Novi list, Croatia - 2007-07-21
"BALKANIKA" - PRVOKLASNI ETNO SPEKTAKL
Hrvatska publika napokon se imala prilike upoznati sa svjetski poznatom etno skupinom Aleksandra Sanje Ilica
...." Balkanika " je zanimljiva etno skupina, na celu sa vrsnim kompozitorom i aranzerom Aleksandrom Sanjom Ilicem, koja vrlo vjesto i atraktivno kombinira tradicionalni etno melos naroda sa balkanskog podneblja sa suvremenim i modernim zvukom, a rezultat je zvucno i vizualno vrlo dojmljiv spektakl....
Glazba koju izvodi "Balkanika" inspirirana je starim melodijama Balkana, koje zahvaljujuci znalackim aranzerskim igrama iskusnog skladatelja Ilica, postaju suvremene i aktualne kompozicije u trendu sa "world music" izricajem.....
Novi list, Croatia - 2007-07-20
SNAZNI I MOCNI ALEKSANDAR SANJA ILIC I BALKANIKA
Dvosatni koncert izazvao odusevljenje posjetilaca
Iako su sa spektaklom "Urban Etno Explosion" unatrag nekoliko godina proputovali svijet gostujuci u eminentnim koncertnim dvoranama, poznati beogradski etno glazbenik Aleksandar Sanja Ilic i njegova grupa "Balkanika" sinoc su na opatijskoj Ljetnoj pozornici imali svoj premijerni nastup pred hrvatskom publikom. Snazna i mocna izvedba vrsnih instrumentalista na modernim i tredicionalnim instrumentima, iskusnog mjesovitog zbora, odlicnih vokalista, gudackog kvarteta "Wonders", te sudjelovanje Simfonijskog orkestra HRT-a malo koga su ostavili ravnodusnim.
Bogat repertoar inspiriran balkanskim melosom i folklorom u suvremenim aranzmanima bliskim "world music" izricaju, iznimno popularnom u svijetu unatrag nekoliko godina, pokazali su kako balkanski melos moze zvucati aktualno i moderno, a atraktivan vizuelni dogadjaj pojacan odlicnim dizajnom rasvjete sjajno se uklopio kompletan dojam spektakla......D.Bauk
Reporter - Beograd - 2005-11-28
...An empty media space, caused by departure of Goran Bregovic and his orchestra into the World was taken by Sanja Ilic. For many years he had been composing music for TV, movies and theatre, but he has also been famous for his brilliant festival hits performed by wide range of singers from former Yugoslavia, as well as today's Serbia. This pianist insisting on modern native inheritance following Bregovic's puritan methods of taking over the market - has become the founder of the main stream trend in the ethno music in this area...
Tarlac Goran
TV NEWS 1 RTS - 2002-02-17
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Shanghai - Ximin Bao - 2001-11-07
...The Balkan stars were shining on Grand Stage in Shanghai...
8.000 people in the audience were very deeply emotionally touched by the beauty of the melodies , even though they did not understand the lyrics....
TV NEWS 2 RTS - 2001-02-17
...We speak about the culture, very traditional, the one we are very proud of. The composer Sanja Ilic and his band Balkanika performed the concert of ethno music played on the old instruments with modern sound... In variety of modern melodies that we are able to hear nowadays starting with folk music all the way to techno and electronic music which with countless repetition of the same phrases show superficiality and alienation...the music of Balkanika presents a real refreshment, and almost healing takes us back to pure and sincere...
Aleksandar Crkvenjakov