Instytut Polski w Londynie

22.03.2026 Events, Music

As part of their European tour, ‘The Other Sound of Balkans’, Romanian music stars Subcarpați will perform in London, accompanied by Polish-Ukrainian group DAGADANA, who will perform under the slogan ‘voices from beyond’.

WHEN: Sunday, Mar 22 at 7 pm
WHERE: Watford Colosseum
TICKETS: eventbrite

Daga & Dana fot. R.Ungureanu

Both ensembles fuse folklore with contemporary forms of expression — Subcarpați weave traditional Romanian melodies with hip-hop and electronic sounds, creating their signature energetic style often described as “underground folk,” while DAGADANA draw on Polish and Ukrainian folk songs, blending them with jazz, electronics, and art pop.

Marius Andrei Alexe (Bean MC) – Subcarpați fot. R.Ungureanu

The artistic relationship between DAGADANA and Subcarpați began in 2025 in Bucharest during the De la Om la Omartistic residency, organized as part of the Poland–Romania Cultural Season 2024–2025. Subcarpați’s leader and producer, Marius Andrei Alexe (Bean MC), selected and invited DAGADANA from among proposed Polish artists. From their very first meeting, it became clear that the bands shared a similar approach to music and a deep respect for tradition and roots.

fot. R.Ungureanu

The residency resulted in joint recording sessions, concerts, and a new arrangement of the Polish folk song “Moja mamo,” originating from the Kurpie region and originally performed by the legendary Apolonia Nowak. The track combines hip-hop sounds, electronics, and traditional instruments such as hammered dulcimer, flutes, and violins. The chorus preserves the echo of the Master’s voice, reminding us of music’s timeless nature. The music video was filmed in the Romanian village of Breb in the Maramureș region, through which the Carpathian mountain range runs — symbolically linking all three countries: Poland, Romania, and Ukraine.

“International collaboration has always been the greatest opportunity for musicians — a chance for dialogue and a breath of fresh creative air. In today’s world, the only way to achieve mutual understanding and step outside our comfort zones is to find a common language. Culture makes that possible.”

— Daga Gregorowicz, DAGADANA

For the past 18 years, DAGADANA has explored Polish and Ukrainian culture, blending traditional music with virtually every genre under the sun. Their work features the distinctive white voice technique and draws on ancestral wisdom preserved in stories heard in ritual songs. Their latest album is filled with well-wishing songs — among the oldest musical forms preserved in Slavic lands.

These songs form the basis of a journey through jazz, fusion, experimental electronic music, and art pop. The band’s ongoing experimentation inspires a kind of rebellious optimism: if not in politics, then in music’s power to surprise, move, and build new bridges.

Traveling the world, DAGADANA has performed over 1,000 concerts in 34 countries — appearing both in unusual settings such as on a raft, in the desert, or in a mine, and on the stages of legendary festivals including Glastonbury, Virada Cultural, and Open’er.