СОЮЗ (SOYUZ)

SOYUZ (СОЮЗ) is a collective from Minsk, Belarus, now based in Warsaw. Founded by Belarusian multi-instrumentalists Alex Chumak and Mikita Arlou, and joined by Poles Albert Karch (drums) and Igor Wiśniewski (guitar), the band blends jazz, folk and pop into rich orchestrations. The band made their breakthrough with the album ‘Force of the Wind’, which was named one of Bandcamp’s Best Albums of 2022 and received airplay on BBC Radio, among others.

Their latest album ‘KROK’, released in October via the British indie label Mr Bongo, means ‘step’ in Belarusian and is Chumak’s first album on which he writes in his mother tongue. The album combines the band’s Eastern European roots with jazz, folk and musical influences from around the world. Recorded in São Paulo and Warsaw, with contributions from Tim Bernardes and the Brazilian musicians Sessa, Biel Basile and Marcelo Cabral, among others, the album features folk ballads, jazzy pop and rich string and wind arrangements, with each composition possessing a personal, almost cinematic quality.