artwork Mariya Primachenko
As we enter the second year of the full-scale Russian invasion, we pursue our survey of the experimental and electronic scene in Ukraine with another round of interviews taking us to Odesa, Rivne, Ivano-Frankivsk and Kyiv as well as Lithuania, Poland, Germany and Canada.
We kick off with the screamo band janpalach talking about their recent tour The War is Much Closer. Courtesy of Alexander Stratonov we get a look at three harrowing investigative docs on Bucha and Yagidne (all with English subtitles).
Meanwhile, PlusStepper talks dub in Odesa, ummsbiaus introduces WarArt, a new multimedia project based in Vilnius, and Arctica looks at ambient music.
protest in Tbilisi – photo by sTia
Furthermore, Sider muses on resistance through music, Alex Schultz lives one day at a time, OBRIЇ waits for his dad to return from the front, Oorree develops under more dynamic conditions, and Ruslancher laments the narrowing of the planning horizon.
We also have two guest spots from Georgia with Rezo Glonti and sTia (CES Records) sending love and support from Tbilisi in the aftermath of the recent demonstrations against the “Russian foreign agent bill”.
Rounding off our series of interviews are Re:drum discussing new folk and be_ca_di introducing ОЧІ.
Demonstrations in Tbilisi March 9, 2023 – photo by Rezo Glonti
Moreover we have a bountiful crop of new releases by the likes of Whaler, Monotonne, Andrii Kunin, Svitovamora, Yurii Samson, Yevhenii Loi, 58918012, Monoconda, Oksana Hritseva, Zavoloka & Noémi Büchi, and a collaboration between Svyatoslav Vakarchuk & Robert 3D Del Naja & Okean Elzy, alongside new fundraising compilations by Giraffe Tapes, Sonic Weapons of Love, Unite With Ukraine, Fuzzy Panda Recording Company, Peace Tomorrow, and Grind4Ukraine.
Plus podcasts from Ukraine World, Polygon, Ann Mysochka, Dana Dee, Human Margareeta, Bryozone, AXT, Heinali, Liky Pid Nohamy, Nikolaienko, and Andrey Kiritchenko.
In the viewing room, we’ve included a documentary on Kershon by Ukrainer (in English) as well as new releases by Vera Logdanidi and SI Process, together with a Psychic TV cover from Casa Ukrania and Lu Joyce helping to raise funds for a friend undergoing surgery for cancer. To tie up proceedings we’ve selected a Georgian performance of “Oy u luzi chervona kalyna”.
But to begin with here’s the latest Ukrainian Field Notes podcast for Resonance FM with Asyncronous, followed by our monthly UFN overview on Spotify with 24 tracks clocking in at just over two hours of music.
Tracklist:
Asyncronous – Midnight Sun
Asyncronous – Point of no Return
Asyncronous – Shinkansen
Asyncronous – Stage of Delta (Ambient Remix)
Arctica – Ambient Mix: Into the Unknown (background)
FEBRUARY 24 2023 – ODESA (and other parts of the Ukraine)
photo by Daniel Goliáš (DééXGéé)
We are Denys (vocals), Illya (guitar), Vova (bass), Artem (drums).
Before the janpalach band was formed, some of us knew each other from the punk scene, as we played in other local bands, or crossed paths at concerts. We started playing with two guitars, then the squad changed a little, but now there are four of us. We play music that we like, it’s something like a mix of screamo and emotional post-hardcore. Since the existence of our band, we have managed to release a couple of splits, singles, two mini-EP and not so long ago we released a full-fledged album. After its release, we embarked almost immediately on a charity tour of Europe.
Has the full-scale invasion changed your approach and motivation to music and has it had an impact on your setup, your live sets and your playlist?
Definitely. In fact, until recently it was hard to believe that in the 21st century even such a crazy neighbour would decide to attack an independent and sovereign state. That’s why we were doing our routine chores until the last moment, and as a band we were preparing for an April-May tour of Spain, France, the Netherlands and Germany. Of course, in the end everything was canceled. In the first months, everyone was in such a mood that there was no desire to listen to music, to work on any upcoming album, or even to rehearse. Only later were we able to let off the steam and everything that had been building up because of current events at our concerts. All this was also reflected both in the subtexts and in the speeches between the songs.
photo by Daniel Goliáš (DééXGéé)
At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, many bands found themselves displaced in different parts of the country. Was your album Celestials mostly completed by February 24? If not, what were the logistics in bringing it to light?
The whole album was recorded before February 24. All tracks had been recorded, mixed and mastered for more than a year. But later Denys decided to re-record the vocals because he wanted some pieces to sound more bitter and be more truthful and clear (especially for himself) because of the lyrics. So the final version of the lyrics was translated into Ukrainian.
In the track by track breakdown for your album Celestials on Idioteq, you describe the song “Seven Nails” thus, “[It] is now the most terrible and scariest song for us, it is about the fear of death under the influence of war, disease, loneliness. The main idea is that what kills a person’s thirst for life is not death itself, but its constant expectation.”
How has life changed for you over the past year and how have your expectations changed?
Too many things have changed. Our view of the world has changed. The things that seemed important started to be small and irrelevant. Now everything will be different, and it will never be the same as it was before. And so it is not only with us, but with all Ukrainians. No exceptions. We were scattered to different countries and cities, but the main thing is that we are all close to our loved ones. And we all expect only one thing – the victory of Ukraine.
janpalach – “Seven Nails”
When you released “Seven Nails” as a single, you put a couple of links for donations but asked not to donate to ICRC. “Don’t donate to the fckn capitalists and skamz from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)!!!”
At A Closer Listen, we have featured over 100 fundraising compilations with a large percentage of those from the West donating to either Unicef or the Red Cross. It is probably clear from your statement above what your opinion about this is, but could you articulate why you find this problematic?
Ukrainians saw that this organisation does almost nothing, does not fulfil its duties, but collects money from gullible people and inflates it with billions of investments. They are fuelled by gratuitous trust all over the world and, above all, in the West, although in fact they are a soap bubble, a beautiful wrapper without substantial content.
What was the audience reaction during your recent tour The War Is Much Closer, and how did it vary from country to country? And how informed would you say the West is about the situation on the ground in Ukraine?
We didn’t fully know how it would go. It is true that the further away from Ukraine, the less people understand the seriousness of everything that is happening, the awareness decreases, there is less relevant news. But we were pleasantly surprised by the incredible support in all the cities on the tour. Everyone supported us, came to talk to us, learned some new things, shared their opinions, and asked various interesting questions. And, of course, donated. In general, we believe that the informative component of this tour worked well.
What is the latest from your former guitarist Bohdan Sokur now serving in the army whom you’ve fundraised for together with Musicians Defend Ukraine, Animal Rescue Kharkiv and the rebuilding effort in the Chernihiv region?
Currently, Bohdan is in the east of the country as part of one volunteer battalion. He is a great fellow, and we are very proud of them. Before the war, he studied in the Czech Republic, and developed as an artist. At the time of the full-scale invasion he was in Kyiv and signed up for the Territorial Defense Forces as early as February 25. Some of his paintings are exhibited even now alongside famous artists of the past and present, as in a recent show in Prague. But, according to Bohdan, it is now already difficult for him to associate himself with the artist: “I can’t imagine that an artist could describe the war. The war cannot be explained or described. It can only be experienced.”
Do you feel there has been a shift in the public’s perception and understating of Ukraine over the course of the past year?
Many people underestimated Ukraine and Ukrainians. The enemy was wrong, and even our friends. But it’s good that our friendly countries realised that they were wrong and now they are helping us at all levels. It is impossible to help only with pacifist slogans like “stop the war”, and “peace to all”, etc. And people from the West also began to understand this, and different segments of the population. Even many punks, whose ideas and worldviews are completely different, have now opened their eyes and see this world without rose-tinted glasses.
photo by Daniel Goliáš (DééXGéé)
There are still misconceptions about the “language debate” in the West, with many still assuming Russian speakers in Ukraine to be pro Russian by default. As I understand, many have now stopped speaking Russian and a lot more people have switched to Ukrainian. What is the situation like in Odesa where there is a large percentage of Russian speakers?
All of us in the band and all our friends in Odesa have “switched” to Ukrainian. But yes, before that we all spoke in russian, the lyrics in the songs were also in russian.
How would you describe the punk and screamo scene in Ukraine? Also, considering you have always been outspoken in your condemnation of any form of discrimination and have, for instance, taken part in compilations in aid of the Ukrainian LGBTQ+ community, how inclusive would you say the scene is?
The punk scene lives on. Even in the conditions of war, there are a lot of shows and festivals, especially in Odesa, Kyiv and Lviv. Now all the money earned from tickets goes directly to the army, volunteer funds, and refugees. If we talk about the screamo scene, then and without the war, there are only a couple of bands that still exist.
Where are you all now, and how are you coping with the cold and the outages?
Those of us who are now in Odesa, where there was one of the worst situations in the country due to damage to power supply facilities, try to live a normal life. The guitarist, however, tried very hard and made his own DIY battery generator J
Which book / film / album / song / traditional dish / podcast / blog / artwork / building / meme best captures Ukraine for you?
Don’t quite understand how to choose one or two things from this list J
FEBRUARY 6 2023 – RIVNE
My name’s Alexander, or as people here say, Sasha. I was born in the city of Rivne in the western part of Ukraine. Despite it being an administrative centre of Rivne province, it’s pretty small, with a population of only 250K people. We don’t have big industries, but Rivne was always one of the creative centres. Lots of famous Ukrainian bands, brands and people of culture and politics originated from here.
I didn’t have any musical education, but I’ve started to create music since my school years in the 2000s, when parents bought me a PC. It was loop-based electronic music, specifically in the Trip Hop and Drum’n’Bass genres. I’ve made several beats for local rappers, but mostly did it for fun.
In 2005, together with a few friends I’ve started an indie band “acloneofmyown”, playing bass there. We’ve recorded 4 EPs and 3 albums, the last one being dated 2015. The band was moderately successful, we’ve been playing at the biggest Ukrainian rock festival “Zaxid” for 3 years straight.
I also played guitar in a metalcore band “the Sky is Red” and made numerous collabs with other local bands.
Has the full-scale invasion changed your approach and motivation to music and has it had an impact on your setup and your playlist?
This is an interesting one. Before the full-scale invasion, I felt a great urge to write music. Since 2017 I rarely got to play bass or guitar, as my main band was on hiatus. All of my life was devoted to my family and a career as a cinematographer on Ukrainian Public Television (“UA:PBC”, or as it is called here, “Suspilne”). Since 2019 I was a part of a small investigative team that was making documentaries about corruption and social injustice. My role in this team is somewhat a “Jack of all trades”. Shooting, directing, editing, motion design, sound design – you name it. We’ve made 10 films before the invasion, won numerous awards, and I was pretty happy about my professional life.
There was only one thing that always bugged me. Soundtracks. It’s such a tedious task to search amongst thousands of tracks on music libraries that would fit into the edits I created. And even if you found something decent, there was always something off, or a minor detail that you don’t like, or the tempo being too slow or too fast, or an instrument getting in the way of a great arrangement and so on.
So, I thought to myself – damn, I have been making music since I was a kid. Why do I need to spend countless hours in search of the needed track if I could just write one myself? That thought led me to buying a MIDI-keyboard as a present for myself on Christmas 2021. And then the war started… So, in a way, trying to get a grip on how to write music on a PC was like a lifebuoy in the first months of invasion that helped me keep my sanity and cope with what was happening.
You’ve been making soundtracks for a number of recent documentaries detailing atrocities and war crimes, including Survivor’s Diary and two centred on Bucha (Bucha 22 and Bucha Final Destination).
Does this work differ in any way from what you’ve been doing on investigative documentaries prior to the full-scale invasion that tackled topics like domestic violence, disability, and mental illness?
While making previous documentaries, I’ve always had a clear vision of what kind of music I wanted, even on the stage of editing. To find one to suit my needs was a challenge. So, when I started to write my own scores, I felt more in control of the process. Now not only the edit dictated what music I need to write, but sometimes the other way around. I could come up with a tune and change the edit of a film to that.
While dealing with music libraries on the prior documentaries and listening to countless soundtracks by kinds of Hans Zimmer, Johann Johannsson or Hildur Guðnadóttir, I’ve started to understand what makes up a good score and try to do my best and deliver the best result possible in very constricted deadlines.
I don’t know if the music I’m writing now would differ from scoring movies that are not about war crimes. We’re always in for drama, so I think it wouldn’t differ drastically, maybe not so emotional. Especially considering that I’m trying to approach every movie differently – changing instruments, genres and tonalities, to always keep myself interested in what I’m doing and try new stuff.
How does one go about creating a score for real life cases and for the testimonies of people who’ve witnessed so much and lost loved ones? And how do you go about achieving a balance between pathos and narrative constraints?
Working on investigative documentaries is always tough emotionally. You’re dealing with the pain and suffering of ordinary people, the injustice of this world. But with war crimes it’s on a totally different level. It leads me to writing highly emotional stuff, and I must say that channeling my feelings to music really helps to distract myself and not be sucked into endless depression.
Currently, I’m constantly fighting with myself and trying to find a middle ground between the need to create the most emotional and beautiful music that I’m capable of and the need for it to be more constrained and balanced, so as not to draw the viewer’s attention off from what’s going on in the video. I don’t know if I am succeeding in this, only the viewers can tell that. But I’m working on myself, for sure.
In Diary Of An Invasion, Andrey Kurkov writes, “Every war leaves a deep wound in the soul of a person. It remains a part of life even when the war itself has ended. I have the feeling that the war is now inside me. It is like knowing that you live with a tumour that cannot be removed. You cannot get away from the war.”
You’ve not just been dealing with war on a personal basis, but also on a professional one. How do you decompress and manage to keep the necessary distance from the stories you’ve been hearing and working on?
It’s always a tough task. But I’m surrounded by great professionals and, what’s even more important, great people. Working in a small team, that feels like a family, is a blessing. So, thanks to my colleagues, my wife and kids and tons of black humour, I’m managing to cope with all of this. It’s like the professional deformation in the psyche of medical doctors. Listening to their jokes from the side, one could think – what a bunch of douchebags! But in reality, joking off is great, and maybe the only way not to lose your mind.
You are from Rivne, what is the current situation there on the ground and have you been displaced by war at any point?
The first days of invasion were really tough. We didn’t know what to expect, how the situation would evolve. What we knew for sure – if russians were to invade and try to occupy our province, we should immediately escape. Because we knew that they’ve prepared lists of people that they considered a threat. And, I believe that every journalist here was at risk of being kidnapped, tortured or killed. We saw what they did in Bucha and other cities, and we knew that we just wouldn’t survive the occupation.
But, thankfully, russians shortly showed their weakness and incompetence, so the opening of another front seems more and more unlikely with every day. And the only thing they could do now is bomb us with rockets.
So no, we haven’t left Rivne, and it somehow became a safe harbour for people fleeing the east and south. Yeah, we’ve had our share of bombing of the infrastructure, but it wasn’t anything close to what people on the other side of Dnipro river are facing.
What are the biggest life changes you’ve experienced over the course of the past year?
The biggest change is definitely the absence of planning. You just can’t plan anything ahead. You live day by day. It’s incredibly frustrating. But, in a way, life got greatly simpler. You get to live another day, and that’s already a good thing. Can’t wait for all of this to be over and finally go on vacation and travel the world. Maybe spend a few weeks with my family in a desolate cabin in the mountains without internet.
Andrey Kurkov also writes in Diary of an Invasion that, “Developments in Ukraine have been impossibly fast-paced. We seem to live at a speed three times that of the Germans and the French. During the thirty years since independence, our country has passed through several times more upheavals than any other European country.”
What would you say are the biggest misconceptions the West still holds about both Ukraine and the full-scale invasion?
The biggest misconception is “let’s not give everything Ukraine needs, because Pu will escalate”. In the minds of some European leaders, it looks like they think that russia has two armies – one that invaded Ukraine, and the other one ready to “escalate” in Europe. But that is just silly. If they had the means to end the “special operation” (as they call it) in 3 days (as they planned), they wouldn’t be in this mess for a year now.
So no, Pu won’t escalate. Firstly, because he has no means to do so. And secondly, considering the nuclear blackmail, a person that is so obsessed with luxury and long-living (there’s a great recent investigation about his countless mansions, decorated with gold) will never put his life in danger doing something like that. And every day the western leaders hesitate to give us the means to end this war, the more innocent Ukrainian people and warriors will die.
And if Pu succeeds, then it will be European people dying next. Maybe in 5 or 10 years, but he, or someone who will replace him, will not stop. The appetite comes with eating. Many eastern European countries understand that, because some of them were under soviet rule, and others, being close, witnessed what russia does to their neighbours.
The old Europe and USA are slowed by bureaucracy and incomprehension of russia. They’re still thinking that russia can be subdued. But our people have already witnessed all of what is happening now. And not once throughout centuries. It’s not an anomaly, it’s a diagnosis. russia in its current state will always be a threat.
Sure, we appreciate all the help the West is giving us. Without it, we wouldn’t last that long. But that’s just not enough. The more they hesitate, the greater price Ukraine, and eventually the West, will pay.
Are there any recent Ukrainian releases that make sense of the war experience for you, or albums that you have connected with on a purely emotional level?
Frankly speaking, I haven’t had much time to listen to music beyond my professional field of interest. I know that lots of artists and bands in Ukraine are reflecting on the war, but I just can’t find spare time and the right mood to check it out. Maybe, after we win, it will be a good time to listen to all of that and reflect, with a sense that we have overcome and justice prevailed.
Are you able to think of the future?
Yeah, certainly. I can’t plan ahead, but no one can take away the dream of what I will do when all of this is over. Surely, we’ll have lots of work to rebuild and improve our country. But every Ukrainian lives a dream of victory and a brighter future. Without it, you’ll have no other choice but to give up. That’s something we can’t afford.
Which book / film / album / song / traditional dish / podcast / blog / artwork / building / meme best captures Ukraine for you?
What defines Ukrainians in these troubled times is humour. We’ve always been a nation of jokers, and in times of war that’s one of the things that keeps us going. There’s one particular meme, which is sad and funny at the same time, and captures for me an image of the Ukrainian now. It’s the photo of a kitchen cabinet that is hanging on the wall of the ruined 9-story building in Borodianka, Kyiv region. Russians bombed it with rockets. Despite everything in ruins, the cabinet looks just fine and the text on the meme says: “– How are you, kitchen cabinet? – Holding on.” That’s how all of us are right now – holding on, despite everything.
Who should I interview next and what should I be asking them?
There are two great bands from Rivne that consist of my close friends. They’re making great music and have interesting experiences. One of them is called Rabbit Leader. Half of the band is currently in Canada, they left Ukraine on the first day of invasion.
The other band, Grandma’pick, has members from Rivne and the south of Ukraine, which is currently under occupation.
I think their stories and experiences of operating in these conditions and coping with being far from home would be interesting.
MARCH 9 2023 – ODESA
When the war began it was difficult to make music
But over time you get used to it even to war
The war prostituted a lot of new music and artists
Now the renaissance of Ukrainian music
In the 70s there was a phenomenon of Ukrainian funk
The music was very unusual against the backdrop of the Soviet scene
I am a vinyl digger
And I collected the music of the Soviet countries
And when I got to Ukrainian music
It was a discovery for me
How original and unique is she?
Ukrainian dub
This concept didn’t exist before me.
I’m the first one to do it
Long ago in the early 2000s
I had a reggae band
plusmasstas
With Mila Mazur we had joint songs, these are converted old Ukrainian songs
And I’m still in Odessa
And I didn’t go anywhere from here.
FEBRUARY 10 2023 – VILNIUS
As a musician I call myself ummsbiaus, but my real name is Lisa. For many years being a student and then a university teacher at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv I had my musical theatre where I worked on both French and Ukrainian performances involving all possible means of artistic expression to immerse the viewer in the illusion of a dream. I combined 5 female voices with classical instruments sounds and self-made musical instruments. My idea was to accompany the script with a special sound design which would be able to disconnect the spectator from reality. From then on, I have been constantly experimenting with multimedia.
melnychka
Your single “Melnychka” made use of vernacular text from an old book called Folk songs collected by Ivan Franko, that you found at a market in Lviv.
How important is it for you to reconnect with the Ukrainian folk tradition?
A couple of years ago I was so much in love with folk that I couldn’t listen to anything else but Ukrainian experimental folk music. I believe that just like trees we are connected to the place where we come from by some invisible roots of consciousness. And “melnychka” was one of the turning points in my personal story. This song became my personal hymn of the first days of the war, I played it in a garage with the sound of explosions in the background. At that moment I felt these roots physically, I was earthbound and my origin determined my life choices.
Enerhomor
Your latest album, Enerhomor, out on Mystictrax is an experimental project and sound performance that evolved from field recordings, partly recorded at the beginning of the war at the outskirts of Kyiv. What can you tell us about the making of this album and how do you feel in general about the use of war related field recordings?
Enerhomor was something very personal at first. The pictures of Kyïv in total darkness made me feel numb. As if it was not my city but this longtime love suffering somewhere thousand kilometres from me. How could I help it? There was nothing I could do, but sit there and watch it suffer. My city was de-energised.
And I decided to take my field recordings of electrical panels and transformers and to listen again to what I recorded during the first days of the war in the suburbs of Kyiv, although it was incredibly hard. I decided to find the inner strength to tell everyone about this full-scale genocide because I knew that was the only way I could stand by my city. And I created it within something like 10 days. From beginning to end. I lived through this darkness and it transformed my pain into music, visual art and poetry. And now I carry it as my beloved one, as a part of me that won’t ever quit my identity.
Where are you now and have you been displaced by war at any point?
The beautiful city of Vilnius sheltered me and my family three months after the full-scale invasion. It was a very hard decision to leave Kyiv, although staying in my country-house in the suburbs of the city wasn’t safe at the time. Now I am working at Vilnius University as a lecturer in Ukrainian and every month I try to organise at least something, mainly musical events, to promote my culture.
The last event that I organised on February 24 was called 365 Days: The War that changed us & DODOMU. I hosted a meaningful conversation with a young writer from Kyiv, Kateryna Pylypchuk, and presented an excerpt from my new experimental musical performance DODOMU (back home).
How did your life change over the course of the past year, both from a personal and a professional point of view?
If we were to choose a word of the past year most of us will probably choose Transformation in all its different interpretations. When I look back I see a different person. Maybe this rawness can also be heard in the pre-war music that I’ve never released because It was too personal. But I am done with it as war does not leave anyone unscathed. During the past year my sound evolved a lot, it got stronger and this feeling of maturity is engraved in my new album Enerhomor.
In Diary of an Invasion, Andrey Kurkov writes, “I do not know what will happen tomorrow. To be honest, I find this lack of certainty about the future almost unbearable.” Are you able to think of the future at all?
Uncertainty is the word that best describes my inner feelings right now. Although my life goes on, I still cannot anticipate and plan. My personal storyline is being written here and now and I just try to avoid it being misworded. Because we all are the scriptwriters of our own selves and whatever happens, we must carry on. This war made us understand that the future may become a rather vague notion, but this is not reason enough to give up.
Susan Sontag in Regarding the Pain of Others writes, “We can’t imagine how dreadful, how terrifying war is; and how normal it becomes. Can’t understand, can’t imagine.”
Has war become “normal” to you and what coping mechanisms have you put in place to preserve your mental health?
As I have already mentioned, my remedy is music. It always was. It truly helps me unwind when I suffer from burnout, especially now when the idea of “normality” for the war became common. When I perform or create I can escape from reality and give voice to my emotions.
A week ago I started working on a new project the name of which I cannot reveal yet, but I can say a few words about its essence. For some time in my life I was effected by sleeping disorders which caused me to learn more about somnambulism and sleep paralysis. And now I feel myself being cured while I am trying to grasp the idea of this problem via music.
Ми непереможні! Ми незламні!. Ксенія Степась
Who should I interview next and what should I be asking them?
This March together with a small team we launched an art-platform WARART dedicated to the war in Ukraine where artists and journalists from all over the world can share their feelings about the terror happening right now amidst Europe. I’ve came up with the idea of this platform just a week after the beginning of the war and I’ve been working on it for almost a year. There is a MUSIC category where different artists from Ukraine published their tracks.
But one of them really dwells in my soul — it is the track by TANKATAKA called “Укриття” (Shelter).
I would also recommend another musician from Ukraine who creates a very touching music, his name is Magne Kalinsen.
FEBRUARY 12 2023 – CANADA
My name is Yevhenii, I come from a small town in the north of Ukraine. I started producing ambient music in 2014. Then I first discovered this genre. In particular the album Somnium by Robert Rich, which was the first inspiration. I have never heard anything like it and I immediately fell in love with this genre. It was something completely new, unlike anything else. I have no musical education, so everything was based on enthusiasm and the desire to make something of my own. This is how my little journey into this genre began.
Has the full-scale invasion changed your approach and motivation to music and has it had an impact on your setup and your playlist?
It has changed my approach a little. After the invasion, I’ve tried several times to produce something new, but every time I was unsuccessful. One’s own mental state directly affects motivation and desire. After a few attempts, I gave up.
You’ve been making ambient music for ten years now. How would you say your understanding of the genre changed, if at all, over the time?
Bandcamp has been and remains the number one resource for finding new releases and artists in the genre. It seems to me that in recent years the genre has been shifting more and more from traditional ambient to one where several genres are mixed. I’m not against experiments and this often results in something good, but still we see less and less classical ambient. There’s nothing you can do about it, all genres change with time, whether you like it or not. But you can always find something that you like, albeit in a smaller quantity.
Some of the artists I have spoken to, have told me that since the full-scale invasion they’ve turned to ambient and healing sounds. Can music have a healing effect in your experience?
Music definitely has that effect. Ambient is probably one of the most suitable genres for this. It’s one of the reasons why people listen to it and I think it’s one of the main reasons why others produce it. If you like this kind of music, then this can offer you an experience that no other genre can give.
You are quite prolific and have released two albums just before the full-scale invasion but none since. Have you been unable to produce any new music over the past year?
Last year I produced one 20 min track and mix. The mix consists of works that have been released before, which means I only really released one work last year. I have lost inspiration and desire. And if you don’t have both, then it won’t work. As I said earlier, I tried to do something new, but it didn’t work out. I moved to another country and I’m trying to start a new life and now I’m not really up to it. But I have another idea for the next release. I hope to implement it this year or the next one. This will most likely be my very last work.
Where are you now?
I was in Denmark at the start of the war and now I have moved to Canada.
How did your life change over the course of the past year, both from a personal and a professional point of view?
From a personal point of view, it has completely changed. A year ago, I could not imagine that I would move to Canada and start a new life here. I’ve always wanted to visit North America, but definitely not under these circumstances. From an artist’s point of view, I realised that everything has to end sooner or later. And I’m not trying to make as many releases as possible and keep doing it. I realised that the main thing is quality, not quantity.
I did and do now what I like. But I no longer have that passion that I used to have. Maybe it will come back and I will continue, but definitely not now.
In Diary of an Invasion, Andrey Kurkov writes, “I do not know what will happen tomorrow. To be honest, I find this lack of certainty about the future almost unbearable” Are you able to think of the future at all?
Yes, I think about it often. And it’s hard, because I don’t know where exactly this future will come for me. Where will I be, what will I be. Like most of my friends and just Ukrainians, people have stopped making plans for the future and just live.
Susan Sontag in Regarding the Pain of Others writes, “We can’t imagine how dreadful, how terrifying war is; and how normal it becomes. Can’t understand, can’t imagine.” Has war become “normal” to you and what coping mechanisms have you put in place to preserve your mental health?
Yes, unfortunately this is becoming the norm. People get used to and just continue to live, including me. There is a very big difference between how it was at the very beginning of the war and now. I don’t have any mechanisms to deal with it mentally. I was not in Ukraine when it all started and I did not see all this horror with my own eyes. It didn’t hurt me as much mentally as the people who were directly affected by it. But unfortunately, all this mental heaviness will remain forever and I think no therapy and no psychologists can help you get rid of it. You just have to live with it.
Are there any Ukrainian releases from the past year that you feel have helped you to make sense of current events or that you think deserved to become “global hits”?
Before the war, I did not know many Ukrainian artists and tracks. But then I discovered this song “Oh, in the meadow the red viburnum”. It was written long before all this started. There are many versions of this song and even more appeared after the start of the war, but I like one version more than others performed by the singer Navka. I have listened to this song hundreds of times over the past year. Now this kind of music sounds completely different to what it did a year ago.
Which book / film / album / song / traditional dish / podcast / blog / artwork / building / meme best captures Ukraine for you?
Book – Kobzar by Taras Shevchenko.
Song – “Oh, in the meadow the red viburnum“.
Dish – borsch.
Artwork – Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks by Ilya Repin.
Who should I interview next and what should I be asking them?
If you are going to interview a Ukrainian artist, then write to Dronny Darko. This is a wonderful dark ambient composer. He will tell you a lot of interesting stuff about his career. [UFN VI]
MARCH 14 2023 – POLAND
I was born in a creative and artistic family. My parents worked in the cultural sphere in a small village in Crimea, Eastern Ukraine. I was a witness and, later – a direct participant in the events. As often happens, I went from various creative groups to a school rock band. My first acquaintance with the electronic “musical instrument of the future” took place around 1996. It was when my father got himself a Korg M1.
Has the full-scale invasion changed your approach and motivation to music, and has it had an impact on your setup and your playlist?
In 2014, my consciousness and attitude towards russia, the aggressor country, shifted dramatically. After they occupied Crimea, where I was born, I lost any illusions I had. Since then, I have understood my purpose as a sound producer. I realized that you could resist with your own music. All of my content featured multi-layered structures, incorporating elements of our Ukrainian genetic code – encrypted in various chants, dozens of ancient Ukrainian instruments, and the sounds of nature. I began exploring and searching for antique recordings from ethnographic expeditions. I dug out various online communities where enthusiasts shared unique disappearing recordings of songs and instruments from different parts of Ukraine. I also found a lot of content in the Central State Film and Photographic Archive of Ukraine. The war did not change my style or approach to content creation, as this process had already begun for me long before February 24.
You define yourself as an artist who “loves to combine ethnic sound with experimental electronica, electro, breakbeat etc.” which is certainly evident with albums such as Nenka. More recently you have been releasing “war tracks”. How would you say the full-scale invasion has affected your sound?
The first track I wrote during the full-scale invasion, Бумбокс – “Червона Калина (Sider Remix)“, was about 11 months ago, around late March to early April 2022.
Since then, I’ve been writing a lot less, realizing that it’s more important to convey a certain message and meaning in my music, rather than just churning out content. When creating my tracks, I hoped that they could provide some strength, confidence, and motivation to all the heroes defending our country.
Where are you now and have you been displaced by war at any point?
Right now, my wife, our little daughter, and I are in friendly Poland, in Warsaw. On February 24th, we were on vacation in Sri Lanka.
How did your life change over the course of the past year, both from a personal and a professional point of view?
From a personal perspective, I’ve come to realize that I need to use all my free time for self-improvement, training, and development.
From a professional standpoint, if you’re referring to my work as an artist, I can’t really call myself a professional artist. As I mentioned earlier, I’ve been writing a lot less and have shifted my priorities to realizing and supporting other projects. Two months before the full-scale invasion, we opened a small underground club in Kyiv called K_I_I_I_K, which was supposed to operate within a huge creative cluster called Collider.
The latter includes a bunch of studios, galleries, experimental music labs, synthesizer manufacturers, DJ schools…
Right now, my efforts are focused on our space. During the war, we held many fundraising events to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces and friends who were DJs, artists, and who are now soldiers.
What are the biggest misconceptions the West still holds about the full-scale invasion, and is there anything about the way the war has been covered that you find especially problematic?
The most erroneous mistake is that a huge part of Western society believes that this is putin’s personal war against Ukraine and that average russians are not responsible for it. This is not true, all of russia is a collective putin. They are all responsible for this, from a schoolteacher to a truck driver, from a theater actor to a bank clerk, and from a hipster to a marketing agency manager. By their nature and mentality, they are imperialists: they need external enemies, and they need war. In addition, the genocide and destruction of the Ukrainian nation is an urgent issue for them that has been going on for 300 years.
The only true statement is that there are no good russians. russian liberals are the same imperialists led by their navalny, who once said that “Crimea is not a sandwich”. He had no intention of returning it either.
Or a wonderful example: supposedly, opposition media “Dozhd” based in Estonia was collecting money for the needs of russian soldiers who came to kill Ukrainians.
In Diary of an Invasion, Andrey Kurkov writes, “I do not know what will happen tomorrow. To be honest, I find this lack of certainty about the future almost unbearable.” Are you able to think of the future at all?
“Those who believed that it would all end soon were the first to break. Then those who didn’t believe it would ever end gave in. The ones who survived were those who focused on their own tasks without expecting anything else to happen.” I came to the realization that this is the only right way. These are the WORDS of Viktor Frankl, an Austrian psychotherapist who survived the concentration camps of Auschwitz and Dachau and became the author of one of the most influential theories in psychology.
In Regarding the Pain of Others Susan Sontag writes, “We can’t imagine how dreadful, how terrifying war is; and how normal it becomes. Can’t understand, can’t imagine.” Has war become “normal” to you and what coping mechanisms have you put in place to preserve your mental health?
Part of the answer is in response to the previous question. Of course, the source of my life’s strength is my family – my dear daughter and beloved wife. It seems to me that we have become a unified whole and have learned to resist the psychological operations of the enemy; we have adapted. And, of course, what keeps us going is our belief in victory, no matter how banal it may sound. Good triumphs over evil, even one hundred percent evil.
Do you suffer from burnout, and what do you do to unwind?
I play sports, and spend time with my family. Sometimes I write music.
Are there any Ukrainian releases from the past year that you feel have helped you to make sense of current events or that you think deserved to become “global hits”?
I am delighted by the diversity and vibrancy of the content that has been created over the past year, and this applies not only to music. I am sure that after the victory, this trend will become even more prominent. Taking this opportunity, I invite all my friends in Ukraine to celebrate the victory, which will undoubtedly happen. The track that I personally really like is: Venture Silk → Brave Ukraine (Free download).
Which book / film / album / song / traditional dish / podcast / blog / artwork / building / meme best captures Ukraine for you?
book – Сліди на дорозі
album – ONUKA – ONUKA
song – ONUKA – Intro
traditional dish – Borsch
podcast – STERNENKO
blog – STERNENKO
artwork – “Time of Changes 3: Victory”
building – Інститут інформації на Либідській
meme – Welcome to Ukraine Сука
Who should I interview next and what should I be asking them?
Our close friend: teacher in our DJ School, cool DJ and promoter Detcom. I’m sure you will find a lot of questions if you check his Instagram.
MARCH 15 2023 – ODESA
I was born and raised in Odesa, a beautiful port city located in the south of Ukraine. I started getting interested in writing music in 2013. In 2015 I released the EP “Brian Structure” on the Dutch label Planet Rhythm. This was followed by releases on Warok and Wall Music.
In 2017-18 I became interested in deejaying, I took lessons from a friend of mine who was more experienced in terms of producing and deejaying. In 2019, I was invited to a local Odessa party “SVORA”. It was after this party that I started deejaying. Then I got into the wonderful team “POVITRYA” and became a resident there ❤
Has the full-scale invasion changed your approach and motivation to music and has it had an impact on your setup and your playlist?
Certainly, both in terms of producing and playing. I forgot about writing music for more than half a year, amidst the air raids and constant disturbing news, it was very hard to concentrate. But I needed a distraction from the war, so I gradually began to open up Ableton and come up with something. In deejaying, I began to play a more groovy style, and more quickly 😀
You’ve contributed a number of fundraising compilations, including the brand new releases Unity by PURE TOOL, and Obskura: Various Artists 2.
Here at A Closer Listen, we have featured over 100 fundraising compilations over the past year with the majority of the ones produced in the West sending proceeds to big organisations like Unicef and the International Red Cross. What is your feeling about this?
I think it’s great, artists from all over the civilized world help us as much as they can. We also try to help our guys inside the country with donations and compilations like this. And we will continue to do so until we have defeated our common enemy.
You released albums on a number of international labels including Blocaus and Trau-ma. What would you say is the perception of Ukrainian techno on the International stage?
I think for Europeans there is no difference if you are in Ukraine or in any other country, the main thing is to create quality productions. There are a lot of talented guys in Ukraine who are published by European labels, and their music is always appreciated and eagerly awaited for there 🙂
Are you still in Odesa and have you been displaced by war at any point? Also, what is the current situation there on the ground?
Since the very beginning of the full-scale invasion of our land by the ruzzians, I have been in Odesa. At first it was very disturbing and scary, but over time we began to get used to everything. At the moment, they periodically fire missiles at Odesa from a long distance.
How would you describe the electronic music scene in Odesa and how do you see it developing under present circumstances?
The first charity events in our city took place in May 2022. Odesa is quite a multi-format city in terms of sound. We have a few clubs in town that regularly hold daytime events, and it’s good, people have a place to relax and abstract from the current realities. Unfortunately, big nighttime events are out of the question for the near future.
How did your life change over the course of the past year, both from a personal and a professional point of view?
The whole year passed like one day, the whole year passed like February 24. I’m always trying to create something new, trying to experiment with my sound, I guess I’m still looking for my sound. I like to write ambient, I even have some podcasts in this genre.
In Diary of an Invasion, Andrey Kurkov writes, “I do not know what will happen tomorrow. To be honest, I find this lack of certainty about the future almost unbearable.” Are you able to think of the future at all?
Right now I’m living one day at a time. This is our current reality, as sad as it sounds. That’s why I agree with him.
Do you suffer from burnout and what do you do to unwind?
I guess I’ve never suffered from burnout. For relaxation I prefer the solitude of the beach and drinking a delicious coffee 🙂
Which book / film / album / song / traditional dish / podcast / blog / artwork / building / meme best captures Ukraine for you?
First of all, I associate Ukraine with traditional dishes such as “Borsch”, and my favorite childhood dish is “Vareniki” with cherries)
Who should I interview next and what should I be asking them?
These are my good friends, very talented Ukrainian producers, I admire what they do!
Vitalii Shevchenko
Ostap Oleksyn
Vadym Morozov (aka Eleck)
MARCH 15 2023 – RIVNE
CXEMA PAN 2019
Hello, I’m Oleksandr Kost. I always listened to different kinds of music, attending gigs and raves. At some point I realised that I could do music myself. The very basis of my musical background comes from the piano and guitar classes I took for a number of years in my childhood and even if I didn’t play either of these instruments for a long time after I stopped my classes, I still consider this experience to have had a positive impact on me now creating music. I started to write my own music 3 years ago. A friend who was already experienced in producing music taught me the basics.
home session 2020
Has the full-scale invasion changed your approach and motivation to music and has it had an impact on your setup and your playlist?
Yes, “st.anger“, the first track that I dropped was written 2 nights before the full-scale invasion, I had some sort of anticipation and it was my first reflection. Over the course of the past year, I worked harder and started to spend more time on my music.
As for the setup, it hasn’t increased over the past year, I currently have a couple of budget synthesizers like Korg Volca, behringer td-3, teenage engineering po-33. I find it pretty cool. Also, I got JBL-104 monitors, that’s probably given me the biggest push to improve the sound.
If we talk about the playlist, it probably hasn’t changed much. I still listen to different music, but definitely I can say there’s been more Ukrainian music in my playlist during last year.
How would you describe the electronic music scene in Ukraine and how do you see it developing under present circumstances?
It seems to me that the musiс scene has become bigger, some artists were unknown and their reflection of the war events introduced them to the world. And definitely the Ukrainian music scene attracted more attention from abroad. So I see Ukrainian electronic music is progressing and it’s interesting to follow.
father
Where are you now and have you been displaced by war at any point?
I stayed in Rivne, my hometown, for the duration. However, my family is divided now. Currently, my younger sister and mother are in Poland, while my father is defending the country on the front lines. Tomorrow he will be coming back for a while and I’ll meet him for the first time in almost a year.
How did your life change over the course of the past year, both from a personal and a professional point of view?
From a personal point of view, life has definitely changed, because the changes have affected everything that surrounds me. I began to appreciate things that I took for granted in peaceful times more, like enjoying my friends and family and being safe. From a professional point of view, I see the importance of developing my skills and doing what I like.
home view
What are the biggest misconceptions the West still holds about the full-scale invasion and is there anything about the way the war has been covered that you find especially problematic?
In my opinion, the biggest misunderstanding of some people and politics of the West is they don’t realise the way russians are infected with their imperial mindset. These aren’t people with whom you can have constructive dialogue, they never keep their promises. I also have the impression that some people perceive Ukrainians and russians as brotherly nations following long standing russian propaganda or recalling the soviet past, which was actually the occupation of the Ukrainian nation.
In Diary of an Invasion, Andrey Kurkov writes, “I do not know what will happen tomorrow. To be honest, I find this lack of certainty about the future almost unbearable.” Are you able to think of the future at all?
More or less. I do think about the future, but in today’s reality it’s hard to make long term plans. So I live one day at a time doing my best and try to go through life with dignity.
nature
Do you suffer from burnout and what do you do to unwind?
Yes, such episodes sometimes happen to me. I’ve been boxing most of my life and going to training drives away the anxiety and helps me to keep my mind and body in tune. Also I find a lot of inspiration by watching movies.
Back in October 2022, DTF Magazine compiled a list of 11 Ukrainian releases that make sense of the war experience. If you were asked to compile a similar list, what would your picks be?
It’s hard for me to compile a full list, but I can recommend a few releases such as: qaqarotto – Azovstal, Pavlo Poputalo – Okhtyrka . Сoncerning to DTF magazine compilation, the most interesting releases for me are Alien Body — Mriya, and Silence of Sirens — s/t.
Odesa 2021
Which book / film / album / song / traditional dish / podcast / blog / artwork / building / meme best captures Ukraine for you?
Songs: “Воплі Відоплясова”
Скрябін – Чуєш біль
Кому вниз – Ельдорадо
Film: Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (Wild Horses of Fire) by Sergiy Parajanov.
Who should I interview next and what should I be asking them?
MARCH 16 2023 – IVANO-FRANKIVSK
before the war
My name is Yurii (aka Oorree). I was born in 1980 in the town of Pershotravensk, located in the Dnipropetrovsk region of Ukraine (which was part of the Soviet Union at the time). I became deeply interested in music in the late 90s when I moved to Dnipro where I met many interesting people. Inspired by electronic music we tried to create something of our own. We attended many parties and private events, exchanged tapes and later CDs, and experimented with various music programmes and instruments at home and technical demo events. Although our life priorities differed within the group, some of us became DJs, event organizers, or label owners. Some of the names you might have already heard of include Dmytro Nikolaienko, Roman Slavka, Stanislav Tolkachev, Oleksandr Pavlenko, and others. You may also have heard of international events such as “Detali Zvuku” and “Construction Festival”.
With such an experience, it would be strange for me to stay away, so I also experimented, but only as a hobby without any releases. My first experiments were in the early 2000s, and I doubt I will find anything from them now. Recently, a few years ago, I returned to music with renewed interest.
Old rave
Has the full-scale invasion changed your approach to and motivation for music, and has it affected your setup and playlist?
The full-scale invasion has to some extent triggered a creative impulse in me because the constant suppression of emotions cannot last long before these emotions find a way out. And the invasion was a significant emotional shock. The feelings and emotions were certainly there before, but with the full-scale invasion they were exposed like some live wires. As a result, unconventional solutions or desires in sound experiments began to emerge. On the other hand, there could have been some other trigger – certainly… I hope so.
As for the playlist, recent events have definitively diverted my attention away from the creative works of electronic titles from the aggressor country. And although they were not at the forefront before, now their fate and existence are indifferent. Moreover, the whole civilized world is focusing on authentic Ukrainian creativity and culture at the moment, and I also have discovered many new things.
You released a steady stream of tracks over the past year. How did you find the process and did you find it cathartic?
I have become less hesitant when releasing tracks. Before, it was just done in an instant and it might not even be saved, but now I have the desire to bring every idea to fruition and dedicate it to an event or a person. The process itself can indeed be considered cathartic, as life has changed not just to a certain degree, but radically.
My current residence is in Ivano-Frankivsk, Western Ukraine. My family and I have been living here for a year now. We moved here due to the rocket and nuclear threat at the ZNPP [Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant].
It was a long journey to nowhere, as we had never been to this part of the country before and did not know what to expect. This is where my child went to school for the first time.
New place
How did your life change over the course of the past year, both from a personal and a professional point of view?
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the work flow become mired in problems and slowed down. There were fewer tasks, and unfortunately, some projects were even stopped. However, this became an opportunity to rest and continue developing under more dynamic conditions. In any case, it is an experience for which I am grateful.
In my personal life, I have had to care for others and plan my time differently due to the new limitations and opportunities that emerged.
What are the biggest misconceptions the West still holds about the full-scale invasion and is there anything about the way the war has been covered that you find especially problematic?
I think that the assessment of the situation in the West is based on news coming in from Ukraine, and if there is no news, it seems like nothing is happening. That’s why sometimes current events can be forgotten, and one can seemingly relax. But the war here is ongoing, and there are no breaks where one can rest, breathe, and stop following the news from the front or stop helping if not the Ukrainian Armed Forces, then other refugees or victims.
with Nikolaienko
In Diary of an Invasion, Andrey Kurkov writes, “I do not know what will happen tomorrow. To be honest, I find this lack of certainty about the future almost unbearable.” Are you able to think of the future at all?
Of course. There are always a few options for the future. And you understand that you are waiting for some triggers that were laid earlier. The process of life seems tuned and adapted to the current conditions, but instead of one secure option, you have several uncertain ones. And when one of the triggers finally works, you have to move in a new direction.
As you can see, this process doesn’t so much unsettle us as transform us. We have to become partially like automatons for planning actions, otherwise, our family can get into trouble. This process gradually burns out emotions.
Do you suffer from burnout and what do you do to unwind?
Although it is usually said that a person can get used to anything, this is really only true for those who are capable of acting. Therefore, in my opinion, you need to be constantly active and not close yourself off. There are probably people who depend on you and they will have to do much more than you to provide for themselves, depleting their reserves to zero. So if you feel that you still have strength for something additional, not for yourself but for those who need help, do it. This way, you will ensure your activity and protect someone who really needs help.
Back in October 2022, DTF Magazine compiled a list of 11 Ukrainian releases that make sense of the war experience. If you were asked to compile a similar list, what would your picks be?
I guess I cannot currently reconcile music and the experience of war myself.
Transformation
Which book / film / album / song / traditional dish / podcast / blog / artwork / building / meme best captures Ukraine for you?
Visiting local museums and exhibitions of ancient art, the most indicative and typical for Ukraine to me were the images of Galician residents, their traditional clothing, accessories, and especially ceramics. There is no Soviet-imposed “sharovarshchyna” here, there is an authentic, independent, and strong culture and way of life that could be influenced by the surroundings, but did not change its roots. Therefore, ordinary household porcelain and typical clothing of those times are the best inspiration and return to our roots.
Who should I interview next and what should I be asking them?
Can it be Oleksandr Hladun (Dunaewsky69)? With the same questions.
MARCH 16 2023 – KYIV
I consider myself a digger, record collector, and just a music nerd who loves hunting odd stuff and sharing it with others.
Has the full-scale invasion changed your approach and motivation to music and has it had an impact on your setup and your playlist?
In the first months after russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, none of us could listen to any music. But then I realized that music, like any creative act, could help bring life back to people and counteract the destruction. And if it could help me, it could also help others. On the other hand, any cultural activity during the war is a reflection of our strength and a counteroffensive against an enemy who has been erasing this culture for years. That’s why I decided to resume my musical activity and run a podcast.
You curate the series Hunt the Unknown on Gasoline playing European synth-pop, Asian downtempo, and Ukrainian ethnic music of the late 90s. How would you say the awareness of Ukrainian music has changed on the world stage over the past year or so and how do you see it developing under current circumstances?
The war has changed the way the world looks at Ukrainians today, and has made it ready to discover not only music but also Ukrainian culture in general. My only worry now is that this interest will disappear after the victory, so we all have to work very hard to produce high-quality, competitive works in all fields.
Where are you now and have you been displaced by war at any point?
Until 2014, I lived in Donetsk, one of the first cities where the russian occupation began. After that, I moved to Kyiv, where I still live. After the full-scale invasion, we were again displaced and moved to a safer place. Now I’m back in the capital again, where I feel ‘safe’ and I have been working on my projects.
What can you remember about the Russian occupation back in 2014 and at what point did you feel you had no other option but to move?
There was strong propaganda at the time that we needed to be protected from someone and that no one but russia could do it – which is absolute bullshit. My friends and I together with other people went to demonstrations in support of Ukraine. But every time we took to the streets it became more and more unsafe with the streets filled with armed men. When one guy was killed at one of the demonstrations, it became obvious that it was no longer possible to stay in Donetsk.
That must have been very difficult especially since the International community at the time was not supportive enough.
They thought it was a small local conflict, but it all started with Crimea and Donbass, which was totally illegal in terms of any international conventions.
How did your life change over the course of the past year, both from a personal and a professional point of view?
The planning horizon got very narrow during the war. It turned out that there was no longer a mysterious “right time” that was constantly postponed to start a new project. This boosted the launch of a lot of new projects and creative organizations, with many new names emerging on the scene, even under such sad circumstances.
What are the biggest misconceptions the West still holds about the full-scale invasion and is there anything about the way the war has been covered that you find especially problematic?
For a long time, russians and Ukrainians were considered one nation – a narrative that is still used by russian propaganda to justify the aggression and invasion. But now the world has finally seen that Ukraine is a separate nation in its own right, one that doesn’t want to live with russia, and that it has its own culture, history, and literature, and that we are very different.
In Diary of an Invasion, Andrey Kurkov writes, “I do not know what will happen tomorrow. To be honest, I find this lack of certainty about the future almost unbearable.” Are you able to think of the future at all?
I understand and agree with what Andrey writes and like all Ukrainians I now think first and foremost about victory and how to bring it closer to reality as soon as possible.
Do you suffer from burnout and what do you do to unwind?
It’s hard, but I try to keep a clear head, do some sports, collect music, and keep in touch with my close friends, whose influence on my emotional state is also undeniable.
Back in October 2022, DTF Magazine compiled a list of 11 Ukrainian releases that make sense of the war experience. If you were asked to compile a similar list, what would your picks be?
This will probably be the album of Blooms Corda – Найдорожчі речі у світі (The Most Expensive Things in the World), which is dedicated to all the material and memorable things that everyone has. After February 24, for most Ukrainians, this list has shrunk to a minimum or changed completely, while for others, it has become even more established.
Which book / film / album / song / traditional dish / podcast / blog / artwork / building / meme best captures Ukraine for you?
It’s hard to highlight something, so let’s just say it’s the meme of DiCaprio sitting in front of the TV and pointing at the screen saying, “I donated 20 UAH (0.5$) to this thing!”, because this is what all Ukrainians are doing now, working together for victory, constantly fundraising for the needs of the soldiers and the army. A very powerful volunteer community and helping each other is what best captures Ukraine today.
Who should I interview next and what should I be asking them?
Oleksii Makarenko (Gasoline Radio) [UFN XVI]
MARCH 16 2023 – TBILISI
sTia, CES founder at CES reception
sTia – CES Records
Natia Sartania aka sTia is a composer, pianist, selector, founder of CES & CES Records, co-founder of Georgian Music Legacy Collection. A classically trained pianist, Natia played with the Tbilisi Philharmonic orchestra at the age of seven, continuing to perform regularly in recitals. She continued her studies at the London Trinity College of Music. During her TCM years she won a number of piano competitions. Despite her classical background and education, she was always open-minded towards all genres of music. In 1995 Natia was one of the first Georgian female DJs spreading D’n’B culture in Tbilisi. 1995-2001 she hosted a number of radio shows on Radio One 106.4fm Tbilisi. In 2003, she stopped playing piano and replaced it with electronic music making.
Natia is a founder and CEO of pioneering electronic music school in Tbilisi CES (Creative Education Studio) since 2011 and independent record label CES Records since 2019. In 2022 Natia co-founded a vinyl-only music label Georgian Music Legacy Collection. Natia, to this day continues to compose music for piano under the name of sTia and her late work is mostly in the neoclassical genre.
How did CES Records come about and how is it run in terms of number or releases and artists invited to the roster?
CES Records was the most logical outcome of CES (Creative Education Studio). As most of the young Georgian producers start their musical journey at CES, I’m always aware of what they are up to. From the CES music production courses I get their homework and I can monitor their progress. It’s easy for me to track new blood.
CES Records has 3 directions mostly:
1. Discovering artists from past (a perfect example would be Natela Svanidze’s incredible and unique recording from 1974 on Synthi-100 that we released on vinyl in 2020 covered by young Geo producers.
2. Discovering new names.
3. Digitalizing some iconic Georgian electronic music from the 90s. Good examples would be Nikakoi’s Anthology as well as Gogi Dzodzuashvili’s few albums.
As for the staff, it’s just me ☺️. Me choosing music, communicating with artists, uploading on distribution, working with designers, working with sound engineers, runner on video shoots for our music videos, organizing release events and parties, working with the pressing plants and printing shops and so on and so forth…))) Very often I work with my partners in crime Natalie Beridze and Nikakoi.
SLEEPERS POETS SCIENTIST vol 1
Your first release on CES Records, SLEEPERS POETS SCIENTIST, is the compilation of 9 female Georgian producers, all of whom are CES graduates of Music Production course led by Natalie TBA Beridze, one of the most successful Georgian producers on the scene of electronic music. Are women and LGBTQIA+ artists well represented in the electronic scene in Georgia?
I think today there is huge space for everyone in Georgia. In the clubs nowadays, there is at least one LGBTQIA+ event a week. As for us CES Records, we always go with the music and welcome all, although so far it somehow happened that we’ve produced more female artists than male)))
The club scene in Tbilisi has been in the spotlight for a number of years now, but are there venues and labels catering for the more experimental side of electronic music?
True, the techno scene has swollen up in Georgia over the past few years. Today I can see that venues are more welcoming towards more experimental genres but there is still a lot more to do. We are very lucky to have Mutant Radio that is home to all musical genres here in Tbilisi.
Nikakoi, Natalie Beridze and sTia at the protest
What can you tell us about the current situation in Georgia after the recent protests against the Russian “foreign agent” bill which was dropped on March 9?
This is a common situation for us. We’ve been protesting since I can remember myself! 20% of Georgia is occupied by Ruzzia and we will not rest until we are free and independent of their influence. The entire Georgian creative cluster community was united when it came to protesting the Russian law! We are also very much aware that we have a lot more protesting ahead of us especially under a Russian friendly government!
Our children at the protest
I heard that the Ukrainian anthem was played after the Georgian one during the demonstrations and that there’s widespread solidarity as both countries look at the European Union. At the same time, I understand there has been an influx of Russians in Georgia following the full-scale invasion and after the mobilization of new conscripts. What is the current feeling on the ground about the full-scale invasion of Ukraine?
The solidarity to Ukraine is enormous here in Georgia. As you might well know, we had our share of Bucha called Gagra. I think we can physically feel the pain Ukraine is going through. When the full-scale invasion started we played the Ukrainian anthem every hour in the cafes and on the radio stations. We start and end the protests with the Ukrainian anthem, we even joke that it feels like our own. Our cities are full with Ukrainian flags everywhere.
The feeling is that this is temporary and we know Ukraine will win this war once and for all. Today when you go out of the urban centres of Georgia, you will hear lots of Russian language spoken, though every street corner has a message #tag for the “ruski vaenni karabl!”
CES Records released four fundraising singles in support of Ukraine. Are there any collaborations in the pipeline with Ukrainian artists or labels?
As soon as war started I rescheduled all the releases and made 4 fundraising singles by Nikakoi, Anushka Chkheidze, Natalie Beridze and sTia (myself). CES music industry students also organized big fundraising events at Mutant Radio – “Sounds of Ukraine“, 20 hours of music from different cities, eras and genres from Ukraine. This event “Sounds of Ukraine” gave me the chance to discover some amazing Ukrainian music, artists and labels I was unaware of. The only collaboration we have is with my favorite Tbilisi based Ukrainian label Giraffe Tapes where some of the CES artists took part in its fundraising compilation …for my Ukraine.
Are there any particular names in the Georgia experimental and electronic music scene we should look out for?
Some of my personal favorites:
Rezo Glonti (recently released his album Subtropics on Ukrainian label Muscut);
Nikakoi – Pioneer of Georgian Electronic Music;
Tazo Meipariani (as fresh as it gets, a 22 year old up and coming producer who’s debut album we have released only last week);
Natalie Beridze – my personal favorite.
Do you have a message for Ukrainian artists?
Your voice is very loud and you are heard everywhere! STAY STRONG!
MARCH 18 2023 – TBILISI
Photo by Mariam Nadiradze
Currently, I am based in Tbilisi and am involved in making music and sound design for commercial projects. After some years of hibernation, I have revived my interest in photography, and now I try to take my camera everywhere I go.
For my live setup, I use a Tascam Portastudio 414 MKII as the main hub to connect pedals and synthesizers. As it has an option to play cassettes in 4 mono output format, I also play tape samples through it.
Demonstrations in Tbilisi March 9, 2023 – photo by Rezo Glonti
How would you describe the electronic and experimental music scene in Tbilisi?
You could say that there is a sense of community within the electronic and experimental music scene here in Tbilisi. Although the scene is still relatively new, it has evolved substantially. While the sound in Tbilisi is still dance-oriented, dance music is not as dominant as it was in previous years. A big role in this shift was played by Mutant Radio, a wagon-based radio/venue that delivers an eclectic selection of music, from folk to experimental, house to ambient, and everything in between.
What I’m trying to convey is that experimentation is welcome and even encouraged in Tbilisi. You can listen to established local and international artists, as well as music enthusiasts who want to share their vision. Even clubs that focus on dance music have side experimental projects; for example, Bassiani hosts Zenaari, a series of experimental events, while TES Club has weekly ambient gatherings. Left Bank and Tbili Orgia offer very diverse sound palettes, and there are many other venues, though I can’t name them all. To give you a better idea of what’s happening here, I’ve played at most of these clubs and venues, even though my music is quite far from dance music.
Demonstrations in Tbilisi March 9, 2023 – photo by Rezo Glonti
What can you tell us about the current situation in Georgia after the recent protests about the Russian “foreign agent” bill which was later dropped on March 9?
The vast majority of the country’s population wants to join the EU and is pro-European, especially the younger generation. However, you could say that our government still has some Soviet Union and Russian nostalgia, and their supporters are mostly conservatives and elderly people. There are many things that could be improved in Georgia, including social inequality, human rights, and equal rights for the LGBTQAI+ community, to name a few. But compared to other neighbouring countries, we are still much ahead, and slowly but surely, we are moving forward.
On March 9th, a group of people including myself took to the streets to protest against the so-called “Russian law.” After two days of clashes with the police, the government unconditionally revoked the bill.
Demonstrations in Tbilisi March 9, 2023 – photo by Rezo Glonti
I hear that the Ukrainian anthem was played after the Georgian one during the demonstrations and that there’s widespread solidarity as both countries look at the European Union. At the same time, I understand there has been an influx of Russians in Georgia following the full-scale invasion and after the mobilization of new conscripts. What is the current feeling on the ground about the full-scale invasion of Ukraine?
Georgians and Ukrainians are considered “brother nations” as we share a common cause and have both experienced aggression from Russia. Currently, 20% of our country is still occupied by Russia and everybody knows what is happening in Ukraine. Around 2,000 Georgian soldiers are fighting in Ukraine against Russia.
Regarding the influx of russians in Georgia, it may sound paradoxical, but after all the aforementioned events, some russians still choose to flee to Georgia. Despite the general unwelcomeness towards Russians based on countless historical and current events (the description of which is beyond the scope of this interview), problems arise when Russians arrive in Georgia, such as gentrification and increased prices on real estate and apartment rentals, which make life difficult for locals.
Demonstrations in Tbilisi March 9, 2023 – photo by Rezo Glonti
You’ve just released Subtropics on Nikolaienko’s label Muscut, “a memory album of an audio excursion from Pitsunda to Batumi that happened in an indefinite time in the Black sea region”. What can you tell us about the production process and did you use any processed field recordings in the making of it?
I started thinking about Subtropics when Jon Hassell passed away. He’s been my inspiration from an early age and I don’t know if anybody can hear it, but I’m quite influenced by him. When I started to have some drafts, at first, I called it “Tropics”. I was in Egypt in “Ain Sukhna” going for an ocean trip. Later on, Nikolaienko suggested changing the name from “Tropics” to “Subtropics,” which in a sense was a more relevant name, and I agreed upon it.
Subtropics was the first album where I neglected the idea of a recording studio. Since I wanted to make an album and had no studio anymore, I decided to make it on the fly, with a lot of previous field recordings from my archive, a laptop, and a couple of portable devices. It has a special place in my heart. After completing the album, I realized that I’m not attached to studio equipment to make music anymore, and you can make tunes with what you have. It’s kind of a mental trick that our mind plays on us, at least that is how I was affected. I don’t want to sound like I don’t care about my synthesizer and some other studio equipment anymore; no, they will always have a special place for me, but ultimately it’s not about gear; it’s about sound, and nobody should care how you get one. I know it sounds obvious and trivial, but still, I’m speaking from my own experience, and I think it’s relevant to other artists as well.
Demonstrations in Tbilisi March 9, 2023 – photo by Rezo Glonti
Back in October you also released 1 For One, an album entirely made with the Teenage Engineering OP-1. Is stepping out of one’s own comfort zone essential to keeping things fresh?
A couple of years ago, Aimée Portioli (Grand River) contacted me to contribute a track for her label, One Instrument. Since then, I have been playing with the idea of making something with just one instrument. At first, I was thinking of making the entire release on the Nord Lead A1, but later decided to go for the TE OP-1 (hence the name 1 For One). Even though the release has 8 tracks, it’s only around 23 minutes long.
I would say that it’s something like a “mood board” where the tracks are very short but convey a very evocative sound. Before 1 For One, I usually didn’t make short tracks, but I enjoyed the process. I liked the release as a whole, especially the track “Lina,” which is a little bit longer compared to the other tracks and was conceived as a lullaby for my daughter.
MARCH 23 2023 – ODESA
My music journey starts with producing EDM music, hip-hop/trap beats and Drum & Bass, since a long time I found out that rave events and the underground scene is what I’m looking for. Also I always listened to The Prodigy, Noisia, Boysnoize, The Glitch Mob, SebastiAn. These guys influenced me a lot.
Has the full-scale invasion changed your approach and motivation to music and has it had an impact on your setup and your playlist?
Yes, when the full-scale war just started I was mentally not able to make music, but after a few months I went back to producing, because the first thing that dies during the war is Culture, so I decided to do my best to support Ukrainian underground music culture.
Your latest EP, New Folk, “symbolizes a mix of many motifs from different folk musical cultures with hard electro basses and overdrived drums.” In a way it feels like you are reconnecting with your Bollywood EP from 2021, drawing from popular culture and “ethnic” melodies. When was it produced and what was the inspiration behind it?
The New Folk EP was produced a 1 year ago and waited a long time to be released in digital and vinyl formats. Inspiration to make this EP was to create some new genre of broken electronic music that will stand out from other genres in the underground electronic music scene.
Where are you now and have you been displaced by war at any point?
I’m still in my hometown Odesa and I leave my city only for live gigs.
How did your life change over the course of the past year, both from a personal and a professional point of view?
Life changes a lot, especially in the beginning of war when you are so afraid and don’t know what will happen with you today. But also it changed in a positive way – many foreign artists started to play my music more and more, I began to perform in Europe a lot more and showed to Europeans that in Ukraine we have a very cool underground scene and many interesting artists.
What are the biggest misconceptions the West still holds about the full-scale invasion and is there anything about the way the war has been covered that you find especially problematic?
The thing is many people from the West are not understanding or a bit understand what is really going on in Ukraine. I think it happens because many news platforms provide incorrect or not entirely true information about full-scale war. Anyway they will not truly understand until they’ve been here.
In Diary of an Invasion, Andrey Kurkov writes, “I do not know what will happen tomorrow. To be honest, I find this lack of certainty about the future almost unbearable.” Are you able to think of the future at all?
I agree with him, I do not know what will happen tomorrow too and I can’t make plans for the future but I always think about it and I believe that Ukraine will win and will be better than it was.
Susan Sontag in Regarding the Pain of Others writes, “We can’t imagine how dreadful, how terrifying war is; and how normal it becomes. Can’t understand, can’t imagine.” How does one preserve their mental health and do you ever feel you’ve become accustomed to it?
To preserve mental health you must remember about the war but do not scroll all day in chats with bad news from the front, because it will affect you too much and you will do nothing useful for yourself and country at all. For me and many other people who do not take part in military actions are more or less accustomed to war, it depends on each city, because the situation in every city of Ukraine is different. But no one has forgotten about the war, this is only a temporary state of mind for not going mad.
Do you suffer from burnout and what do you do to unwind?
Yes I do, I take pauses and do something else.
What are the Ukrainian releases from the past year that make sense of the war experience for you?
Exactly this is from ukrainian artists: PAAT & RUSIIICK – “Київ Воєнний“, Oi Fusk – “По кому подзвін?” and OTOY – “ЕНЕМІ”.
MARCH 23 2023 – BERLIN
photo by Anna Perepechai
Hi, thanks for inviting me and giving me this opportunity to spread the word 🙂 I am Dima aka be_ca_di I live in Berlin where I work as an architect on weekdays and curate our new label ОЧІ (OCHI) on weekends 🙂
I studied music and art in Ukraine before moving to Germany in 2008. I started my DJ career in 2016 with a party series TOKYO_inspired in Braunschweig, which I organized along with Vitalii Shupliak and Yaroslav Makarchuk. After that, I became a resident of a German label, Meer Bass, and started playing in German Clubs regularly. This label was a huge milestone for me because it gave me many opportunities to play.
In 2019 I changed my focus on the Ukrainian rave scene. After several gigs in Kharkiv at the Zhivot club, I became a resident of SHUM.rave (Slovyansk, Donetsk Region). I also adore playing live, using analog synthesizers and have already had live concerts at K41 (Kyiv) and at a Boiler Room party in Slovyansk.
Now I am more focused on curating my label and searching for a new synthesizer with the hope that I will get back to producing tracks by the end of 2023:)
What is your studio / live setup and your favorite piece of gear, and what would you say is the distinctive feature of your sound?
I sold my old setup because I felt I got everything out of it that I could, it sounded outdated to me, and the tracks I created with this setup sounded more and more the same.
My sound over the past two years was deep, sensitive, and embracing, and mostly a result of improvisation. Now I am looking for a new analog instrument and therefore, new sounds which will become my watermark.
You moved to Germany in your teens from Kharkiv in Eastern Ukraine and yet you retain strong links to your homeland. What would you say to those who believe the war started on February 24, 2022, and what has it been like for you to experience the full-scale invasion from abroad?
For me, the war started in 2014 because our art community in Kharkiv went on volunteering and supporting the army back then, and I have many relatives/friends in this community, who’ve kept me updated. But when I think about it, an upcoming conflict/aggression against my country became clear to me in 2004, when I experienced, along with my parents, the Maidan protests against getting tied up with russia.
I’ve got nothing to say to those who believe the war started on Feb 24, 2022, I have neither a positive nor negative opinion on this topic yet, maybe later I will come up with some thoughts…
I also do not want to reflect and look back now on what it has been like for me to experience a full-scale invasion from abroad. Maybe in a year or two 🙂
How would you say the war affected you both on a personal and professional level?
Since 2014 I was preparing myself mentally for the worst, with this attitude I managed to get through this year. But every day is painful to me, because we, as Ukrainians, see each other as one big family, and whenever I hear about a new death it is never just some soldier or civilian who died, but a person I feel an emotional connection to. Even if I didn’t know them personally.
On a professional level, the full-scale invasion pushed me to rethink our cultural heritage and dig deep into our roots, to find new meanings and sounds for the tracks that I produced this year. Also, the war showed me the importance of having a vision for the future on a cultural level – how Ukraine will sound in 5, 10 years, and how can I contribute to our contemporary culture?
You recently launched ОЧІ, an “underground independent non-commercial Ukrainian label for electronic music, aimed to change the industry”. You have already released a resident Mixtape, a Fundraiser compilation, and the EP Nadnova – Крила. The label seems to be run on a community-based ethos, how did it come about and how do you aim to change the industry?
In late 2021 I started picking up unreleased tracks from musicians all over Ukraine and including them in my mix series on shum.rave resources – “shumcast – made in Ukraine”, because I wanted to highlight local music and give one more platform for those musicians to present their work.
By communicating with every musician I came up with idea that we can at least create a group chat and see what will come out of this. We were like 20 people and just started talking about music, exchanging our skills, and supporting each other. Later I turned this community of independent musicians into a new label OCHI.
To sum up – first, all future residents came together, and then we created our label, not the other way around.
In terms of our ethos, we want to bring electronic music back to its pure state – move it to the foreground.
One of our concepts is not to announce the lineup/timetable at our future events, so people will be surprised here and now, and not show up in a club before 2 in the morning at the earliest. Because I feel uncomfortable telling my residents, “You are a headliner today, and you my friend, you play opening. Ah, yes we also will write the headliner name in bigger letters than yours on a poster.” To me, all residents are equal and deserve the same level of attention and recognition from the audience. Our only announcement will be, “Hey, we are having an ОЧІ party.” That’s it. No resident names. Because we hope that by the time we start the event series, people will know what to expect from our residents, and there will be no need to announce every resident separately.
This is only one of the examples, we aim to de-commercialize electronic music and plan to release a manifesto on this, so you will get all our ideas and statements soon 🙂
You’ve also been a Shum resident since November 2019, Shum being a series of techno raves held in Donbas, and have been playing in Ukraine whenever possible. How would you describe it and how has it been responding to current events?
I found my inner self by participating in parties in Ukraine, especially in my hometown, Kharkiv. The crowd gives you an unforgettable feeling of recognition, any of your musical experiments are being heard and accepted. People are just more open-minded and always seeking new, fresh, interesting tunes.
People in the Donbas Region are still hungry for high-quality nighttime events. After our victory we hope to get back to making party series all over Donbas, at places where no one would expect a techno party.
Currently, Shum.rave highlights music and art all over Ukraine, being involved in many charity events, releasing charity compilations, and just using its online resources to spread the word on current events, supporting different fundraisers.
Are there any recent Ukrainian releases that make sense of the war experience for you, or albums that you have connected with on a purely emotional level?
Frankly, I am a little bit out of the loop because I focus on music from the Ochi label. Also, I don’t listen to new releases in my spare time because I want a break from listening to music:)
Having said that, I have been playing Veselo, the latest album from Kurs Valüt on repeat for the past few weeks 🙂
And I listen to different music when riding my BMX, but not electronic music 🙂
Who should I interview next and what should I ask them?
You can interview any resident of OCHI, they will be glad to share their views with you 🙂 And I would ask them, “What does the after-war-future of electronic music in Ukraine look like to you?”
NEW RELEASES
…for my Ukraine vol II ~ Giraffe Tapes
Volume II of one of our favourite compilations from last year put together by Oleksandr Demianenko. 35 ambient, drone and experimental tracks with contributions from many artists from CES Records.
24.2.22/23 ~ V/A FUNDRAISER COMPILATION ~ ОЧІ
Compilations of 40 tracks from various artists created over the past year, from 2/24/22 to 2/24/23. Proceeds go to Musicians defend Ukraine.
Sonic Weapons of Love 001 🇺🇦 ~ Sonic Weapons of Love
The funds raised will be donated to the Ukrainian fund UAID, which supports only defence strategies, including medical aid and supplies. UAID is focused on saving people’s lives without putting them at risk.
VA – Unite With Ukraine ~ Unite With Ukraine
Charity dubstep compilation aimed at helping Ukraine. 77 tracks in alphabetical order with proceeds going to the Ukrainian charity foundation u24.gov.ua. All necessary financial reports will be published every 3 months on our Facebook page.
Peace Tomorrow V/A ~ Bejenec, Re:drum, Turk Turkelton, Exieve, Yes Stanley, Rethe, Mislaw, dadan karambolo, Janeda, Donija
The “Peace Tomorrow V/A” collection unites various music genres for a common cause: to help the Ukrainian people in their struggle against Russian aggression. Proceeds from sales will be donated to provide much-needed assistance to those affected by the crisis.
This EP is a reminder that, despite our differences, we can come together for a greater good. It is a tribute to the resilience and strength of the Ukrainian people, who have endured so much in the face of adversity.
Volume 2 ~ Grind4Ukraine
Finally! The second release of the Grind4Ukraine compilation series. All proceeds go directly to Ukraine – via President Zelensky’s donation portal, United24, and to Alex from GoodGuysGoGrind in Kyiv.
Noise for Ukraine ~ Fuzzy Panda Recording Company
A diverse compilation with proceeds from this compilation will go to benefit Ukraine Trustchain, a nonprofit formed to support Ukrainian volunteers delivering aid to and evacuating victims of the war from the most dangerous areas of Ukraine.
37 ~ Monotonne
With an impressive cast of contributors, including Grisly Faye, аппекс, Tik Tu, Sheetel, Gool, Valya Levchenko, Elle Alicia Bennett, and ТОЇА, Yuriy Bulychov aka Monotonne releases his most accomplished album to date.
Dome ~ Whaler
“This is an EP about memories of the past. All tracks are recorded a while ago (6+ years) but recently I found them and added fresh touches.
Originally Modesta Turbam was written around 8 years ago by my friend DOMNA, and then remixed by 4P – Oleksandr Cherepuschak.
4P has died due to brain cancer on Dec 27, 2021. He has worked so hard till his last days, now his works are shining, frozen in time. Modesta Turbam is my rework of his track.
I will donate all sales to Cyber Defence of Ukraine”
Vidvaga ~ Zavoloka & Noémi Büchi
“To fight back the darkness with courage.” After her double single with Liza Aikin, Zavoloka teams up with Noémi Büchi for the latest release on I Shall Sing Until My Land Is Free.
Inmostones ~ Yurii Samson
“Semiconscious singing transforms into matter, ethereal zones interact as loudspeaker walls, leaving something untold, trying to tell something.
And the world itself is imagined as a large pile of granular stones that became solid in the crucible of time, passing the path from the atoms that make up air to the crystalline lattice.
Therefore, we essentially live among the stony collapse of lives and sounds and constantly hear the boulders turning over somewhere in the mouth of consciousness, in the garden of stones.
This music relies on relative levers, trying to construct a sufficient foundation for the great mass of emptiness, for the relentless reinforcement of time.”
Better known under his solo project moniker Starless, Yurii Samson is also 1/2 of Kadaitcha together with Andrii Kozhukhar as well as the leader of the psychedelic folk-kraut-rock band Biblioteka Prospero. Inmostones was produced and recorded in Nova Kakhovka, before Samson fled the occupied territories.
Obiymy (Legacy of War Mix) ~ Svyatoslav Vakarchuk, Robert 3D Del Naja, Okean Elzy
March 3rd 2023 sees the release of a collaboration between Massive Attack’s Robert ‘3D’ Del Naja and Ukrainian artist Slava Vakarchuk, the frontman of Ukraine’s most popular rock band Okean Elzy. Vakarchuck has performed 179 impromptu shows for civilians and soldiers across Ukraine since the invasion began 12 months ago. The track, “Obiymy (Legacy of War Mix)”, was re-worked by Del Naja and Euan Dickinson in March last year and is now released through his Battle Box label. In April we’ll see a vinyl release featuring a B-side (“Field Recordings / 2022”) in a gatefold sleeve press by Deepgrooves, the world’s most eco-friendly vinyl plant. You can pre-order this now.
All profits go to the Legacy of War Foundation; an international charity providing support to civilians affected by conflict, founded by Giles Duley – a photographer, writer, campaigner and UN Global Advocate. Duley shot all photography for the digital and vinyl release, which was then designed by Robert Del Naja. Legacy of War Foundation will be partnering with UNITED24, a global fundraising platform, (launched by president Volodymyr Zelenskyy in May 2022) to help restore destroyed homes in Kyiv Oblast, under the Rebuild Ukraine program.
Mundane Levitation ~ Oksana Hritseva
Another essential release from система | system, this is a hypnotic album by Oksana Hritseva, a Odesa-based artist, pianist, and composer. Deceptively gentle and tinged with melancholy, Mundane Levitation treads a fine line between light and darkness, brimming with unadorned and evocative melodies. All tracks were produced in 2001 but never released before.
Panepistimio ~ SVITOVAMORA
New dark ambient and drone work from Oleksandr Hladun aka Svitovamora.
Wave Terminology v.2 ~ Yevhenii Loi
Going from strength to strength, Yevhenii Loi releases a worthy followup to last year’s Wave Terminology EP that came out on December 26, with proceeds going to the Armed Forces.
Red ~ 58918012
“Hello, my friends! For a pretty long time, I conceived the idea to write an album called “RGB”. But when I finished all tracks for it I realized that their moods are drastically different from each other. That’s the reason why I decided to release three different albums — “Red”, “Green”, and “Blue”.
Today I am happy to represent the first one — “Red” obviously. This one is the deepest and darkest of all three. It includes a lot of noisy / industrial sounds, as well as field recordings.”
Castanea ~ Andrii Kunin
New single from Andrii Kunin. Samples – a hymn of summer camp from my childhood. Artwork – bas-relief near the entrance to that camp, Kyiv Oblast. Castanea – a Latin word for chestnut tree, one of Kyiv’s symbols.
Resonanza Mistica ~ Monoconda
Monoconda is one of those shape-shifting creatures who transforms himself musically with every new release. Resonanza Mistica is a joyful slice of cinematic downtempo, a timely Spring release.
Drumless Dances 2023 (1991 Previously Unreleased Album) and Obolon Surf 2023 (1992 Previously Unreleased Album) ~ People Romantics
Ritmika Records presents two previously unreleased albums recorded in Obolon, Kyiv, by People Romantics :
Oleksandr Pastushenko – lead guitar
Volodymyr Sivko – guitar – guitar
Oleksiy Dashkovskiy – guitar
Oleksander Yurchenko – bass
Ivan (Derbastler) Moskalenko – electronic drums
MIX & PODCASTS
VIEWING ROOM
(Gianmarco Del Re)
a closer listen 