DakhaBrakha means “give/take†in Ukrainian.
DakhaBrakha are a Ukranian quintet who play Ukranian folk music with a contemporary twist. All five sing together to create stirring melodies and as well as traditional Ukrainian/Russian instruments such as the cello and Russian treschotki, they also play instruments you would not readily associate with a folk band from Eastern Europe such as Indian tablas, buddhistic gong and maracas. As such their sound combines Eastern European folk sensibilties and melodies with rhythms from Africa and Asia.
DakhaBrakha were formed in 2004 at the Centre of Contemporary Art in Kiev - “DAKH†– by avant-garde theater director and cultural savant Vladyslav Troitsky.
Vlad felt that Ukrainian folk music would benefit from the overtones of another music, cultures and styles and so he brought together some of the finest musicians he knew. Experimenting with Ukranian folk music they introduced other rhythms from around the world to create the intense, moving and melancholic sound that is DakhaBrakha.
As well as performing gigs as a band in their own right they are also the ’house’ band for the Dakh Theatre company. Dakh Theatre is known throughout Europe as one of the leading production houses of avant-garde theatre combining live music from DakhaBrakha with theatre and dance to create some intense productions. Their series of Shakespeare interpretations has brought them to many of Europe’s leading venues including London’s Barbican in January 2007.As well as many festivals and theatres in the Ukraine, DakhaBrakha have also performed in the UK (London), Germany, France (Cannes), Russia (Moscow), Georgia, Poland, Hungary (Budapest) and Poland. A list selected of festivals is below:
October 2007: German theatre tour
July 2007: Shesory festival (Ukraine)
February 2007: DakhaBrakha with Theatre “Dakh†played 10 performances “Prologue to “Macbeth†at the Barbican Centre (London, UK)
September 2006 The days of Ukraine in Georgia (Tbilisi, Georgia)
September 2006 The International Music Festival “JazzKoktebel†(Koktebel, Ukraine)
September 2006 The Summer Festival (Budapest, Hungary)
August 2006 The Music Festival “Pechenizke Pole†(Kharkiv, Ukraine)
August 2006 The International Art Festival “Bulwar sztuki†(Torun, Poland)
July 2006 The World Culture Festival “Ethnolife†(Moscow, Russia)
July 2006 Shakespearian Theatre Festival (Diula, Hungary)
November 2005 “Brave festival†“Magic voices†(Vrotzlav, Poland)
August 2005 The City Theatre Season Opening (Debretzen, Hungary)
August 2005 Shakespearian Theatre Festival (Gdansk, Poland)
July 17 2005 Shakespearian Theatre Festival (Diula, Hungary)
July 2005 “The Winged Dragon†Street Theatre Festival (Nyirbator, Hungary)
June 2005 “Ethnic Style†Festival (St. Petersburg, Russia)
Read all about DakhaBrakha’s performance at the Shesory festival in the Ukraine on the Observer Monthly Music blog
Profile edited with CricketSoda’s Myspace Editor