Oleg Fateev & Simone Sou

Fusion of unique worlds

The Brazilian percussionist Simone Sou and the Moldavian accordionist Oleg Fateev found each other in the Low Countries. Since first playing together at the Festival Mundial in Tilburg in 2008, they have been inseparable as life partners, and as a duo they explore the intersections of their different musical worlds.

Effortless opposites

Sou complements the Moldavian melancholia that Oleg draws from his imposing bayan (the giant among the accordions) with a light-footed rhythmic response on all sorts of percussion, although she does show her strength when necessary. Her vast homeland is a treasure trove of musical styles and traditions, and Sou makes grateful use of this rich reservoir. One minute she dances across the stage beating a frame drum and with bells tied to her feet like an indigenous shaman, the next she picks up the pandeiro or the berimbau. But she’s just as comfortable sitting behind a drum kit. Fateev and Sou are complete opposites in many respects. While she swirls across the stage, he rarely if ever leaves his stool. But in terms of inventiveness and expressiveness, the partners playfully compete with each other.

Line-up

Oleg Fateev – Bayan (button accordion), vocals

Simone Sou – Percussion, drums, vocals