Baraka

Baraka is a Russian-Latvian dub/downtempo group with Dmitry Evsikov as the named member. The name also belongs to several other acts, including a British jungle and drum & bass producer, a Washington, D.C. electronic musician, a Japanese rock trio, a Turkish band, and a Los Angeles funk group, but the act identified here is the Russian-Latvian group.

Background and style

The group starts as teenagers playing in a high school orchestra and begins shaping its sound in 2003, initially under the name BaRocka. Its early material develops around a mix of rhythm-focused ideas and home-studio recording. The project works in dub and downtempo, with the group description also placing it across jungle, progressive rock, fusion, post-punk and coldwave.

Early performances and songs

Baraka gives its debut concert on 19 September 2005. After that performance, the group continues refining its songs and composes material including “Dogmayacak Ask”, “Dusundum Durdum”, “Derin” and “Siyah Korku”. In 2006 it plays two larger shows, one at Eynal Hot Springs on 6 August and another at Simav Traditional Festival on 29 August, using these appearances to reach a wider audience.

Recording and competition entry

While preparing for concerts, the group records songs at a home studio. It also enters the song competition Nokia Super Sound ’06 with “Siyah Korku”. The line-up listed for this period is Sefa Kırlı on vocal, guitar and bass; Serhat Duzcu on guitar and bass; Anıl Teke on guitar, bass and backing vocal; and Mehmet Mert on drums.