Biruta Ozolina & DJ Monsta

The ongoing quest for innovative folk music project by Biruta Ozolina together with contemporary rhythm variations by DJ Monsta create ambient music that not only conserves the spirit of traditional music, but also adds to its sound completely new modern features. The beginning of the project dates back to 2010, but more serious collaboration began in early 2011.October 2011 Biruta Ozolina and DJ Monsta presented multi-medial project “Neverending bit of life” at the Latvian National Theatre. Musicians got the great recognition for audience and critics, The band has played concerts in Latvia and also Lithuania.

The musicians have seen the live threads of folklore which let them further develop the traditions, to make music and create the sound contemporary and suitable for the spirit of this time and perceptual features. The sound of the band enriched by bass player Toms Poišs and percussionist Mikus Cavars.

Biruta Ozolina attracts folk music audience with bright Latgalian folk melodies, which are characterised by the quest for soul balance and beautiful world view. Biruta was born in Latgale and from early childhood was raised within singing tradition. It seems that interest in folklore has come to Biruta by inheritance: excellent songs from her relatives that Melngailis included in his folklore materials can serve as evidence. Biruta’s first records were made during 1980ies on Latvian Radio and are summarized on various CDs - "Bolta Eimu" (1999), "Sirdsgrieži" (2002), "Miega dziesmas" (2004), "Ucinamas dziesmas" (2005). Biruta has received appraisal from music critics and listeners on folk festivals in Kaunas, Vilnius, Tallinn, Krakow, etc. Her ethno jazz group Patina was founded in 2003 and its debut album Patina came out in 2006. The group participated in many jazz festivals in La Rosh-sur-Yon (France), Koktebel (Ukraine), Riga and Saulkrasti (Latvia), Kaunas (Lithuania) and Flensburg (Germany).

DJ Monsta (Uldis Cirulis) started to play records in 1992 and in 1996 became interested in turntablism (the art of playing records using turntables, which includes scratch and beat juggling). He collaborated with such Latvian musicians as Gustavo and "Time After Time", but with DJs AG, Raitis and Krii founded a group of turntablists called "Riga Scratch Posse". DJ Monsta has already performed with musicians – together with a modern jazz group "Riga Groove Electro" in 2007 and 2008 he went on the European tour "Balticness" to eleven Baltic Sea countries, including Russia, and became the first DJ to have ever appeared in the State Jazz Philharmonic in St. Petersburg. Since 2008 Dj Monsta and saxophonist and composer Nic Gotham created a group NiMo. In 2009 "NiMo" together with the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra created a project called "SimfoNiMo", but in the end of 2010 the group published its debut album "The World Is Our Oyster." In 2010 he has collaborated with the Latvian Radio Choir in the electro – acoustic project „Story of Kurbads". The project won "Production of the Year" award in the Latvian Grand Music Awards ceremony 2010. The newest project in which DJ Monsta participated was a Christmas concert with the choir „Balsis“ and he scratched in the compositions composed by producer „Renegades of Jazz“.