Released today from Ukrainian DJ The Lazy Jesus comes UA Tribal Vol 2. The six-track EP is composed of four original pieces and two remixes made by guest artists. Baked into each four-ish minute track is Ukrainian traditional sound: the trembita and sopilka, two Ukrainian wooden wind instruments, work together, combining traditional pipe melodies with rich percussion and a base groove. Born Ehor Havrylenko, the EP’s creator stays close to his ethnic roots. Years of performing as a part of Ukrainian indie and jazz bands influence the music he makes now, riding solo under the “Lazy Jesus” moniker. Subverting expectations, the Ukrainian musician and producer has surely taken advantage of the freedom that comes with being a one-man show. While UA Tribal Vol 2’s tracks preserve skeletal elements of Ukrainian sound, Ehor complements that soundscape with a range of international music styles.
Joining Lazy Jesus in his latest EP are Dengue Dengue Dengue, a cult Peruvian duo, and JaiJiu, an Argentinian producer. The Latin artists remix two of the four tracks: Dengue Dengue Dengue (DNGDNGDNG) adds a South American touch to Smok, leaving JaiJiu to put a twist on Evfoniia. Influenced by their native sonic languages of Cumbia and Argentine dance music, the artists’ takes on Ehor’s original Ukrainian beats are astounding. This collaboration epitomizes the magical power of the melting pot. We hear Lazy Jesus in Smok, in Evfoniia, and in his other two tracks, Hlynar and Vivchar, and we think, “wow.” And then we hear the trembita and sopika married to a cumbia-style guitar, and we are left speechless. It could’ve not worked, but it definitely worked.
The Lazy Jesus’s musical anthology has been described as “a voyage through Altered States (Ken Russell’s movie),” and of a description more apt, we cannot conceive. He wears a mask [The Lazy Jesus]. So did Sia, and we correctly pictured her as the powerhouse of a woman the removal of her mask ultimately proved her to be. The mask worn by The Lazy Jesus is red, with a Ukrainian tribal print stripe coming down from each eye, resembling a cascading line of tears. Concealing his face, Ehor Havrylenko allows us to preserve whatever mental image we already have [of The Lazy Jesus]. My imagination draws Ukrainian patterns that flow like tears down Ehor's mask. Under the mask is a collective image of all identity searchers who have delved deeply into themselves and their culture, into the most remote regions of cultural and historical origins. There, the lazy Jesus, lost in thought, constructed the nature of sound. The day is June 21st, and his trance-like state is facilitated by none other than Ehor Havrylenko’s latest EP, UA Tribal Vol 2.