Māris Āboliņš releases debut single and music video “Brāļu dziesma”

Latvian musician and film visual effects artist Māris Āboliņš has released his first single, “Brāļu dziesma” (Song of the Brothers), together with a music video he directed himself. The video has already received several awards at international festivals.

Until now Āboliņš was better known as a member of the industrial electronic music group Cyberpunk, and he also works on the pagan ambient project Ritual Inc. He also likes to pick up an acoustic guitar and sing with friends around a campfire. That is how “Brāļu dziesma” came about several years ago; it has now been recorded in a studio and officially released.

Recording and credits

The song's author sang it and played the guitar. Toms Auniņš added synthesizer and created the sound mix, while Andris Indāns was responsible for the recording.

Awards and festivals

Āboliņš also works on visual effects for feature films; his credits include “Dvēseļu putenis” (Blizzard of Souls). He directed the video himself. At the Europe Music Video Awards ceremony in Slovakia it won the best director award, while the best actor award went to Vilnis Švāns, who plays the father in the clip. At the Vienna Independent Film Festival, “Brāļu dziesma” was named best music video. The video has also been shown at festivals in Norway, Sweden, Spain, England, the Netherlands, Croatia and Ukraine.

The idea behind it

Āboliņš says the foundation of the song appeared suddenly. In his observation, when he is with peers there comes a moment when the jokes and stories have run out, yet the wish to share a common mood remains. While writing the lyrics he sensed something ancient and solid in them, and with the video he wanted to capture these feelings.

Filming took place at a historic site in the Dobele municipality, linked to the battle between the Livonian Order and the Samogitians near the Dobe hillfort, mentioned in the Rhymed Chronicle. Mārtiņs Tiltnieks, the clip's weapons and props master, who also appears as an actor, says many of the actors are history enthusiasts and wore their own costumes used in historical festival battles. Cinematographer Ivo Skanstiņš says he filmed with great satisfaction because the frames had striking textures: metal gleaming in firelight, the brothers' faces, dancing flames and swirling water.