Darka and Slavko
Encyclopedia
Darka & Slavko is one of the most popular duos in Ukrainian diaspora
and Ukraine
.
The duo "Darka & Slavko" was formed when Darka Konopada & Slavko Halatyn
, both
first generation Ukrainian Americans, became musical partners in 1986. It happened when once during a Ukrainian college group's poetry reading for political prisoners, they were asked to sing a few songs. Thus began a ten year musical collaboration as well as an eight year marriage.
Under the name "Darka & Slavko" the duo released four albums and produced many projects for other musicians. Initially they focused attention on creating a sound that was comprehensive for Ukrainian Americans who, until then, considered Ukrainian music
existing only for the older generation. "Darka & Slavko" wanted to change that.
On their first album, simply entitled, Darka & Slavko, one of the songs they chose to do was Volodymyr Ivasyuk's
Chervona Ruta
. It was specifically arranged within the Reggae
genre for a couple of reasons: they wanted to add some shock value to their first album and also, they believed, Volodymyr would have approved this.
Their second album, Khvylyna (Moment) gave way to more sophisticated arrangements and the duo began to write original songs. Finally in 1995, "Darka & Slavko" released their final studio album, Povir (Believe) which was a collection of entirely original songs. One of the songs, Spivtsi (Singers) was written about the life and death of Volodymyr Ivasyuk and how it sparked an explosion of Ukrainian pop music development that continues until today. This song was written on a train from Lviv
to Chernivtsi
and two days later was debuted at Ukraine
's first contemporary music festival "Chervona Ruta" in 1989 - where the duo and their newly formed group were ultimately awarded Best International Band.
"Darka & Slavko" continued to tour around the world, and also recorded a live album
with jazz
renditions of their favorite songs. In 1997, "Darka & Slavko" had split up personally and professionally.
Currently both have re-married and are continuing their music careers. Slavko has recorded an album in 2001 entitled The Weight of Words under the name Slau
and also continues to run his recording studio. Darka continues to sing and compose music, and is currently working on an album of her own. Shall the future see no more common studio recordings, however, many hold "Darka & Slavko" and their music responsible for inspiring young generations to create, compose and challenge the past.
Ukrainian diaspora
The Ukrainian diaspora is the global community of ethnic Ukrainians, especially those who maintain some kind of connection, even if ephemeral, to the land of their ancestors and maintain their feeling of Ukrainian national identity within their own local community.-1608 To 1880:After the loss...
and Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
.
The duo "Darka & Slavko" was formed when Darka Konopada & Slavko Halatyn
Slau
Slau is an American singer/songwriter and producer of Ukrainian descent living in New York City...
, both
first generation Ukrainian Americans, became musical partners in 1986. It happened when once during a Ukrainian college group's poetry reading for political prisoners, they were asked to sing a few songs. Thus began a ten year musical collaboration as well as an eight year marriage.
Under the name "Darka & Slavko" the duo released four albums and produced many projects for other musicians. Initially they focused attention on creating a sound that was comprehensive for Ukrainian Americans who, until then, considered Ukrainian music
Music of Ukraine
Ukraine is a multi-ethnic Eastern European state situated north of the Black Sea, previously part of the Soviet Union. Many of its ethnic groups living within Ukraine have their own unique musical traditions and some have developed specific musical traditions in association with the land in which...
existing only for the older generation. "Darka & Slavko" wanted to change that.
On their first album, simply entitled, Darka & Slavko, one of the songs they chose to do was Volodymyr Ivasyuk's
Volodymyr Ivasyuk
Volodymyr Mykhailovych Ivasyuk or Volodymyr Ivasiuk was a very popular Ukrainian songwriter, composer and poet from the Ukrainian SSR...
Chervona Ruta
Chervona Ruta (song)
Chervona Ruta is a popular Ukrainian song written by Volodymyr Ivasyuk in 1968 and performed by many singers. The song was never copyrighted and therefore is considered the Ukrainian folk song....
. It was specifically arranged within the Reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
genre for a couple of reasons: they wanted to add some shock value to their first album and also, they believed, Volodymyr would have approved this.
Their second album, Khvylyna (Moment) gave way to more sophisticated arrangements and the duo began to write original songs. Finally in 1995, "Darka & Slavko" released their final studio album, Povir (Believe) which was a collection of entirely original songs. One of the songs, Spivtsi (Singers) was written about the life and death of Volodymyr Ivasyuk and how it sparked an explosion of Ukrainian pop music development that continues until today. This song was written on a train from Lviv
Lviv
Lviv is a city in western Ukraine. The city is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of today's Ukraine and historically has also been a major Polish and Jewish cultural center, as Poles and Jews were the two main ethnicities of the city until the outbreak of World War II and the following...
to Chernivtsi
Chernivtsi
Chernivtsi is the administrative center of Chernivtsi Oblast in southwestern Ukraine. The city is situated on the upper course of the River Prut, a tributary of the Danube, in the northern part of the historic region of Bukovina, which is currently divided between Romania and Ukraine...
and two days later was debuted at Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
's first contemporary music festival "Chervona Ruta" in 1989 - where the duo and their newly formed group were ultimately awarded Best International Band.
"Darka & Slavko" continued to tour around the world, and also recorded a live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
with jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
renditions of their favorite songs. In 1997, "Darka & Slavko" had split up personally and professionally.
Currently both have re-married and are continuing their music careers. Slavko has recorded an album in 2001 entitled The Weight of Words under the name Slau
Slau
Slau is an American singer/songwriter and producer of Ukrainian descent living in New York City...
and also continues to run his recording studio. Darka continues to sing and compose music, and is currently working on an album of her own. Shall the future see no more common studio recordings, however, many hold "Darka & Slavko" and their music responsible for inspiring young generations to create, compose and challenge the past.