Miglaukas

The music of Miglaukas is a prime example of the ongoing blurring of borders between the local ethnic folk tradition and the vast ocean of world music. Archaic Lithuanian singing holds together melodic and rhythmic elements which flow like a journey through a kaleidoscope of different cultural and musical regions. While it may be a challenge for purists who believe that traditional forms should not mix with “foreign” influences, not to mention contemporary electronic processing, this music reflects the current awareness that cultures have more similarities than differences, and their confluence is mutually enriching. Furthermore, it is not something utterly new – musicians have been interweaving different ethnic musical forms for decades until now. However, the special thing about Miglaukas, at least in the Lithuanian context, is that their musical journeys actually coincide with their physical and spiritual ones, and the inspiration for their contemporary experimental world fusion comes from personal lived experiences rather than romantic misconceptions. The quartet’s multilayered (but not eclectic) music can be heard equally at Baltic (post)folk festivals, trance and world music gatherings, and in smaller chamber venues.

Jurij Dobriakov