Vocalist and leader of ETHNICA MUSIC PROJECT Elena ‘NetLenka’ Belyaeva was born in the Western Siberia, where she spend her childhood. Her granny, who was a healer, acquainted Elena with folk music. After that she lived in Perm, where she graduated from the choreographic academy. Then she studied in Moscow and got a degree as a director. While studying in Moscow, she was having lessons on vocal and worked as an actress in a dramatic theatre. She was getting knowledge in different vocal techniques in various corners of Russia and deployed them later in her singing.
The idea of the ETHNICA MUSIC PROJECT was generated by Elena in May 1997. By that time, she had been a member of the folk band Zvontsy for four years, had been a vocalist in a project of Vladimir Chekasin entitled Chekasin And Guests (with Japanese drummer Shoji Hano) and had founded her own folk band Shumel Kamysh.
The international debut of ETHNICA took place in June 2002. The team was asked to represent Russia at the 23rd Folk Festival of European Broadcasting Union in Moeln (Germany). It is worth noting that the last time Russian musicians took part in this festival was six years ago. The main event of 2002 was the release of ETHNICA’s debut album on the music label Megaliner Records. The album release stirred a reaction from almost all Russian music journalists and critics. The magazine Play favored it with a ‘Recommended Play’ rating. Two music compositions, ‘Dawn’ and ‘On the Wing’, were included in a number of music collections.
The premier of the new concert program ‘Rusalki’ took place at Gorbushkin Dvor on May 18, 2003. ETHNICA gave a performance with the same program at the central stage in Bucharest (Romania) as well as in clubs in Budapest (Hungary). Afterwards, ETHNICA was invited to participate in the large European open-air Sziget Festival. During breaks between concert tours, ETHNICA’s ‘Rusalki’ could be seen in Moscow clubs 16 Tons, Fly, JVL, Bunker and at the Ethnolife Festival. In November 2003 ETHNICA performed together with the cult Norwegian singer Kari Rueslatten in Moscow.
In spring 2005 Ethnica Music Project had big European tour (Poland, Germany, Hungary - 20 concerts) at first time. Within the tour NetLenka took part in Art Rhythmic Depot Festival in Poland (improvise with Mazzoll, Dobie, Sirkis, Swaijgier, Majewski and Pulsarus), Festival of Slavic Songs in Poznan (played with ethno-quartet Jorgi) and Shaman Nights (with Tuvinian singers Gendos and Sainkho Namchylak). NetLenka recorded some tracks in Gendos’ album ‘Ham-Dyt. Shaman Tree’ (Luna Music, Poland) as the special guest.
In May 2006 Elena Belyaeva introduced the best from the program of the Art Depot festival in Russia, the concert where performed Mazzoll, Dobie, Rachon and the legendary Japanese master of percussions Shoji Hano took a place in Moscow, in Artist House. The summer tour 2006 was opened with the concerts on such festivals as ‘The Empty Hills’ and ‘The United Islands of Prague’ (Czechia), “Open City†(Latvia). In October the duet of Elena Belyaeva and Shoji Hano (Tetsu Jamauchi, bass as the special guest) introduced their program in 6 cities of Japan.
Also Elena Belyaeva and ETHNICA prepared new acoustic program, 17 songs from different regions of Russia with various manners of singing.
Ethnica Music Project of 2006 consists of several programs:
- NetLenka’s vocal workshops;
- The Encyclopedia. Part 1 – acoustic program based on authentic singing songs from different regions of Russia;
- Das E.M.P. – dark electronic, the continuation of experiments which started in the ‘Omut’ album;
- Fairy Wood – program in the style of world-fusion, based on the materials from the last album. Succeed in the European tour;
-Art Depot. Five seasons – international ethno-free-jazz program, NetLenka – Mazzoll (Poland) – Dobie (U.K.) – Shoji Hano (Japan) and other musicians, free improvisation;
- Fish In The Sky – duo with Shoji Hano (Japan).
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