ONUKA Essentials

There’s an unwavering swagger to Ukrainian electro-folk project ONUKA. Just take the fever-dream pan flutes of “Zenit”, or the fierce marching drums and growling brass synths of “GOLOS”. But behind the bravado there is an important rooting to cultural history. The group’s name (meaning ‘granddaughter’) nods to bandleader Nata Zhyzhchenko’s grandfather, a distinguished folk instrument maker. And their visceral production breathes new life into traditional music fixtures such as the sopilka, a type of flute, and the lute-like bandura.