NAGUAL

Psycho-Folk

Belarusian psycho-folk ensemble came into being in the winter of 2000. The musicians study the roots of music, modern genres, formation of folk cultures, the relations between people – everything that directly concerns our creative work. They create sound by means of the instruments we have chosen, their unusual combination, and our own emotional experience.

The band NAGUAL (a rolling stone, wanderer) was formed in winter 2000 in order to recreate sounds which can express both the beginning of the dance of life and one's own song.

NAGUAL consists of six musicians. Their aim is to deepen their knowledge about music origins, modern trends, shaping of folk cultures, relations among people, since these factors directly influence the group's creativity. They create music by means of selected instruments, their unique arrangements and feelings of the musicians. They play instruments which vary from archaic to classical.


Songs by NAGUAL are funny and sad, clear and vague, wild and ridiculous, but what matters most is the fact that they are not still. Each song can develop naturally. It grows with each concert, just like in the authentic folklore. A song takes from life what it needs to become complete.

Psycho-folk is a trend in music which combines the personal with the social. The vocal is a sophisticated mixture of phonemes of various language groups, sounds of nature, psycho-physiological processes and the primitive and the postmodern. Therefore, the gist of this work is admiring the world, biostimulation, deep experiences and expressing emotions and feelings explicitly.

During 5 years the group gave more than 150 concerts in Belarus, France, Russia, Ukraine and Poland. They joined many charity actions, participated in international and local festivals, played concerts in various places - from Chinese tearooms, through artistic exhibitions to punk parties. In addition, they made surrealist performances (Buto dance, roller skating, magic tree cutting) and street improvisations.

Some festivals:
1. "Sinij pieriec" (Blue pepper) - International Avant-garde Music Festival, Belarus, Minsk 2002;
2. "X-Tradition" - International Festival of Untraditional Theatres, Belarus, Minsk 2002;
3. "Fiesta Borealis" (2nd place award) - Alternative Music Festival, Poland Olecko 2004;
4. "Outside the frame" -- Alternative Music Festival, Russia Rostow upon Don 2004;
5. "Taukaczyki" - Folk-Modern Festival, Belarus Mensk 2004;
6. "Etnosphere" - International Folk Music, Skierniewice Poland 2005;
7. "World's Music" - International World Music Festival, Russia Moscow 2005;
8. "Pustyje holmy" (Empty Hills) - Alternative Music Festival in A Forest, Russia Kaluzskij District 2004-2005.

Albums, recordings:
1. album "Oszczuszczenia, zabwienije" (Experiences, Forgetting...), 2002, recorded by ONYX records, Minsk;
2. Music for a doll's theatre "The Adventure of Pin-Pin", directed by Swieta Ben, 2003;
3. album "U Ziemi pod Jubkoj" (Under the Earth's Skirt), 2004-2005, recorded by "RADIO A5" (Poland), additional recording DRZEWO records, Minsk;
4. Compilation from the festival "Fiesta Borealis" 2004, Poland;
5. "The Concert for Mum" (16.09.2004)
6. Improvisation by NAGUAL "piesni tihoj gliny" (Songs of Silent Clay), 2005.
Compilations:
7. "Kultura na Pomosz'cz'" (Culture for Help) + archive video (Minsk - Moscow), 2003-2004;
8. "U Ziemi pod Jubkoj" (Under the Earth's Skirt) - maxi-single + archive video (Minsk), 2004;
9. "Piesni Autenticznyh Pieriesielencew" (Songs by True Emigrants) + archive video (Minsk - Moscow), 2004.

Video clips:
2003 - "Utieszenije Sniegom" (Comfort in Snow), directed by Denis Markin
2004 - "U Ziemi pod Jubkoj" (Under the Earth's Skirt), directed by Ałła Wolskaja, operator Oleg Girel
And many more archive videos (amateur recordings)
2005 - "Abrikosowyje Koridory" (Apricot Halls), directed by Anna Gorlacz.

Musicians:

Leonid Pavlyonok – vocals, dance, snare drum, guitar, elkin nos, djembe, didgeridoo, kuhicly, zhaleyka, hlyak (earthenware jar)
Anaka Shaposhnikova – dulcimer, vocals, djembe, vargan (Jew’s-harp), banbor, spinning wheel
Yuri Naumenko – konrabass, vocal
Benjamine Cope – klarinet, vocal