Kulturarena Jena | Luiku

In the organizer's words:

It starts like in a film: dust swirls up, horses gallop, colorful scenes, lots of music - and in the middle of it all, the cleverest horse thief from the steppes of Bessarabia whirls around. Perhaps someone remembers: Das Zigeunerlager zieht in den Himmel (The Gypsy Camp Moves to Heaven), a Soviet film classic that was once shown successfully on the big screen in the GDR and West Germany. Even if the German title sucks, the themes remain timeless. The story tells of love, pride and an insatiable hunger for freedom - and the gifted horse thief Loiko Sobar burns himself in as a daredevil, romantic and rebel.

It's nice that this spark lives on - in the name and sound of Luiku. And their sound can't be tamed either: It sounds like freedom and love, like dazzling musical landscapes, like a warm, rousing mess for everyone.

On the very last evening of the Kulturarena, the rough pavement of the theater forecourt can be put under a little strain. Luiku, based in Kiev, is a seven-piece formation that ignites musical fireworks somewhere between the Carpathian highlands, a Balkan festival and a Mediterranean summer night. The band combines driving beats with radiant horns, accordion with pulsating rhythms - above it all float voices that enchant and drive. This is not music to listen to in passing - this is music that grabs you and draws you onto the dance floor, whether you like it or not.

The mastermind behind it all: Dmytro Tsyperdyuk - musician, producer, sound explorer. What began as an assignment for a documentary film quickly developed into something bigger. A band. An idea. A sound that resonates with intense encounters and stories, with passion, boundlessness and love. Moments that are captured, mixed and passed on - as rousing trans-Carpathian ethno beats.

In other words: sounds were not simply collected here, but absorbed, transformed and reassembled. In Luiku, influences from Ukraine, Turkey, Poland, Hungary and the entire Balkan region merge into a vibrant whole. Sometimes raw and earthy, sometimes playful and wild - but always irresistible.

If our horse thief Loiko Sobar had a band today, it would probably sound exactly like this. Ready to twirl?

Price information:

Advance booking: € 10.00 Box Office: € 15.00