DakhaBrakha is a music quartet from Kyiv, Ukraine. Their “ethno chaos” sound spans years of performances prior to Russia’s 2022 invasion, but war is in everything now. They masterfully blend Ukrainian traditional music with influences from around the world, resulting in an unexpected new music.

Traditional music has seen a resurgence in Ukraine over the past decades, after being suppressed during Soviet rule. DakhaBrakha uses Ukrainian polyphony as its foundation, interweaving complex rhythmic and melodic structures from India, Arabia, Africa, and Australia. Their music is textural, layered sounds with distinctive percussive heartbeats, thumping bass lines, distorted electric guitars and influences of jazz, spoken word, rap and even punk. DakhaBrakha calls this tapestry of influences “ethno chaos.” And this chaos is a strength, allowing them to draw in strands of music that connect Ukraine with the world.

They are troubadours, activists and educators. Though their name means Give/Take in the old language, DakhaBrakha is new Ukraine, both pre-colonial and post-Soviet, working within a global network of art and music. They aim to help audiences see Ukraine not as a monolith, but as a cosmopolitan culture that takes in other cultures, and gives in return. 

In a recent interview, Marko Halanevych said, “We treat our culture and song tradition with love—a tradition that was formed and developed over many centuries, carrying the energy of many generations of our ancestors. At the same time, our patriotism is healthy and, in a way, cosmopolitan, because we also respect and admire other cultures and traditions. It is a patriotism that will never become a cause of aggression or intolerance toward others.”

DakhaBrakha was created in 2004 at the Kyiv Center of Contemporary Art “DAKH” by the avant-garde theatre director Vladyslav Troitskyi. Theatre work has left its mark on the band performances – their shows are always staged with a strong visual element. Projected behind them are a mix of animations from different Ukrainian artists and photos of life in today’s Ukraine. Some are celebratory, bright and bold. Some are dark, others curious, a reflection of the many facets of Ukrainian culture.

In March 2011 DakhaBrakha was discovered by Australian Womadelaide and began their ascent in the international music scene. They have since played hundreds of concerts and performances at major international festivals including Big Ears Festival, Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, WOMAD, Roskilde Festival and on the main stage at the Glastonbury Festival. In March 2020, DakhaBrakha won the Shevchenko National Prize for Musical Arts – the biggest award in Ukraine in the sphere of contemporary art – and confirmed its place in the culture once again. In 2023 DakhaBrakha won globalFEST’s Artist Award in the USA and became Chevaliers of the Order of Arts in France.

In 2025, the band recorded the album “Ptakh” in Kyiv (Ukraine),  which combines material created before and during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It is available exclusively online.