This quintet from Kiev moves seamlessly from contemplative pieces to rousing, danceable numbers. The band is dedicated to breathing new life into ritual and lyrical songs through contemporary arrangements. They call their style ‘groove folk’. They play it with bandura, violin, double bass and percussion. Zgarda was founded in 2018 around singer and ethnomusicologist Yuliia Vitraniuk. The ensemble's name also signals its cultural identity. Zgarda is a traditional necklace, originally a pre-Christian amulet symbolising the sun, but also the connection to ancestors.

Photo Yana Bakina