dagadana

DAGADANA,

for eight years now, have triumphantly merged elements of Ukrainian and Polish culture through jazz, electronic and world music. Their debut record ‘Maleka’ won massive acclaim from the media and from cultural opinion-makers, and it was championed by Polish Radio 3. Dagadana were nominated for the Fryderyk 2011 award (Polish Grammy) in two categories: World Music Album of the Year (which it won) and Phonografic Debut of the Year. Their second album ‘Dlaczego nie’ was nominated for the 2012 Fryderyk in the World Music category.The third record ‘List do Ciebie’was warmly praised in both musical and literary circles. Latest album “Meridian 68” (2016), recorded with guests from China hit #48 at prestigious World Music Charts Europe, #14 at Transglobal World Music Charts and it has just been nominated to Polish Grammy Award “Fryderyk” in “Roots Album of the Year” category”. This album will be also released in China in 2017 and Western Europe bei JARO November 2017.

Performances

DAGADANA has performed over four hundred concerts in Algieria, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Czech Rebublic, France, Germany, Hungary, Indonesia, Malaysia, Moldova, Morocco, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Korea, Sweden, United Kingdom and Ukraine.

The band

Daga Gregorowicz – Vocals, Elektronika
Mikolaj Pospieszalski – Double Bass, Bass, Vocals
Dana Vynnytska – Vocals, Piano
Barosz Mikolaj Nazaruk – drums, percussion

 

At the heart of the new album are folk songs from Poland and Ukraine. DAGADANA found their inspiration in many sources: amongst their families and friends, at ethnic music workshops, as well as on their friends’ and families’ bookshelves.

The Eastern influence is the result of an encounter with extraordinary musicians – Hassibagen from Mongolia and Aiys Song from China – during DAGADANA’s visit to Beijing. As Dana Vynnytska says, “We first got to China while Ukraine and Poland were preparing for UEFA 2012. We spent a week there, and when it was time to go back home, I felt the same overwhelming sadness as if I were leaving Ukraine. It was a total surprise because after all it’s such a remote culture, unknown to us, and yet it draws you in, it’s intriguing and new”. Everyone in the band was deeply impressed by the first meeting with the musicians over there. “Even though we didn’t know each others’ languages,” Dana remembers, “we communicated easily through music.”

This Chinese adventure is referred to in the record’s title: Meridian 68 “The 68th Meridian is exactly midway between Czestochowa and Beijing, the places where we recorded the songs. It runs through many fascinating countries. I wonder if we’ll get to play in some of them one day?”, muses Dagmara Gregorowicz.

The album’s artwork is amazing too and refers to the band’s journey. Both on the cover and inside there are beautiful illustrations by the Ukrainian icon artist Olya Kravchenko.

Dagmara stresses, “It was a mad vision creating this record. I’m thrilled that we managed to real- ise another musical dream. Now the time’s come to meet our audience, and go on a sound jour- ney together.”

Tracklist

1. Grajo gracyki / The musicians are playing
2. Kangding Qingge / Kangding love song
3. Rano rano raniusieńko / Early early early morning
4. U Jeziorecka / By a lake
5. Jestem sobzie starozina / I am an old man (IT IS THE FIRST SINGLE) 6. U poli bereza / A birch in the field
7. Siałem proso na zagonie / I’ve sowed a millet patch
8. Plywe kacza po Tysyni / A duckling swims along the Tysa
9. Nie będę się kłopotała / I shall never fear at all
10.Koby ne moroz / If, instead of frost
11. A w tomu sadu / That orchard