DakhaBrakha will bring its distinctive blend of Ukrainian folk music, global rhythms and theatrical experimentation to Fiba Salon İKSV on Friday 4 December 2026. Describing their sound as “ethno-chaos,” the Kyiv-based quartet has developed an approach that places traditional Ukrainian melodies alongside percussion, electronic textures and musical influences gathered from across the world. Their performances combine powerful polyphonic vocals, an unusual range of instruments and a strong visual sensibility, making the group an important contemporary interpreter of Ukrainian musical heritage. With an international following built through appearances at major festivals including Glastonbury, Roskilde and Sziget, DakhaBrakha offers a perspective on folk music that is rooted in cultural memory while remaining firmly experimental. Tickets are available via Passo.
The group emerged in 2004 from Kyiv’s Dakh Centre of Contemporary Art, established by avant-garde theatre director Vladyslav Troitskyi. The theatrical origins remain central to its identity, with the musicians treating performance as an extension of their musical storytelling. The name DakhaBrakha, meaning “give and take” in old Ukrainian, reflects an approach based on exchange between traditions. Its four members, Marko Halanevych, Iryna Kovalenko, Olena Tsybulska and Nina Garenetska, combine distinctive vocal harmonies with instruments including cello, accordion, darbuka, djembe and didgeridoo. Rather than simply arranging traditional songs in a contemporary style, the quartet incorporates rhythmic and instrumental influences from Africa, Asia and beyond, creating an expansive sound that resists straightforward genre classification.
Their discography traces this evolution, from early recordings such as Yahudky (2007) and Na mezhi (2009) to The Road (2016) and Alambari (2020), the latter recorded in Brazil. Their latest album, Ptakh (2025), meaning “Bird,” brings Ukrainian musical traditions and contemporary concerns into focus, reflecting themes of resilience, freedom and solidarity amid the ongoing war. The group’s international profile has also grown through appearances at festivals including WOMADelaide, Glastonbury and Roskilde, alongside collaborations with musicians from different experimental and world music backgrounds.
For DakhaBrakha, the relationship between music, identity and cultural preservation is inseparable from its artistic development. Its work has introduced international audiences to Ukrainian folk traditions while demonstrating how those traditions can evolve through experimentation and cross-cultural exchange. The concert offers an opportunity to encounter a group whose music is as much about contemporary cultural expression as it is about preserving the sounds of the past.
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