ADVERTISEMENTOn a Podlasie meadow at sunrise, a project that merges the seemingly uncombinable worlds of Slavic folk and electronic dance music.
Combining a micro-language of the Podlasie region of Eastern Poland with musical elements of the modern day, Swada x Niczos aims to keep tradition alive.
Swada x Niczos are a duo who show that the past isn’t about relics. Rather, it can evolve and beat to the rhythm of the contemporary world.
A voice that carries a story
Nika “Niczos” Jurczuk and Wiktor “Swada” Szczygieł use their work to hark back to their musical roots. Their inspiration is none other than “white voice singing” – a vocal technique characteristic of Eastern European folk music.
Strong, clear, often compared to “melodic shouting”, the technique has been used in Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, and Bulgaria to tell stories that lie deep in the soul.
For Nika, it is a form of expression that allows her to immerse herself in something primal and real.
“It has magic inside. It is tough, but at the same time very malleable. You can use it to convey emotions that words cannot express,” emphasises the singer.
In the Podlasie region, folk singing flows through the veins of its residents from childhood, passed on from generation to generation.
“When I was still a very young girl, I was already learning white singing, folk singing,” Agata Stepaniuk of the Swada x Niczos ensemble tells Euronews Culture. “[Nika and I] met in a folk band, so this kind of singing is not alien to me. I have always enjoyed it very much. It is a beautiful means of carrying tradition and culture.”
Grandmothers’ speech + the rhythm of the future
The group, like the region it comes from, also has its own language, which reflects the shifting borders and complex, diverse history of Podlasie.
The artists do not sing in Polish or Belarusian. They use the Podlasian micro-language, a form of speech that can still be heard in villages. Mostly in conversations with grandmothers and grandfathers.
“This is how they used to speak and still speak in the villages,” Anna Owerczuk tells Euronews Culture.
Slapping on some (moving) bass
As a music producer, Swada, creates a modern fabric around this world of sound – beats, synths, and a heavy bass that carries the group’s message through a danceable rhythm.
“As it turns out, people of advanced age like to dance to the bass, but also people who bring their children along with them. These children are also dancing,” shares Swada.
A new life for an old voice
Swada and Niczos do not reconstruct folklore as a historical relic. They are inspired by it and give it a new form, known as “Podlasie bounce”. It is a phenomenon from the borderlands, not only the cultural ones between Poland, Belarus and Lithuania, but also between the sounds of old folk traditions and modern trends.
Given the revival of folk traditions, this unique music project shows that it is possible to speak with one’s own voice, which can be loud, strong and extremely danceable.
Check out the video above for more Podlasie bounce.
