DakhaBrakha is a creative freedom from Ukraine, combining urban avant-garde with Ukrainian folk art. Their concerts resemble a ritual in which folklore, shamanic rhythms and theatrical performance merge into one hypnotic flow. This group is like a Ukrainian voice from a parallel world, which speaks with the voice of antiquity, but with the sound of the 21st century.

In Ukraine itself, they are a cult phenomenon, and in the world, they have appeared in more than five hundred concerts and performances, participated in numerous festivals, including Glastonbury, Bonnaroo, SXSW, Sziget, etc.

DakhaBrakha's musical geography is very wide. Although they are deeply Ukrainian at heart, their sound sounds as if it was born while traveling through the deserts of India, the jungles of Africa and the cities of the Middle East. This is no coincidence – the group consciously incorporates ethnic instruments from all over the world into their work, but never loses touch with their roots. They play the Australian didgeridoo, the Arabic darbuka, the Indian tabla, and weave all these sounds into a Ukrainian vocal structure that seems to not only sing, but also communicate with something beyond.

DakhaBrakha does not shy away from experiments: on stage they use not only drums or a cello, but also metal containers, water buckets, even plastic pipes – all sounds are potential expressions.

Such a sound collage allows them to sound global, but never banal. They do not try to “hit the fashion”, but rather create their own. Moreover, you cannot call their music “world music” in the context of what is usually seen at Western festivals – they refuse to be “representatives of an exotic nation”. On the contrary – they show that Ukraine is not a periphery, but a center from which a strong cultural impulse can emanate.

At a time when Ukraine is going through historical trials, DakhaBrakha concerts have also become a form of cultural resistance. They do not shout slogans, but send a sound that penetrates deeper. This is music that does not belong to time, but speaks of the present.

Performers:

Olena Tsybulska - vocals, drums, percussion, harmonica.
Iryna Kovalenko - vocals, djembe, drums, accordion, percussion, keyboards, hornpipe, bladder fiddle.
Nina Garenetska - vocals, cello, drums.
Marko Halanevych - vocals, darbuka, tabla, didgeridoo, accordion, trombone.