DakhaBrakha / ДахаБраха: ""The stirring and inspiring DakhaBrakha, who mix Ukrainian folk with other global rhythms and wear furry stovepipe hats" The Observer
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."