Tartak

Tartak

Year of foundation – 1996

City – Lutsk (Ukraine)

Language – Ukrainian

Genre – rap-core, rap-rock, rap-metal, nu-metal, funk-rock

Lineup:

Sergiy Stroyan;
Anton Yegorov;
Yaroslav Vilchyk;
Denys Levchenko.

Former members:

Vasyl Zinkevich;
Andriy Samoilo;
Valentyn Matiyuk;
Sashko Polozhynskyi and others.

History of the group

Tartak is a Ukrainian rap-core band from the city of Lutsk. The name of the group was given by the leader of the group, Oleksandr Polozhinsky. “Tartak” is a woodworking production or sawmill. The word “zastryle” has already gone out of use.

The newly created project loudly announced itself to fans of Ukrainian music by taking part in the qualifying round of the prestigious Chervona Ruta festival. The group not only went further, but also won. The musicians impressed the audience with the bright compositions “O-la-la”, “Podarui meni kokhannia” and “Bozhevilni danci”. It was for these songs that the group received the first prize in the “Dance music” nomination.

Creative path

The future stars of the stage continue to pave the path to popularity and recognition of a wider audience in the format of a duet. At that time, the group consisted of Sashko Polozhinsky and Vasyl Zinkevich Jr. However, at the end of 1997, keyboardist Andriy Blahun and guitarist Andriy "Mukha" Samoilo joined the group. In the renewed formation, in early 1998, the artists went on a big tour of Ukraine as the winners of "Chervona Ruta-97".

In the same 1998, Sashko Polozhinsky, together with other members of Tartak, began to improve the technical component of the group's creativity. They bought a computer to write new songs and create high-quality sound. But after the festival tour, the group faced serious difficulties. First, there was a ban on live performances on open stages in Kyiv. Soon, Vasyl Zinkevich Jr. left the group. The group found itself in limbo, without a clear plan for further development.

The situation changed when producer Oleksiy Yakovlev began to take care of Tartak. Thanks to his participation, the project received new impetus. At the end of 1999, DJ Valentyn Matiyuk joined the band. And already in early 2000, the band began preparing their debut album, the album “Demo Graphic Explosion”. The recording of the album lasted almost two years and combined both completely new tracks and hits well-known to listeners. Some compositions were presented in a fresh arrangement. And the first video clip in the band’s history was shot for the song “O-la-la”.

Style and development of the band

With the arrival of new musicians, Tartak was able to move on to full-fledged live sound at concerts. At that time, the band did not yet have large-scale solo shows. However, one after another, the largest Ukrainian festivals began to invite musicians: “Tavriyski Igry”, “Perlyny Sezonu”, the Polish “Lemkivska Vatra”, Kyiv “Extremeism”, Lviv “Rokoteka”, etc. At the Chaika festival, Tartak performed as a headliner for the first time. And the real peak was the performance at Rock-Existence.

In early 2005, changes occurred in the band. In February, Tartak held a final concert with the previous lineup. The performance took place at the European Square in Kyiv. Already in April, Andriy "Mukha" Samoilo and DJ Valentyn Matiyuk left the band. Instead, Tartak was joined by guitarist Anton Yegorov and Vitaliy Pavlyshyn.

The musicians continue to work actively. New releases are being released. The tracks on the records not only conquer loyal fans, but also fly to high positions in the charts. The band pleasantly surprises with compositions created in collaboration with other performers and groups. Among the bright collaborations are the tracks:

“Above the Clouds” (feat Katya Chilly);
“Not Telling Anyone” (feat Andriy Pidluzhny);
“Sit Down, Sit Down” (feat Gulyaygorod) and others.

And on December 7, 2019, Tartak, together with hundreds of fans, will celebrate their 23rd anniversary with a concert in the capital.

The band’s breakup

On February 5, 2020, it became known about a turning point in Tartak’s history. Oleksandr Polozhinsky, who was the leader of the band for many years, announced in a video message to fans that he was terminating his activities as part of Tartak, as well as his other project Bouvier.

On April 8 of the same year, an online concert was held on the band’s official YouTube channel. Then the public was introduced to the new vocalist Serhiy Stroyan. However, on January 20, 2022, the musicians announced the end of their activities as part of the Tartak collective. This was stated in a post on the band's official Facebook page. It was also announced that work on a new creative project had begun.

Social activity

In 2005, Tartak joined the social initiative "Do not be indifferent!" The campaign was aimed at encouraging citizens to actively participate in the life of the country and defend their rights. As part of the campaign, the band went on a tour of small cities in Ukraine, on the stages of which they had never performed before.

The following year, in June 2006, on the eve of the debut of the Ukrainian national football team at the World Cup, Tartakk supported the national team. The team created the song "Ukraine, score!" A video clip was shot for the composition, and a special maxi-single was also released.