BALAKLAVA BLUES

• country:Ukraine
• style(s):Techno, Traditional
• label:Unfit Records
• type:Band, Trio
• gender:male, female
• instrumentation:vocal, electronic, percussion, visual
• artist posted by:JVPromotion OÜ

Line up

• Marichka Marczyk: (keys, vocals, percussion)
• Mark Mazczyk (violin, vocal, percussion, electronic)
• Oskar Lambarri: (percussion, backing vocals)

Links

• website
• Instagram
• facebook
• Spotify

Falling somewhere between a traditional song cycle and a full blown multimedia techno show, Balaklava Blues experiments with Ukrainian polyphony and other folk traditions.

Mark and Marichka Marczyk met and fell in love in 2014 during the Revolution of Dignity in Ukraine. Their experiences of war coupled with their unique knowledge of the polyphonic blues of the Ukrainian plains exploded into an ethno-bass live set in which the duo sang live to original EDM, trap, trance and electro-pop influenced tracks. The astounding vocals are accompanied by equally compelling documentary footage from the front lines of the war, black and white archival material from the same region, and popular Soviet cartoons.

Ukrainian traditional music reflects the experience of the tragedy of war over the course of the past thousand years. The band draws on that beautiful expression of tragedy and the more recent collective experience and tries to make it a source of strength and unity for others.

As for the band’s name, balaclavas have been part of the Ukrainian zeitgeist since the 2014 revolution. They’re meant to conceal, but when the band has them on they feel more exposed and vulnerable. Balaclavas hide the face, but they expose the soul.

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