Verbo I Voda

Ukranian Folk Songs shredded and reconstituted. Improvisations recorded Summer 2023 in the Old Fire Station, London. 'Dark music for dark times ~ echoes of Cathy Berberian, vocalising fairy tales in a nocturnal forest ~ shadows and phantoms illuminated by patches of moonlight ~ electronic apparitions twist and flicker ~ then disappear into the crisp cold air' Ashley Wales The duo verbo i voda was at first freely improvised; but gradually it became apparent that working from Ukrainian Folk songs gave the music a focus and also had a cultural richness, with Milana’s interweaving of English and Ukrainian languages reflecting her own background and journey, while the earthy and sometimes bloody content of these folk songs created what Ashley Wales calls ‘Dark music for Dark times’ When Milana decided to move to the North of England, we hurried into the recording studio to catch some of our music. This produced our album. But what might have been the documentation of a collaboration has become a beginning, with a string of gigs planned in the North for Autumn 2024 and new collaborators getting involved, such as Jem Finer on hurdy gurdy. John Bisset: ‘Improvising with Milana is a rich and enlivening experience. I’m never sure where we’re going from one piece to another, emotionally or musically. Her wide dynamic range - from full blown operatic Ffffffff’s to tiny whisperings and plosive babblings - interacts with the equally wide tonal range of the lap steel. A nightmare to record, but one from which we’ve woken with a dream album.’ Milana Sarukhanyan: ‘Working with John is a special type of art for me. He has an exceptional musicality with attention to micro sound details and is a truly supportive and hardworking artist who is honest and warm-hearted in the way he works with me and other colleagues. It’s a huge honour to make music together with John’