:46First, they're the greatest musicians I've ever heard.
0:41:46 > 0:41:49- CHEERING AND APPLAUSE - Yeah. Yeah.
0:41:49 > 0:41:52Johnny Depp became their biggest fan.
0:41:52 > 0:41:55He even hired them to play at his club in LA.
0:41:55 > 0:41:58But when a Romanian newspaper claimed that they were paid
0:41:58 > 0:42:02100,000 for the job, they became a target.
0:42:43 > 0:42:46The band's double bass player and his family
0:42:46 > 0:42:49were subjected to a horrific attack.
0:42:49 > 0:42:52At three o'clock in the morning, eight men broke into his house.
0:43:16 > 0:43:19His family were subjected to brutal assault
0:43:19 > 0:43:21and they were robbed of everything.
0:44:02 > 0:44:05I'm heading for the Black Sea coast, to Mamaia,
0:44:05 > 0:44:08the most popular sea resort in Romania.
0:44:12 > 0:44:16It's home to a famous club called the House of Manele.
0:44:18 > 0:44:21Tonight, Florin Salam is top of the bill here.
0:44:23 > 0:44:26The organisers are expecting a busy night.
0:44:37 > 0:44:40The club is run by Fane Spoitoru,
0:44:40 > 0:44:43who was once the crime boss of Bucharest.
0:44:43 > 0:44:46His team has to be ready to deal with some of the more
0:44:46 > 0:44:47difficult clientele.
0:45:40 > 0:45:45The local VIPs take their usual seats along with Salam's manager
0:45:45 > 0:45:48and the ever-present Fane Spoitoru.
0:45:58 > 0:46:01It's not long before money starts flowing.
0:46:12 > 0:46:15After the opening songs, Florin Salam heads to the VIP area
0:46:15 > 0:46:17to pay his respects.
0:46:38 > 0:46:40It's time for a few dedications.
0:46:51 > 0:46:54No-one would talk to me on camera about these guys,
0:46:54 > 0:46:57but most people here know who they are.
0:47:00 > 0:47:02In the middle of the VIP area is the son
0:47:02 > 0:47:05of the notorious gangster Sacan.
0:47:05 > 0:47:06His father was said to be the head
0:47:06 > 0:47:08of the Romanian Black Sea Coast Mafia.
0:47:10 > 0:47:14And with him is his friend Tanku - a well-known underworld figure.
0:47:40 > 0:47:45Also here is a man who the press has described as a suspected
0:47:45 > 0:47:46local crime boss.
0:47:52 > 0:47:55I ask Florin Salam's manager about his links with gangsters.
0:47:57 > 0:48:00We must understand a nuance here.
0:48:00 > 0:48:06They consider him much closer than he wants to be.
0:48:09 > 0:48:13Salam should be doing the rounds and singing at all the tables.
0:48:13 > 0:48:14But he's stuck here.
0:48:15 > 0:48:19Some of the VIPs are getting increasingly drunk,
0:48:19 > 0:48:24demanding that he sings the same hits over and over again.
0:48:35 > 0:48:38Florin Salam is under a lot of pressure.
0:48:38 > 0:48:42These kind of people come, they tell you something,
0:48:42 > 0:48:44- and if you say no... - HE CLAPS
0:48:46 > 0:48:47..punish you.
0:48:47 > 0:48:52Florin Salam has now been trapped at this table for an hour and a half.
0:48:52 > 0:48:55The regular guests are beginning to leave.
0:48:55 > 0:48:58Salam's manager Puiu decides to pull the plug.
0:48:58 > 0:49:00Literally.
0:49:04 > 0:49:06MUSIC STOPS
0:49:24 > 0:49:28After hours of drinking, it feels like it could kick off at any time.
0:49:30 > 0:49:33One of the group becomes abusive.
0:49:40 > 0:49:44But this is Fane Spoitoru's club, and no-one messes with him.
0:49:45 > 0:49:46The troublemakers leave.
0:50:17 > 0:50:21'Finally I'm getting my interview with Florin Salam.
0:50:22 > 0:50:25'Like most of today's gypsy pop stars,
0:50:25 > 0:50:27'Salam began as a traditional musician.'
0:50:54 > 0:50:57One of his early patrons was Ion Balint,
0:50:57 > 0:51:00AKA Nutu the Moneylender.
0:51:22 > 0:51:26Nutu is head of one of Romania's most powerful crime families
0:51:26 > 0:51:29and is currently in jail for violence.
0:53:34 > 0:53:38It seems that even Romania's most successful gypsy pop star
0:53:38 > 0:53:41feels trapped by family responsibilities.
0:53:43 > 0:53:46For the traditional musicians, things are far worse.
0:54:16 > 0:54:19But most of Caliu's earnings went to the loan sharks.
0:54:50 > 0:54:54Times are now so hard for the Taraf de Haidouks
0:54:54 > 0:54:57that many of them struggle even to feed their families.
0:55:21 > 0:55:23HE SHOUTS
0:55:26 > 0:55:29PIG SQUEALS
0:55:38 > 0:55:42My fear is that traditional gypsy music, which has helped
0:55:42 > 0:55:46define this community in the eyes of the world for so many years,
0:55:46 > 0:55:48is now dying.
0:55:53 > 0:55:56For better or worse the new music, manele,
0:55:56 > 0:56:00presents a very different image of Romania's gypsies.
0:56:14 > 0:56:17The hardest-hit band member is singer Viorica.
0:56:24 > 0:56:27I arrive to find that she's been struggling to look after her
0:56:27 > 0:56:31three grandchildren on her own while her daughter has been in London.
0:57:08 > 0:57:12Viorica and her granddaughters live in one tiny room.
0:57:16 > 0:57:17BABY CRIES
0:57:17 > 0:57:20Ana is the oldest.
0:57:30 > 0:57:35Ramona, the children's mother, is back from London.
0:58:00 > 0:58:03SHE HUMS