To date Haidamaky is probably the only Ukrainian group to go on a professionally organized tour of several European countries to promote their album “Ukraine Calling” issued on the German label East Blok Music. In Ukraine this album is called “Perversions.” Like the two previous ones, the latest album was issued by Comp Music (EMI licensee).
In Europe Haidamaky’s genre is referred to as folk-dub-punk. They are indisputable leaders of Ukraine’s contemporary folk-rock scene. In the mid-1990s the group was called Actus and it played alternative music. They obviously made the right move to change their name and style. We spoke to Ivan Lenyo, the group’s virtuoso accordion player and inspirer of many musical ideas.
“Can you explain the situation with the album ‘Ukraine Calling’?”
“The Bible says, ‘Knock and it will be opened to you.’ About eight years ago Haidamaky embarked on a Europe-oriented path. Travels compel a person to be in different dimensions, to think, and to analyze. All our previous club tours of Germany and Poland finally prompted us to sign a contract with the German concert agency East Blok Music, and after long talks it found a common language with our company EMI and issued our CD. To promote the album, we toured four European countries: Poland, Austria, Switzerland, and Germany.”
“Your group had considerable concert experience in Europe even before this tour. comparable?”
“Before, we had dealings with our acquaintances and friends to put on concerts at festival grounds and club stages. Now all this has a professional quality, which makes us feel more responsible. Much depends on our German promoters, who deal with a genre called ‘world music.’ In Europe there are a lot of people who listen to this kind of music and watch performances by world music stars-authentic ethnic- oriented music from all over the world.
We were introduced as representatives of the Ukrainian world music scene. In Switzerland we performed in two cities, Lucerne and Stein. We played to packed houses that hold thousands of people. Unlike here, people over there get worked up and begin to dance after the fifth or sixth song, so we really exerted ourselves. After the concert, spectators came up to thank us, because clearly they had not expected this kind of drive.
In addition to the packed halls, there were also lots of journalists. The questions that were asked during press conferences differed from country to country, depending on the mentality and level of knowledge about Ukraine. When we were in Hamburg, we were approached by people from the famous local club Fabrik and got an invitation to perform there the next time. This is a great honor for any musician because only international stars play there.”
“What do you and your German partners think about the prospects of your album in Europe?”
“I will remind you that it was Goran Bregovic who began creating the world music trend about 10 years ago. As a talented sound producer, he would record his albums jointly with Polish, Greek, and Bulgarian stars. He managed to arouse the interest of world-famous labels that realized world music was in great demand. Then some small companies emerged, like East Block Music, which began to make a careful study of empty niches. They can simultaneously deal with several East European groups.
In addition to us, they have Boban Markovic, Leningrad, and the Polish group Ze Wsi Warszawa (The band from the little village of Warsaw). When we were coming home from the tour, East Block Music called us and said that our album was seventh on the European hit parade of world music. Incidentally, Leningrad’s disc was 22 nd. Ratings are assessed according to the number of discs sold. So that’s good news for us!”
“In this case, can we expect a wave of interest in Ukrainian folklore and other phenomena of Ukrainian culture?”
“I would mention the Orange Revolution, Ruslana Lyzhychko’s Eurovision victory in Istanbul, and other positive things that helped Ukraine to be noticed. Apparently, the alternative scene was waiting for its heroes, and Haidamaky may be the right choice. We found our way there just in time and showed a program that sparked interest. Maybe it was the triumph of our principle: always be candid, open, and honest. People see and feel this.”
