Warekes

Warekes is an international collective based in The Hague focused on creating a new Folklore without borders. Founded in 2019 in the Hague by Martín Mayo and Josefina Koloski, Warekes (or, "los Sapos" by its original name) began as a meeting place of musical traditions, performing classical and Renaissance vocal pieces alongside jazz tunes and Latin folksongs. Its original name came from the piece El Sapo by Alejandro Vargas and made famous by Serenata Guayanesa. In its initial formation, the group included Mayo and Koloski as cuatro and singer, along with Edurne Ruiz García and Anna Lluna as singers. But with the pandemic came the lockdown, and with it, time to think. The group began reflecting on folklore as a whole, and managed to distill all folklore to three general ingredients: Environment, Community, and Ritual. It is the unique parts of each of these three that makes any folklore special, and it is using these three ideas that Warekes set out to build a new Folklore without Borders. By late 2021, both Lluna and Koloski had left the group, and Sarah Raabe (voice) and Peppe Sapienza (clarinet) came on as permanent members. Together, Warekes set out to record Everyday Wonders, a tribute to the little daily rituals of student life in the Hague. The album released on March 1st, 2023, and Warekes now looks to the future, excited to continue on their musical quest.