20 Years of Ethno-Chaos with DakhaBrakha
DakhaBrakha burst onto the scene 20 years ago, redefining what the genre of world music could encompass with larger-than-life costumes, theatricality, and multimedia elements. They quickly became bold new ambassadors for Ukrainian culture, highlighting festivals around the world. This April 4, they come to the Jack Singer Concert Hall at Arts Commons to demonstrate why they have made such an impact everywhere they’ve performed.
Arts Commons Presents was able to sit down with DakhaBrakha’s Marko Halanevych to learn a bit more about what went in to making them such a global phenomenon.
You’ve used the term “ethno-chaos” to describe your music—how does this capture what you’re trying to do?
We came up with this genre about 20 years ago, and at the time, it reflected our concept of creativity. We were actively exploring world ethnic music and incorporating various elements like sounds, rhythms, and melodic and vocal patterns into our experiments with Ukrainian ethnic music. That's why our director, the theater director of Dakh, Vlad Troitskyi, suggested this name for such experiments.
You started out in the theatre as the house band for Kiev’s DAKH; how does that early experience affect your stage shows?
We believe our theatrical experience greatly influenced our subsequent creativity. Although we're not currently involved in theatrical performances, we still collaborate with Vlad, continuing to make music together. Many music critics note the theatrical dramatism in the structure of our program, as well as in the construction of the visuals accompanying our concerts.
Your music is rooted in deep research of folklore and ethnomusicology—are many of these traditions being lost? And can you give us a sense of the wide diversity of music in Ukraine?
Language, culture, and traditions were the basis of every nation's identity. And since Ukraine existed for almost 300 years practically under colonial rule, all these things were either assimilated or completely destroyed by the metropolis. This was especially evident during the Soviet period. For example, my father told me that in his childhood, singing Christmas songs with friends in rural houses could get them caught by the Komsomol and punished. Of course, a significant part of traditions vanished with changes in lifestyle and the onslaught of economic-scientific progress. But it's difficult to quantify exactly how much of the traditional culture has been lost. We're really happy that despite all these circumstances, such a layer of Ukrainian traditional culture has been preserved, and it serves as a source of inspiration for modern young people.
You play everything from the tabla to the didgeridoo—do you have a favourite instrument?
We play many instruments but constantly strive to reduce their number for practical reasons. However, recently, a Ukrainian master gifted me an electric guitar he made, and now I'm mastering it. Three new compositions made earlier this year already feature the electric guitar. It's a new instrument for me, so it's currently my favorite.
You have said “every one of our concerts abroad can be regarded as a political act in itself,” how has the war affected your mission on the road?
Certainly, all our dreams are about peace in Ukraine, and that's where we direct most of our efforts. The Russian army is wiping our cities off the face of the earth, destroying everything in its path. No matter how dedicated our people's resistance is, without the support of the West, we will lose. And if we lose, democracy loses, which will have catastrophic consequences for the future development of humanity. As pompous as it may sound. In the long wait for new modern weapons, the best Ukrainian soldiers die every day. Every day, Russians destroy houses with civilian people and their little children by bombing. It's a real genocide, which is not called genocide. But we try to talk about it whenever possible, believing that those who have the power to make fateful decisions for the world will hear us.
Your concerts are known for their vibrance, energy and humour—what keeps you inspired as the war continues at home in Ukraine, and how do you find that balance between levity and gravity?
Yes, maintaining this balance is also a challenge for us. Our hearts are torn with pain and sorrow, with a sense of injustice and horror. It's not easy to go on stage knowing that Russian rockets are flying to your city at the same time. And you only find out about the destruction after the concert. But we can't afford to despair and sit idle. We engage in our favorite activity, which also allows us to reach the hearts of people around the world and contribute to the realization of the dream - a lasting peace in our country.
Join Arts Commons Presents on Thursday, April 4 for DakhaBrakha in all of their joyous, powerful, and unique energy in the Jack Singer Concert Hall at Arts Commons.
