Latvian folk group JUUK is offering a unique musical experience with the release of their fourth studio album, “Tulkojumi” (Translations). the collection reimagines songs from a variety of cultures-including Gregorian chants and 16th-century French ballads-through Latvian lyrics and the band’s distinctive dark folk lens. To mark the occasion, JUUK held an unconventional album launch event, a live broadcast performance from the Aleponija bar wich will air today, December 26th, on Latvijas Radio 3.
Latvian dark folk group JUUK has released its fourth studio album, “Tulkojumi” (Translations), a collection of songs sourced from diverse cultures and reimagined in the band’s signature style with lyrics translated into Latvian. The album launched with an unconventional event – a live broadcast performance from the Aleponija bar that will air today, December 26th, on Latvijas Radio 3.
Dark folk group «JUUK» releases new album; presentation recording airs today on Latvijas Radio 3
JUUK operates in the realm of dark folk and country music, primarily performing original material but occasionally offering interpretations of existing songs. It’s these interpretations that form the core of “Tulkojumi.”
The well-known Gregorian chant “O Come, Emmanuel” appears on the album in Latgalian, while the remaining tracks are in Latvian, translated from English, French, Finnish, and Armenian.
These aren’t literal translations, but rather adaptations and interpretations of the texts into Latvian.
The idea for a program of translated songs began four years ago, as JUUK prepared for a Christmas concert at the Small Guild, band members Edgars Šubrovskis, Oskars Jansons, and Sniedze Prauliņa told Kultūras Rondo.
“We needed to prepare a program and went to a retreat at Līgatne’s ‘Zeit,’ where we looked at what songs we could really prepare well. And the guys came up with the idea of Latvianizing one song,” explained Prauliņa.
“’Hard Times Come Again No More,’ which is a song from the American Civil War. Oskars brought it to our attention as someone who knows these things. He said, ‘Hey, here’s a great song,’ but it didn’t really fit the Christmas theme or any other appropriate topic,” continued Šubrovskis. “Why would we include it in a Christmas program? And then, almost as a joke, we started thinking about maybe rewriting the chorus, and we actually decided to do that and translate the whole song. Then it took off, and we started gradually working on other songs. It created a new tradition in the ensemble of translating songs. At one point, they just accumulated.”
“Yeah, I have a list in my head of old hits where we can all put our touch on them,” added Jansons.
“JUUK’s” interpretations include a 16th-century French song that was originally danced to a fast court dance called a tourdion.
The original lyrics of the song describe various types of wine and a feast, while JUUK’s version speaks to something closer to the Latvian mentality, Šubrovskis explained:
“The original is full of that festive revelry, hedonism. There are hams and different wines, and I was thinking about how much that applies to us. Those different wines and that true French physicality – we revel in that, we slap each other on the sides and drink. It seemed to me that we are more the type to brood alone. It’s not always the case that friends gather, and even if they do, it’s not always that we really love them. So we Latvianized the lyrics, yes.”
A genuine love for good music, and a desire to highlight and revitalize it, is one of the reasons JUUK created an album of translated songs, Jansons noted.
“If a band plays songs by other authors, I think it’s a sign of life. I think it immediately shows that you love music in general, not just yourself. And these interpretations can also show what was important to the interpreter. For example, we really hope that we have managed to embody what is in the album in the ‘JUUK’ language. But we also believe that – if you interpret – then there must be some added value. So at its core, it’s simply a love for music as such, a desire to play what you like.”
The album also features four Armenian songs, performed with Asmika Bagojanu, an Armenian singer living in Latvia, who sings in Latvian.
JUUK’s new album, “Tulkojumi,” along with the recording of the launch event hosted by Orests Silabriedis and recorded at the Aleponija bar, will be broadcast on Latvijas Radio 3 Klasika on December 26th, starting at 10:00 AM.
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