Ukraine's Kommuna Lux tours exuberant "Odesa gangsta folk" to the Chutzpah! Festival
Group melds folk traditions, klezmer music, and urban energy into a unique style as it raises money for Ukraine’s humanitarian and military efforts
Kommuna Lux.
Chutzpah! Festival presents Kommuna Lux at The Pearl on November 2 at 7 pm in partnership with Caravan World Rhythms
ODESA GANGSTA FOLK, a term coined by Ukrainian band Kommuna Lux, is a style of music entirely its own. Rooted in the historic port city of Odesa, Ukraine, it’s characterized by the area’s melange of vibrant street music (heard in bustling areas like the cobblestone pedestrian walkway of Derybasivska Street, and the bohemian Prymorskyi Boulevard, a cultural landmark within the Historic Centre of Odesa).
The “folk” element of Kommuna Lux’s style comes mainly from klezmer music, a popular genre in Ukraine due to the country’s large Jewish population—it lends the group’s songs exuberant melodies and undeniable danceability, with distinct notes from instruments like the clarinet, accordion, and trumpet.
The word “gangsta”, on the other hand, may initially draw comparisons to the American gangster rap that emerged from the West Coast in the late ’80s and early ’90s, and the lifestyle associated with it. But Kommuna Lux clarinetist Volodymyr Gitin clarifies that “gangsta” refers to the band’s energy and style in its early days; restaurant shows in Odesa saw the musicians dancing on tables and interacting with audience members, delivering upbeat performances that kept locals wanting more. Adding that sort of rebellious flair to Jewish and Ukrainian folk songs that have been around for centuries was, in a way, a gangster move for Kommuna Lux.
“In America, we say ‘Odesa urban folk’, because ‘gangsta’ is a part of Odesa history that may not have the same meaning or feeling if people were to say it in America,” Gitin tells Stir. “Odesa is a special city and includes a lot of different music and cultures because there are a lot of different nationalities.” Interchangeably using the term “urban”, he explains, is also fitting due to the popularity of street performances in Odesa.
Kommuna Lux has been playing concerts in North America since June, when it kicked off an East Coast tour that spanned the entirety of the summer. After the success of those shows, the group decided to extend their tour to the West Coast. Since mid-September, the members have been travelling north from Eagle Rock, California; their show in Vancouver at The Pearl on November 2, presented as part of the Chutzpah! Festival in partnership with Caravan World Rhythms, will wrap up the tour.
Gitin is speaking to Stir from Port Townsend, Washington just before recording a segment for a local radio station. He says this is the band’s longest tour to date, and that for many of its members (particularly those with children), being away from home for so long has been tough.
“On tour a lot of things are happening,” Gitin says. “There are a lot of kind people who we meet, and it’s an interesting journey. We understand that we continue our mission for our charity, and there are reasons to be here, so it depends. Different parents can feel different, but we perform every time with thoughts about our people and our families, and hope to see them soon.”
Kommuna Lux has raised more than $11,000 in donations since the start of its North American tour, most of which went towards a special hospital bed for burn victims in partnership with the Rotary Club of Kyiv. The band has also been operating its own nonprofit organization called KMLX since 2022; one hundred percent of proceeds are donated directly to humanitarian and military projects that support Ukraine in the war against Russia. Some of the specific items purchased so far include vehicles, drones, surveillance cameras for shelters, computers and flash drives, drinking water, and medicine.
“Our country has had a very hard period that has brought a lot of changes for everybody, for our whole country,” Gitin says. “We try to do our best. We try to support in the way that we can, and ask people here to support and to make these possibilities for our people to continue to be brave.”
He adds later of the band’s name: “‘Kommuna’ means a community of people who are together because of a special idea: an idea to bring light, to bring freedom, to bring a lot of good things. So maybe this is the message that I want to say, to remind everybody that only if we are all together and there can be music—like our concerts—we can meet each other, be kind to each other, feel some special energy, and help each other in different ways. Only by doing good things and helping each other can we make this world better.”
Gitin began playing the clarinet at eight years old, and went to college for music in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih before continuing his professional training at the Odesa Conservatory (now the Odesa National Music Academy). During those formative years, he became familiar with klezmer music and the Dixieland jazz traditions of New Orleans. Gitin spent the next decade engaging in street performances, playing at competitions alongside a button accordionist, and conducting a local wind orchestra. In 2014, he began hosting gigs with a troupe of fellow musicians that later became Kommuna Lux.
Over the past few decades, Gitin says, it has become less common to hear Ukrainian folk music on the streets of Odesa. But since the war began, he’s noticed that locals have been placing more of an importance on keeping the genre alive and revitalizing the country’s musical traditions. In that way, Kommuna Lux has become an ambassador for the region’s talent and history abroad.
The upcoming show in Vancouver will feature the band’s seven members: clarinetist Gitin, vocalist Bagrat Tsurkan, accordionist Oleg Vasianovich, trumpeter Andrei Okhramovich, trombonist Yaroslav Besh, acoustic guitarist Viktor Kirilov, and percussionist Sergei Poltorak. Local dance teacher Hadas Klinger will also be in attendance, sharing traditional folk moves with audience members.
“Everybody will be part of this entertainment, not only the musicians,” Gitin says. “They will feel different emotions. They will feel the joy of life. They will feel maybe some things that are deeper. They will feel that they are at home all together, as part of something big. And they will hear a unique style, unique music from Odesa. So it will be a very kind atmosphere, with a lot of energy, a lot of emotions. And every time we say, don’t forget your dancing shoes.” 
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