DakhaBrakha is a music quartet from Kyiv, Ukraine. Their “ethno chaos” sound spans years of performances prior to Russia’s 2022 invasion, but war is in everything now. They masterfully blend Ukrainian traditional music with influences from around the world, resulting in an unexpected new music.
Traditional music has seen a resurgence in Ukraine over the past decades, after being suppressed during Soviet rule. DakhaBrakha uses Ukrainian polyphony as its foundation, interweaving complex rhythmic and melodic structures from India, Arabia, Africa, and Australia. Their music is textural, layered sounds with distinctive percussive heartbeats, thumping bass lines, distorted electric guitars and influences of jazz, spoken word, rap and even punk. DakhaBrakha calls this tapestry of influences “ethno chaos.” And this chaos is a strength, allowing them to draw in strands of music that connect Ukraine with the world.
They are troubadours, activists and educators. Though their name means Give/Take in the old language, DakhaBrakha is new Ukraine, both pre-colonial and post-Soviet, working within a global network of art and music. They aim to help audiences see Ukraine not as a monolith, but as a cosmopolitan culture that takes in other cultures, and gives in return.
DakhaBrakha was created in 2004 at the Kyiv Center of Contemporary Art “DAKH” by the avant-garde theatre director Vladyslav Troitskyi. Theatre work has left its mark on the band performances – their shows are always staged with a strong visual element. Projected behind them are a mix of animations from different Ukrainian artists and photos of life in today’s Ukraine. Some are celebratory, bright and bold. Some are dark, others curious, a reflection of the many facets of Ukrainian culture.
In March 2011 DakhaBrakha was discovered by Australian Womadelaide and began their ascent in the international music scene. They have since played hundreds of concerts and performances at major international festivals including Big Ears Festival, Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, WOMAD, Roskilde Festival and on the main stage at the Glastonbury Festival. In March 2020, DakhaBrakha won the Shevchenko National Prize for Musical Arts – the biggest award in Ukraine in the sphere of contemporary art – and confirmed its place in the culture once again. In 2023 DakhaBrakha won globalFEST’s Artist Award in the USA and became Chevaliers of the Order of Arts in France.
The band is currently in the process of recording their first album since 2020 in Kyiv (Ukraine), which combines material created before and during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
vocals, darbuka, tabla, accordion
Marko is the only representative of the countryside in the band. He was born in the village of Krushenivka, in the Vinnitskiy region. into a family of village intellectuals. He graduated from the faculty of the Ukrainian philology, but came into the theatre, became an actor of the Centre of Contemporary Art “DAKH” and then accidentally found himself working with the band. Marko is fond of design – he creates the visual images of DakhaBrakha and also for the “DAKH” theatre where he continues to perform on stage as an actor.
vocals, djembe, bass drums, accordion, percussion, bugay, zgaleyka, piano
Ira has played Ukrainian ethnic music since her early childhood. Moreover, she has graduated from the faculty of folklore. She is fond of yoga, yachting, and rowing. Ira is responsible for the “brass section” of the group, as she easily gets the feel of different musical instruments. She also performs at the “Dakh” theatre as an actress.
vocals, bass drums, percussion, garmoshka
Lena is one of the specialists at the folklore department of the National University of Ukraine. When she has some time off, she works on preparing her Candidate’s dissertation about traditional Ukrainian wedding songs. She is fond of driving, sewing and interior design.
vocals, cello, bass drum
Nina professionally studied folklore and is a self-taught cellist. She is the most artistically open-minded member of the band and is always up for collaborating with other musicians. Nina is fond of traveling, photography, fancywork and adornment creation.
Kathleen Copeland
Sharon & John Dobson
