Spectacular Ukrainian folk group DakhaBrakha take us around the capital Kyiv in an unusual new video, “Monakh”.
There’s no better proof of their international acclaim than taking a look at their recent tour around the world. It started in China, then took them Poland and France, then around the USA, to finally finish it with a series of UK concerts.
The Kyiv-based quartet consists of Nina Garenetska, Olena Tsibulska, Iryna Kovalenko and Marko Halanevych. Among their instruments you’ll hear piano, cello, accordions and drums – as well as and jew’s harp, darbuka, and even didgeridoo.
DakhaBrakha’s influences are as diverse and unexpected. Their new single “Monakh” is a great example of here, as there’s folk – obviously – as well as semi-rap, minimal piano arrangement, touch of R&B, gradually speeding groove and a fantastically weird atmosphere.
The video, directed by Victor Priduvalov, makes the overall impression even more eerie, with the folk-clad musicians playing in the most unexpected (even dangerous) spots in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv.
“Monakh” is just a taste of DakhaBrakha’s “anarchistic reinterpretation of traditional Ukrainian
folk songs”, which they call aptly ethno-chaos. If you like it, be sure to check out their most recent album, “The Road”.
It was released exactly one year ago and was dedicated to those “who gave their lives for our freedom, who continue stand over its guard, and who go the challenging way of a free person without losing their hope”.
Stream “The Road” on Bandcamp and Soundcloud.
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