Playing Hungarian Olah Gypsy music, Romengo is comprised of six band members who learned traditional folk songs from their parents, and since 2004 have present them and original compositions on albums and at world music festivals.  Their previous albums have done very well on world music charts, and their lead vocalist Mónika Lakatos has received numerous awards, including the prestigious WOMEX Artist Award in 2020.  Born in Budapest to an Olah Gypsy family, Mónika and her husband Mihály “Mazsi” Rostás founded Romengo.

Mihály "Mazsi" Rostás (guitars, oral bass, vocals) was taught to sing traditional songs by his grandfather who was also a famous storyteller in Hungary. In 1995,Mazsi joined the theatre 'Holdvilag', where he met Mónika, a singer, dancer and comedienne who became his wife soon afterwards. Romengo’s other musicians include János "Guszti" Lakatos (oral bass, tin can, dance), Rosonczy-Kovács Mihály (violin, vocals), Tibor Balogh (washtub, spoons, percussion, oral bass, vocals) and Novák Csaba (bass). A couple guests featured on Folk utca 2004 – 2022 are drummer Máte Antal Kovács, and bassist Peter Bordás. 

It’s easy to get captivated by Romengo’s music, Mónika’s vocalizing, and Gypsy culture and traditions in general. Romengo's music has one foot strongly in their folkloric upbringing, but they also are open-minded to incorporating new approaches and collaborations. For example, they’ve played several times with the Mendelssohn Chamber Orchestra and in 2015 gave a joint concert with Indian singer Sumitra at the Berlin Philharmonic. Besides folk and classical, Romengo's music also has elements of jazz and flamenco.

Spanning about an hour, Folk utca 2004 – 2022 has several standout tracks, including their arrangement of a traditional song “Szól a kakas már” (The Rooster Calls), to open the set. Other highlights among their self-penned compositions are “Aven aven romale” (Come, Come, Romani), “Zörög a kocsi” (The Car Rattles), “Botolóso” (Botologist), “Domi mó” (Sunday), “Torontó – Montreál,”  and “Turnédal” (Songs from the Road). Romengo closes with an traditional piece, the 14-minute haunting reflections of “Luludjalo sanco – Siluro,” a mysterious piece that leaves me curious about the Olah Romani musical heritage, and how today’s songs are born from everyday life and moments that capture joy, celebration, strength and sorrow. (Joe Ross, Roots Music Report)