This year for the eighth time TRANSKAUKAZJA will bring to Warsaw the culture of the Caucasus. Once again, great artists will be presented in front of the Warsaw audience in a unique musical rendition.
June 30, 2017
Amphitheater Bemowo (Raginisa St.)
17:00
For the first time three international music premieres:
• TSU GORDELA [Georgia] + PSIO CREW [Poland]
• VISHUP ESNAMBLE [Armenia] + PAKO SARR [Poland / Senegal]
• MASALA SOUNDSYSTEM [Poland] + NATIG RHYTHM GROUP [Azerbaijan]
Admission to the event is FREE.
Event is organized by The Other Space Foundation, Stołeczna Estrada and Bemowskie Centrum Kultury with the support of Warsaw City Council.
Media patronage: Gazeta Wyborcza, TOK.FM, Kultura Dostępna, Kontynent Warszawa
About the Artists:
TSU GORDELA (Georgia)
TSU Gordela” is a Georgian folk group formed in 2007 at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University. The leader of the ensemble is Vladimer (Tamaz) Mamaladze. “TSU Gordela” performs polyphonic folk songs as a cappella and by an accompaniment of the instruments as well.
The members play the oldest Georgian folk instruments, such as – String instruments: panduri, chonguri, chuniri, lyre (changi) Woodwinds-pipe (salamuri), chiboni, larchemi; percussion instruments – drum, tambourine and garmon. Despite the existence of short time period, the ensemble became popular very quickly. The ensemble is a laureate of many music festivals; all this shows the high professionalism of the members.
Unique combination of amazing female voices of Georgia and the sounds of traditional Caucasian instruments is the invitation to discover real spirit of Georgian folk and to enjoy one of the best shows of traditional music in Caucasus.
https://www.youtube.com/
PSIO CREW (Poland)
The origins of Psio Crew reach as far as year 2004 in Bielsko – Biała, Poland. The pioneer fusion of traditional melodies with elements of drum and bass, trip hop and dub moved the music scene among the country and abroad, making the joint of original mountain singing with beat box the recognizable characteristic of the band. It is great news for fans of deeply folk rooted eclectic music.
https://www.youtube.com/
NATIG RHYTHM GROUP (Azerbaijan)
Founded in 2001 by Natig Shirinov with five performers. Naitg Shirinov - the greatest nagara player to emerge from the Caucasus, has revolutionized nagara percussion technique to become Azerbaijan's first rhythm composer, touring the world as part of Alim Qasimov's ensemble from 1999 to 2007. Besides the nagara, he included old Azeri instruments such as zurna, balaban, and tutek (whistle flute) to the group, created new rhythms, and enhanced the recognition and appreciation of the nagara as the traditional instrument of Azerbaijan. In 2002 in the search again for new rhythms he learned the tabla at the Council of India in Moscow, and began to synthesize Azerbaijani rhythms with world rhythms. Now with the Natig Rhythm Group bringing his creative energy with award winning performances and innovative compositions to amaze and connect with power and passion, the rhythms of his soul.
https://www.youtube.com/
MASALA SOUNDSYSTEM (Poland)
Masala Soundsystem is a musical entity from Warsaw (Poland) with 15 years of musical activity and 10 released albums under its belt. It combines traditional instruments (hurdy-gurdy, jew-harp, sarangi, saz...) and vocal techniques (throat singing) from various parts of the world, with modern drum loops, deep bass and socially conscious street poetry - serving it all with significant pinch of punk energy.
In 2002 famous Polish journalist, writer & traveler Max Cegielski gathered a group of friends to form an ‘oriental’ DJ collective named Masala Soundsystem (Masala = mixture). Their main idea was to present a thrilling selection of folk-soaked party tracks from various parts of the world, totally omitted by the ‘mainstream’ media and to show that cultural differences between nations and races don't have to be a source of conflicts - they can form basis for a fascinating musical dialogue led in the area of music and common joy instead.
The band creates really unique and extraordinary music which is a clash of traditional, oriental string instruments with the modern sounds of turntablism and synths. Beatbox, dhol or drum synths rencontre with oriental drums.
https://www.youtube.com/
VISHUP ENSEMBLE (Armenia)
Vishup Ensemble is a folk band based on Armenian folklore music. The music of the Vishup Ensemble meanders through vast, storied swaths of Armenian history, at turns surging and gliding into domains that range from myth, lyric poetry, and metaphysics to gleeful ditties and the ploughman’s song. Vishup Ensemble has the distinct pleasure of always incorporating new musicians, moving and evolving with location and time. An intricately calibrated straddling of earthy and ethereal, Vishup’s music is driven by the soothing, folk-inflected voice of Arik Grigorian. The singing is deftly woven with understated yet muscular textures of flute, guitar, cello and drums, making for a lush, wondrous sound. Vishup’s original compositions and reinterpretations of classics alike thrive not merely on experimentation per se, but, ultimately, a sense of soaring liberty, of wide-open vistas, where passion — whether fiery or sublime — is given free rein. Vishup, after all, means “dragon” in Armenian.
Like a graceful river that both complements and continually redefines its landscape, the music of the Vishup Ensemble meanders through vast, storied swaths of Armenian history, at turns surging and gliding into domains that range from myth, lyric poetry, and metaphysics to gleeful ditties and the ploughman’s song. - Sona Hamalyan
https://www.youtube.com/
PAKO SARR (Senegal / Polska)
Talented musician, composer and producer is known for his distinctive voice and excellent guitar technique. He sings in Wolof, English and French. His music connects African roots with western influences. He's active on the World Music scene, expressing himself in genres like afro, reggae, soul and rock. During various music and art events he performed with different Georgian bands such as 33A, Chveneburebi, Gordela and Zumbaland.
https://www.youtube.com/
