DakhaBrakha

DakhaBrakha is a group from Kyïv, formed in 2004 at the Kyiv Center of Contemporary Art DAKH by theatre director Vladyslav Troitskyi. It is a world-music quartet associated with experimental folk, white voice and world fusion, and it describes its style as Ukrainian “ethnic chaos”. The group’s name comes from an old Ukrainian expression meaning “give/take”.

Style and performance

As a project rooted in Ukrainian folk music, DakhaBrakha combines traditional melodies with rhythms and instrumentation from other places, creating a trans-national sound. Its vocal approach is described as powerful and uncompromising, and its performances draw on theatre, with scenic effects used in the staging. The group’s musical range moves between intimate and intense, and it is linked to contemporary roots and rhythm-based music.

Members

The quartet consists of Marko Halanevych, Olena Tsybulska, Iryna Kovalenko and Nina Garenetska. Halanevych performs vocals, goblet drum, tabla, didgeridoo, harmonica, accordion, cajón and jaw harp. Tsybulska contributes vocals and percussion. Kovalenko performs vocals, djembe, flute, buhay, piano, ukulele, zgaleyka, accordion and percussion. Garenetska performs vocals, cello and percussion. All members except Halanevych graduate from the Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts, and Garenetska also takes part in Dakh Daughters.

Work, collaborations and recognition

DakhaBrakha performs at concerts and festivals internationally, including in Ukraine, France, Great Britain, Ireland, Austria, Slovenia, the Netherlands, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Germany, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Belarus, Georgia, Hungary, Poland, China, Australia, the United States, Canada, Colombia, New Zealand and Brazil. It works with a range of other musicians, including Port Mone, Kimmo Pohjonen Cluster, Karl Frierson, Steve Cooney, Inna Zhelannaya, Kievbass, Djam and David Ingibaryan.

The group wins the S. Kuriokhin Grand Prix for contemporary art in 2010. It is also named a discovery of WOMADelaide in Australia in 2011. In 2020 it reaches the final of the Shevchenko National Prize in the musical arts category and becomes one of the awardees. Its fourth album, Alambari, is recorded in Brazil in 2019 at Gargolandia studio and is launched in 2020.