DakhaBrakha
IMAGE CREDIT: OLGA ZAKREVSKA
FOR THE UNINITIATED, DAKHABRAKHA STANDS AS ONE OF THE MOST SONICALLY DARING COLLECTIVES IN CONTEMPORARY WORLD MUSIC. BORN & RAISED IN KYIV, THE GROUP DRAWS INSPIRATION FROM UKRAINIAN FOLK FUSED WITH WHAT THEY CALL “ETHNO CHAOS”. THEIR ELECTRIC, HAUNTING SOUND HAS CARRIED THEM ACROSS 65+ COUNTRIES WITH SOLD OUT TOURS AND EARNED THEM MILLIONS OF STREAMS ACROSS PLATFORMS. THEIR LIVE PERFORMANCES ARE ROOTED IN CULTURAL MEMORY AND THE CURRENT POLITICAL LANDSCAPE IN THEIR HOMELAND - MADE FOR COLLECTIVE SPIRIT SEEKERS, FILM NERDS AND ANYONE READY TO BE MOVED. BELOW, LIES A CONVERSATION WE HAD WITH MARKO; THEIR SOFT SPOKEN, BRAVE AND FUNNY BAND MEMBER WHO SHARES THE BANDS FAVORITE UKRAINIAN ARTISTS, HIS TAKE ON UKRAINE/RUSSIAN AFFAIRS AND MORE.
4AC: AFTER OUR THOROUGH RESEARCH, WHETHER IT BE ON THE GROUND OR ONLINE, YOUR AUDIENCE RANGES FROM AGE 70+ ALL THE WAY DOWN TO TODDLER SIZE CHILDREN, WHY DO YOU THINK THAT IS?
MARKO: I THINK THAT THIS IS OUR MUSIC. INDEED, WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE FAMILIES OF OUR FANS IN SEVERAL GENERATIONS. IT SEEMS THAT OUR MUSIC IS VERY DIVERSE, WE EXPERIMENT IN DIFFERENT GENRES, SO EVERYONE CAN FIND SOMETHING CLOSE TO THEM.
4AC: OUTSIDE OF THE REHEARSAL ROOMS, STUDIOS & WORLDWIDE STAGES, WHAT DOES DAKHABRAKHA DO FOR FUN?
MARKO: AT THE MOMENT, THE MOST VALUABLE VACATION FOR US IS SIMPLY BEING WITH OUR FAMILIES. HUG AND LOOK AT YOUR CHILDREN. UNFORTUNATELY, EVEN SUCH BASIC THINGS ARE NOT AVAILABLE TO ALL UKRAINIANS TODAY.
4AC: ONE CAN SEE THAT YOU INCORPORATE ELEMENTS OF YOUR HERITAGE IN YOUR MUSIC & FASHION, PLEASE SPEAK ON THE CREATIVE APPROACH TO THESE CHOICES
MARKO: WELL, EVERYTHING IS SIMPLE HERE. IN OUR CREATIVITY, WE ARE BASED ON THE UKRAINIAN FOLK FOUNDATION. THIS IS OUR STRENGTH AND SPECIALTY. OUR ROOTS ARE PART OF US. ACCORDINGLY, WE ALSO USE ETHNIC UKRAINIAN ELEMENTS, SUCH AS ORNAMENTS AND SYMBOLS, IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF COSTUMES. BUT IT IS ABOUT SYNTHESIS AND EXPERIMENTATION, BOTH MUSICALLY AND VISUALLY.
4AC: HOW DOES COLLABORATION WORK WITHIN YOUR GROUP & WHO ELSE DO YOU WORK WITH TO MAKE IT ALL HAPPEN?
MARKO: WHEN IT COMES TO ORGANIZING TOURS, HERE IN NORTH AMERICA WE WORK WITH THE RIOT ARTISTS AGENCY. ALL OF OUR PREVIOUS 24 TOURS HAPPENED THANKS TO BILL SMITH AND HIS TEAM. IN FRANCE, WE ARE HANDLED BY RUN PRODUCTION, IN THE REST OF EUROPE BY VARIOUS ORGANIZERS, INCLUDING UKRAINIAN ONES. WITH ALL OF THEM, WE DO NOT HAVE BUSINESS, BUT RATHER "FAMILY" RELATIONS. WE TRY TO BE NOT TOO "DRAMA", WE HOPE WE SUCCEED.
MARKO: AT THE MOMENT, THE MOST VALUABLE VACATION FOR US IS SIMPLY BEING WITH OUR FAMILIES. HUG AND LOOK AT YOUR CHILDREN. UNFORTUNATELY, EVEN SUCH BASIC THINGS ARE NOT AVAILABLE TO ALL UKRAINIANS TODAY.
4AC: ONE CAN SEE THAT YOU INCORPORATE ELEMENTS OF YOUR HERITAGE IN YOUR MUSIC & FASHION, PLEASE SPEAK ON THE CREATIVE APPROACH TO THESE CHOICES
MARKO: WELL, EVERYTHING IS SIMPLE HERE. IN OUR CREATIVITY, WE ARE BASED ON THE UKRAINIAN FOLK FOUNDATION. THIS IS OUR STRENGTH AND SPECIALTY. OUR ROOTS ARE PART OF US. ACCORDINGLY, WE ALSO USE ETHNIC UKRAINIAN ELEMENTS, SUCH AS ORNAMENTS AND SYMBOLS, IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF COSTUMES. BUT IT IS ABOUT SYNTHESIS AND EXPERIMENTATION, BOTH MUSICALLY AND VISUALLY.
4AC: HOW DOES COLLABORATION WORK WITHIN YOUR GROUP & WHO ELSE DO YOU WORK WITH TO MAKE IT ALL HAPPEN?
MARKO: WHEN IT COMES TO ORGANIZING TOURS, HERE IN NORTH AMERICA WE WORK WITH THE RIOT ARTISTS AGENCY. ALL OF OUR PREVIOUS 24 TOURS HAPPENED THANKS TO BILL SMITH AND HIS TEAM. IN FRANCE, WE ARE HANDLED BY RUN PRODUCTION, IN THE REST OF EUROPE BY VARIOUS ORGANIZERS, INCLUDING UKRAINIAN ONES. WITH ALL OF THEM, WE DO NOT HAVE BUSINESS, BUT RATHER "FAMILY" RELATIONS. WE TRY TO BE NOT TOO "DRAMA", WE HOPE WE SUCCEED.