It all started with a jazz workshop in Cracow, where a mutual love for music become the spark that ignited a great friendship and lead to the formation of the band. Poland and Ukraine are neighbouring countries, both of Slavic origins, with similar languages and customs. When exploring these roots in search for musical inspirations, you will find a multitude of surprising similarities and differences that emphasise their uniqueness. This is exactly what you will find in the songs of DAGADANA, a band that attempts to blur the boundaries and build bridges that will connect both nations.
“The clash between the jazzy, pop and classical elements with the deep folk material. Imaginative arrangements bring out the strong traditional melodies. Illustration of the adventurous music coming out of Eastern Europe.”
Songlines Music Travel
“It’s a hard one to describe or sum up, which is A Good Thing. By turns anthemic, liquid pianistic, violin-sweeping, soft-voiced, strident hard-voiced, rock and that’s just the first track. Onward into scatting, the heavenly choir, electronic swoops and warbles, systems patterns, chugging cello, jazz-rock, big brass shots, cheery whistling over growling khoomei, hefty rock, tense drone serenity, beaty poppiness, ending in a velvety melismatic a cappella rendering of a wesnianka, a spring song. There’s never been a treatment of Polish and Ukrainian traditional music like it.”
Roots Magazine