#belorussian folk

[3cosmicfrogs]

i always miss my aunties this time of year...

[unhonestlymirror]

By Rufina Bazlova:

"...red symbolizes blood or life, and white freedom and purity. We can say that Belarusian ornaments are a kind of code of our national history, written by women, and which can be read as a text or a message.

The political events around the elections in Belarus are part of our great history, which needed to be written down with the code of folk embroidery. Therefore, on the basis of this technique, a series The History of the Belarusian Vyzhyvanka was created. The title of the series is based on a linguistic pun. „Vyzhyvanka“ is the name of the technique of traditional belorussian embroidering; „vyshyvat” means to embroider in Belarusian, while „vyzhyvat“ means to survive. Because under the conditions created by the regime, the Belarusian people are just forced to survive. All images in the series are original documents and are based on real events or illustrate specific Belarusians.

Folk embroidery was used as a talisman against evil spirits, I want to believe that it has not lost this power in our days!"

***

Actually, in łacinka, it should be "vyšyvać" and "vyžyvać"

[theotherwesley]

Za rieczkaju -- Karolina Cicha 

[somediyprojects]

Linen shirt stitched by BirdCalledStephanie.

Just finished this hand-sewen linen shirt inspired by Belorussian (and Ukrainian) folk costumes. The pattern is merged from several patterns I found on pinterest. Although I tried a cross-stitch before, this was my first “bigger” project and took me about 144 days. Firstly I cuted out pieces of fabric, than I did the embroidery and after that I sewed it together.

[shivabanda]

Russians

I used to like you guys, I used to hold you for courageous.

Let me tell you a couple of truths:

* You are living in fear, and have always accepted it

* You genocide weaker folks around you, as you always have

* You kneel to the worst rulers, as you have always been since you called vikings to rule you. Slavic slaves

* When things get too hard home, you fly away to the "weak" west you keep despising as decadent, and degenerated.

* Look at the courageous fight of Ukrainians, and ask yourselves where your fight for freedom has been, slaves!

* Look at the fight of Belorussians for freedom, look at their government in exil. Did you ever even thought about building a government in exile slaves ?

* 70% of Russians support Poutine to this day

You desserve now, the only treatment that will wake you up, the one nazi Germany got, and imperial Japan: be crushed under bombs, see your land devastated for good as you keep doing in Grozny, in Alep, and now in Ukraine.

You just don't deserve your place in this century, you, cursed vomit of the past.

[songs-of-the-east]

Belorussian girls in folk costumes

[draganchitsa]

sometimes happiness is looping a belorussian folk song for hours on end and procrastinating your 9 mile long to do list.

[uomo-accattivante]

[unprncbl]

*Tsarist, Boyar, Russian folk costume, and Belorussian garb.  |

[russianfolklore]

Belorussian folk song ‘Souniejko’.

Perfomance by Hvarna.

[joneswilliam72]

What to see at Tallinn Music Week 2019

Later this month The 405 is travelling to Estonia for the 11th edition of Tallinn Music Week, an annual event celebrating cultural and ethnic diversity through music. Although our previous piece on the festival might have already propelled you towards an early Spring trip to the Baltic peninsula, here we gather some of the acts we're looking forward to seeing the most; our selection features a heterogeneous mix of styles, cultures, and genres that will spin you out of your comfort zone and make for a very diverse listen, freed from yawning recurrences.

See you in the front row.

***

GHLOW (Sweden)

Crystal Memoriz by GHLOW

Hailing from Stockholm is electropunk duo GHLOW, showing us the noughties' subgenre is neither dead nor outdated and that their Scandinavian approach only made it more addictive. After releasing a four-track EP titled Crystal Memoriz back in 2017, the band is now prepping a proper full length whose details should be announced very soon.

Iris Gold (Denmark)

All I Really Know by Iris Gold

The thing that makes Iris Gold's music stand out the most is probably her omnipresent cultural tandem: the Danish-Jamaican-English singer grew up on a diet of Jefferson Airplane, Beastie Boys, and everything in-between, which resulted in a singular mix of hip-hop and soulful pop that keeps turning heads (and ears) everywhere. Her most recent single 'Keep the Light On' was released last November.

Kali Briis (Estonia)

Estonian producer Alan Olonen a.k.a. Kali Briis has been performing live with his band since 2013 — the year his LP Say Whaat? won Best Alternative Album at the Estonian Music Awards. His latest album Cloudy With a Chance of Briis came out last December and is a perfect example of his unique take on pop electronica and admirable production expertise.

Knightknights (Russia)

ТАЙГЕР ФОРС by РыцарныеРыцари

Heavy is Moscow-based duo KnightKnights' middle name, both sonic and environmental-wise. Igor's bass and Dmitri's drums join forces in what promises to become the next Russian scene export. Tallinn Music Week 2019 marks their first show outside Russia and Belarus, so expect it to happen with a bang; their video for 'ЖИВАЯ МИШЕНЬ' is out now.

Kosmonavt (Bielorussia)

Frozen Hearts EP by Kosmonavt

What's in a name? In Kosmonavt's case, everything. The Belorussian producer is one of the country's most prominent musicians of the 10s, and the alias he chose for his electronica project couldn't be more appropriate: his take on EDM is as dreamy and grandiose as a space mission — something properly showcased by his 2018 EP Frozen Hearts.

MOJA (Japan)

スーパーカー( Super Car ) by MOJA

Another duo that's set to warm up Tallinn's cold nights is MOJA (pronounced "moya"), a Japanese band consisting on drums (Masumi) and bass (Haru). Their forthcoming new album was recorded at London's Park Studios and succeeds to 2017's SUPER CAR; expect much energy and noise and everything else you hoped for.

Red Brut (Netherlands)

s/t by Red Brut

Among the most intriguing acts playing at Tallinn Music Week is Dutch performer Marijn Verbiesen a.k.a. Red Brut, who uses cassette tapes as her main instruments. Her untitled debut came out last year, showcasing an expertise of experimentation and avantgardism that draws inspiration from the likes of John Cage and Daphne Oram without ever losing its poetic core.

Red Telephone (United Kingdom)

Victoria Park by Red Telephone

With their first two singles 'Kookly Rose' and 'Victoria Park' Welsh trio Red Telephone have been revisiting the British Pastoral by giving it a 21st century twist. Likened to heavyweights of the genre such as Syd Barrett, T Rex, or Suede, they've been progressively gaining support from DJs everywhere in the UK; no news regarding a lengthier release have been given as of yet.

SADO OPERA (Russia)

In The Dark by SADO OPERA

Saint Petersburg-born, Berlin-based SADO OPERA have been pushing the frontiers of genre and sexuality through their music and attitude — after all, one of their most important flags is inclusivity, and they fly it loud and proud via the mix of boogie, disco, electrofunk that is their sound. A definite must-see live, they are currently the resident band of Berlin's nightclub Wilde Renate.

SEN (Taiwan)

With their self-titled debut album released last summer via White Rabbit Records, Taiwanese post-punkers SEN demonstrate how intensely perfect the East-meets-West encounter can be. A whirlwind of cinematic sounds emerges from the nine-track release, which in its turn is a perfect example of what musical expertise sounds like.

Sibyl Vane (Estonia)

If you missed that early 00s indie carelessness, Estonian trio Sibyl Vane are here to make sure you take a proper trip down memory lane — without the needless throwback repetition. Their unique take on alternative noughties rock is properly exemplified by albums Love, Holy Water and TV and their self-titled LP, as through the new addictive single 'I Don't Drive', released last year.

Teemu & the Deathblows (Finland)

I'm The Kidd by Teemu & The Deathblows

Hazy sunshine and retro fuzziness fill Teemu & The Deathblows's lo-fi garagy sounds, inviting us to their sonic road trip throughout the fields of Finland. The quartet released their first LP Keep It in the Dark last year via Svart Records, and are now surfing the airwaves all over the world with hits like 'Girl' or 'I'm the Kidd'.

Tokyo Taboo (United Kingdom)

No Pleasure Only Pain by Tokyo Taboo

'No Pleasure Only Pain' is London-based Tokyo Taboo's first taster from their forthcoming new album, which the band recorded in California with Noah Shain. Famous for their outrageous and energetic performances, the band fronted by Dolly Daggerz plays it loud and proud, promising not to disappoint with the much anticipated successor to 6th Street Psychosis.

Trees (Finland)

Finnish folk rock is represented in TMW by Trees — the most appropriate name for a quartet drawing inspiration from Laurel Canyon's residents Neil Young and The Byrds. Their single and video 'Out in the Open' perfectly showcases what the first album sounds like: a warm, pine-scented collection of tunes recorded live in the studio that will send you back in time.

Tallinn Music Week 2019 takes place in Tallinn, Estonia between March 25th and 31st. For further information on the line-up, schedules, tickets, and accommodation head over to their official website.

from The 405 https://ift.tt/2Cab4nZ

[partymedia]

Rylan Gleave – Of The People (for Accordion and Viola) by ComposersPlus

In an attempt to encompass Lithuania's independence, as requested, the inspiration for this piece was taken from the 1918 Vilnius Conference, where the council discussed and declared the country's dominion.
Their first order of business was the future of Lithuania and its national minorities, specifically that In an attempt to encompass Lithuania's independence, as requested, the inspiration for this piece was taken from the 1918 Vilnius Conference, where the council discussed and declared the country's dominion.
Their first order of business was the future of Lithuania and its national minorities, specifically that of the Jewish and Belorussian groups. Looking into the heritage and culture of the country and these minorities, Of The People was written taking the history of the place and the groups into account, including staying true to the microtones involved within Native Jewish music. The traditional folk music of Lithuania, originally used for ritual purposes, is largely made up of voices; which I have tried to replicate in the accordion part with three and four part harmony. Polyphony found in both these cultures has been researched, and inspirational in my engagement with this work. I would like to thank the tutors, performers, and my peers for their feedback, patience, willingness to immerse themselves in contemporary music, and for the week I enjoyed in Kaunas with the Academy. Performed by Kamila Olas (accordion, Poland) and Kristina Anusevičiūtė (viola, Lithuania). Recorded 25 August 2017 at the Composers+ Summer Academy, Raudondvaris Castle, Lithuania.

[nickelhatton]

Review: Belarus- Navi Band 'Historyja majho žyccia'

Review: Belarus- Navi Band ‘Historyja majho žyccia’

Duos are all the rage at Eurovision 2017, but NAVI BAND are easily my favourite. Arciom and Ksienija bring their brand of Belorussian folk music to new audiences and their steadfast refusal to sing in any tongue but their own language is admirable, especially this year when they are one of five nations not singing in English out of a field of 43.  (more…)

[escoverthinker]

Song 15: Belarus (NAVI - Story Of My Life)

The song: Story of My Life is an acoustic folk pop song with a celebratory message. We’re relying on google translate to give us the exact wording here but the chorus reads as “Story of my life/Will shine brighter/The sun will sparkle in our blood/The entire beauty of your eyes”. Like a lot of folk music, the song is especially celebratory of the natural/rural world that also, if you want to take a wider reading of it, is also innately connected to the celebration of one’s own national culture.

Key moment: The key moment in this song is the “hey, hey heyayayao” hook. Considering the whole song is in the Belarussian language, the hook is clearly designed to be able to overcome the difficulty of the vast majority of viewers not being able to understand the lyrics. A folk song in Belarussian is a tough sell but a folk song that features lots of ‘hey!’ chants is much easier.

Trend alert: As I alluded to in the earlier section, this is the first Belarussian song to be 100% in their native language. I stop short of claiming it’s the first one not to be in English because their 2004 entry exists and linguists are still debating what language to best place that series of noises into. Belarussian TV have been making noises about wanting to send a song in Belarussian in order to promote their language and culture, so in that sense this is the perfect song to do just that!

Performance and staging: The national final performance staging mostly featured the backdrop in a plain colour with the patterns that are either traditional Belarussian patterns or that are on that one part of the Belarussian flag or perhaps are both. Some people were unimpressed by this but I think the staging works both as a perfectly judged allusion to their own national culture without being too excessive (see virtually every Irish staging for the counter example) and also acting as a neutral background in front of which NAVI can be their utterly charming and endearing selves.

Clues and Context: In most of these sections with national final winners we’ve talked about the comparative performances on the jury and televote sections of the voting and what that’s likely to indicate. Belarus, however, is a…special case. Since there’s been a long history of questionable attitudes to democracy in the Belorussian selection, there’s two competing interpretations of how this won. Either A) – this won the actual televote when you factor out all of the mass SIM card purchasing that those who got higher televote positions did and so Belarussian TV counter-rigged the jury vote to make sure that the ‘rightful’ winner did win or B) – this was the “chosen one” that performed disappointingly compared to the rest of the field and so the powers that be simply rigged the jury order to make sure that the songs finishing above this got nothing or next to nothing. Whichever one you chose to believe is ultimately a choice between one or two sets of rigging. As such, there’s no real honest precedent to how well this will do.

What we do know, thanks to this video is that they have managed to send the highest tempo song of the whole year! So if you buy into the view of this year’s Eurovision as ballad central then context of what’s around this suggests Belarus are potentially onto a very good result.

Conclusions: The entry from last year that this puts me the most in mind of is Austria’s Loin D’ici. It was in a language that the majority of the viewers don’t speak (yeah, you heard me France!) but still managed to qualify and do far better than expected on the televotes because the performer completely charmed the viewers by going full out on the cheesy fantasy. I firmly believe that with a bit of luck and a bit of magic in the staging that Belarus can very easily get one of their best results ever by tapping into that same market that propelled Austria so far up the scoreboard last year.

[songs-of-the-east]

“The idea how people after the horror of the war come back to "normal" life and create aesthetically beautiful crafts makes me think for a long time. The fact, that folk traditional crafts are made by people, who killed, who saw dead bodies or survived from famine. How these two completely different sides of life comes together is the question without answer for me. The mind blocks negative memories not to make us crazy, but to help us continue living a "normal" life - this is how evolutionary instruments work. That is why i decided to combine Belorussian traditional ornaments from the crafts made by people who have seen war (WWI or WWII) with USSR war archive photos.”

- Andrei Liankevich