HAYDAMAKY – well known Ukrainian band through whose artwork you can hear and feel the great mixture of traditional motives and modern musical tendencies.

“Our destination is to make contemporary Ukrainian culture “cool”, trendy, fashioned, adopted into other world cultures and to gain for young Ukraine as widest as possible recognition throughout the world.” - O. Yarmola, Haydamaky

They started their career in 1991, then known as band AKTUS. With the name HAYDAMAKY they are on stage since 2001. Starting   more...from early ‘90ies till present HAYDAMAKY are touring Europe. Quite different from other popular Ukrainian musicians who are mostly working under cliché of soviet style or just copy/pasting western and American stars HAYDAMAKY are trying to show the elements of traditional Ukrainian music through mixture influenced and made of different cultures joint with modern musical styles.

Music of HAYDAMAKY is inspired by ethnic sounds from all around the world, especially from different regions of Ukraine such as Polissya, Bukovyna and Carpathian mountains so as the sounds of Jamaica, Ireland ethno-rock and hot sounds of Balkans and Moldova.

HAYDAMAKY are well known around Europe, so they are welcome guests in countries like Estonia, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Slovenia, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal and of course – Ukraine. Geography of HAYDAMAKY is growing on and on.

We can freely say that HAYDAMAKY are the only Ukrainian band which is touring Europe not only where Ukrainian communities are, but also playing for progressive European youth, especially for those who are the lovers of LIVE! sound.

During the last couple of years HAYDAMAKY attended many big European festivals and their music was on many different well known charts and was appropriately rewarded.
Their last album Perversion, which had special release in German (for the western market) and is better known as Ukraine Calling, during the first month of selling becomes one of the best albums in World Music Chart Europe. The song “Za Nashov Stodolov” gets to Charlie Gillett’s- the "Sound of the World" on the Radio BBC playlist. One of the most honorable happenings was the reward to the EastBlock Music label on WOMEX 2006 in the nomination Top Label Award Winners 2006 for HAYDAMAKY’s album Ukraine Calling.

HAYDAMAKY – that’s the group of individuals thanks to whose talent and creativity they are bringing the part of Ukraine to Europe and part of Europe to Ukraine.

Today HAYDAMAKY are preparing to new album release called KOBZAR (Is Not Dead). The album was recorded, mixed and mastered in Poland during 2007. There will be 3 different releases – Ukraine, Poland and Western Europe. Nevertheless, HAYDAMAKY are already working on their new material and touring nonstop from Kyiv to Lisbon, from Amsterdam to Ljubljana, and further more, and more, and more…

Discography

1. Haydamaky – 2002, COMP Music/EMI, Ukraine
2. Boguslav – 2004, COMP Music/EMI, Ukraine
3. Perverziya – 2005, COMP Music/EMI, Ukraine
4. Ukraine Calling – 2006, EastBlock Music, Germany

Contacts:
HAYDAMAKY
haydamaky@ukr.net
yarmola@wp.pl

As one of the critics said: "The Haydamaky music is the Europe we haven't known yet"  less