Otava Yo - Loud and Clear
Loud and Clear, the latest album from folk ensemble Otava Yo, sees its release on 22nd March 2024.
Our world is currently a turbulent place. Hailing from Russia, the members of Otava Yo – like so many others across the globe – are living through a tempestuous time. As conflict tears at their region and causes the world they know to crumble around them, the band find succour and summon strength through their art.
Music can be many things to many people. It can offer solace and support, aid contemplation, soothe frayed nerves, and invigorate the mind, body, and soul. Yet perhaps its most powerful trait is the ability to bring people together no matter their backgrounds and remind us of universal experiences and shared human values. This very quality serves as a spark of inspiration for Loud and Clear.
Facing such hardships, anyone would hope to find some stability in an ever-changing world, and for Otava Yo, music proves to be their solid ground. One might expect artists surrounded by adversity to hold a mirror to their experience and reflect a harsh reality in their works. With Otava Yo, the truth is quite the opposite. The songs of Loud and Clear have a celebratory feel with bold beats, hearty harmonies, and rampant rhythms prominent throughout the album. The band revels in the rich heritage of their ancestors, adding modern twists to traditional yet lesser-known Russian folk songs. They regale with tales of family, friendship, the beauty of nature, the comfort of community, camaraderie, love, and connection. Ably augmented with vibrant vocals from long-time collaborators, the female ensemble Vasilisa, Loud and Clear offers everything you need to know about contemporary Russian folklore.
Among the plethora of acoustic instruments featured on Loud and Clear are the fife, fiddle, and glockenspiel, as well as a recently recreated Russian bagpipe (volynka) and, perhaps most interestingly, the ancient gusli, one of the oldest instruments of Russian musical culture and one that produces a unique sound. Band founder Alexey Belkin – himself son to a Ukrainian mother and Russian father, and husband to a Latvian wife – was introduced to the gusli by his Latvian father-in-law, who first taught him an old Russian tune.
Beyond the studio, Otava Yo has gained acclaim for their live shows. These performances are infused with an infectious charm and energy and have captivated crowds in over thirty countries across the globe, including the UK, France, the USA, India, Japan, and many others. They also presented their work at WOMEX, the world music fair in 2014.
Further evidence of the band’s blending of past and present is their phenomenal online following. Bringing their modern interpretations of traditional folk music to their 400,000+ YouTube subscribers and amassing over 200 million views across their channel, their self-produced music videos have proven most popular in their homeland, Poland, the United States, Germany, and Ukraine. These uploads highlight their musical talents, display a distinct visual style, and are often sprinkled with the band’s irrepressible humour and personality.
Otava Yo wish to share their musical traditions and their understanding that music is the universal language that transcends cultural, linguistic, and geographical boundaries. A creative force that connects, intrigues, and communicates emotions, thoughts, and experiences in ways that words often cannot.
A message you will hear Loud and Clear.
For further information please contact Amelia Zimmatore | amelia@arcmusic.co.uk | +44(0)1342 770478
ARC Music Productions Int Ltd, PO Box 111, East Grinstead, RH19 4FZ, UK | www.arcmusic.co.uk