Gogol Bordello: punk riffs, Eastern European folklore and Yiddish music in one sound
Gogol Bordello created gypsy punk: an explosive, revolutionary mixture of Eastern European sounds inspired by Ukrainian and Russian folklore, Yiddish music made by local Jewish communities, punk guitar riffs and swaying Latin American rhythms. Their music often features violin, accordion and saxophone, creating a unique effect when combined with punk accents. The band’s name honours their leader’s idol, writer and playwright Nikolai Gogol. Their aim is to smuggle Eastern European Romani music into the West and instil a love of folk’s lyrical sounds in punk devotees.
The band is led by charismatic, extraordinarily energetic Eugene Hütz, raised in Ukraine. Russian-born Sergey Ryabtsev plays violin; Ethiopia’s Thomas “Tommy T” Gobena bass; Ecuador’s Pedro Erazo percussion, drums and MC duties; American Alfredo Ortiz drums; Russia’s Boris Pelekh guitar; and American Ashley Tobias sings and dances. Their strength is the diversity of genres inspired by Gogol Bordello members’ multicultural origins.
A band this multinational could only have emerged in the world's most cosmopolitan city: in 1999, New York's underground scene heard gypsy punk for the first time. “Voil-La Intruder”, Gogol Bordello's debut album, was the first of seven records made by the band. Their music is rooted in experiences of emigration: music for travellers, free spirits, rebels and people living in the here and now.
‘I want to be hypnotised and hypnotic at the same time. I am interested in music as an art form. Telling compelling stories, perfect sound, physicality… it all comes together to put you in a trance,’ says Hütz.
The band’s latest release is 2017’s “Seekers and Finders”. Its songs were written on the road, since this group of emigrants has never managed to stay anywhere long. On the title track, “Seekers and Finders”, Hutz is joined by long-standing friend Regina Spector, a Russian-born musician based in New York. “It is a duet between a wandering Jew and a Romani woman roaming the world, meeting by a campfire. That is how I sum up our identity,” explains Hütz.
Travel is in the band members’ blood, and they feel happiest on the road, sharing their energy through exuberant, theatrical performances. They have toured alongside bands such as Flogging Molly (http://kreciola.tv/video/138862003) and Cake, and appeared at Coachella, Sziget, Lowlands, Rock am Ring and Exit. They have also appeared on the silver screen in productions including Liev Schreiber’s “Wszystko jest iluminacją” and Madonna’s “Mądrość i seks”. A documentary about the band, “Gogol Bordello Non-Stop”, has also been made.
Event details
Gogol Bordello
1 August 2019
Pol'and'Rock Festival
Kostrzyn nad Odrą
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