Ukrainian Field Notes XXXVIII

NOVEMBER 5, 2024 – KYIV

Anna Aloka

I’m Anna Aloka, a DJ and beginner electronic music producer and singer / songwriter. I’ve been in the music industry for 14 years and worked as a music journalist, photographer, PR, and social media manager. I used to be a festival organizer and art director for such big projects as the Vedalife Yoga Festival, and the Samskara Exhibition. I still organize parties from time to time and I’m a co-creator of the Mix by Mix project, where I mix music and my partner mixes cocktails. It all blends together into a united experience.

Has the full-scale invasion changed the way you think about music and sound in general, and has it had an impact on your playlist?


I would not say it changed my way of thinking about music. But it definitely affected how I listened to music. I mean I could not listen to it for the first three months at all. But thankfully step by step I’ve got back to listening and mixing. Even before I always aimed to showcase music by Ukrainian artists and producers. And I think this desire has only increased.

Also, I’ve become interested in Ukrainian traditional music. I am learning and singing traditional Ukrainian songs now. And this journey is very inspiring. My idea behind this is this: if I learn a song I will remember it for my whole life and I’ll be able to transfer it to other people, the next generations, and in this way I can save the tradition. Because russians are hell bent on destroying our culture.

photo by Misha Kot

Has the role of music in Ukraine shifted from one of entertainment to encompass the expression of identity, communication, and emotional and physical survival?

I think music always has the power to express our feelings. Every producer and songwriter will tell you this. But because the level of emotional intensity we live with now has drastically increased, all the “metaphysical” power music has also strengthened. Music helps us to live through our pains whether we’re civilians or in the military.

Do you find war sounds and air raid sirens used in electronic music tracks to be triggering and how can one best describe the war experience sonically to a foreign audience?



I had an idea in my head to use air raid sirens in my performances abroad to trigger foreigners to think about what we live through. But then someone pointed out to me that there could be Ukrainians in the audience and also people from other countries who lived through war in their lives and it could be very traumatic for them to hear this sound during a festival in the place where they came to find peace.

I think talking sonically to a foreign audience about war is not as simple as it is. Yes, we can use air siren sounds in music production, we can put our emotions into music. But as we’re human beings and we experience art through each of our psychological perspectives I think it’s important to use words in our communication. I don’t mean everyone needs to start writing songs instead of instrumental music. But with our releases online and during our performances we can talk about our experience.

photo by Matthias Marke

Are there any specific tracks or albums from the past two years and a half that have captured current events for you?

The most painful and yet the most beautiful and honest project about current events is WARНЯКАННЯ by my colleagues Anton Slepakov and Andriy Sokolov. I wish foreign audiences could experience it as we Ukrainians do. It’s electronic music with incredibly smart, true, and painful lyrics about our lives. Even translated to other languages it would be hard to understand it to the fullest if you hadn’t lived through war experience. But I still encourage everyone to listen to it.

How aware would you say Ukrainians are of their musical heritage and did the full-scale invasion make you personally rediscover any unsung composers or works?



There’s a new wave of Ukrainians discovering their cultural heritage from young to old people. My personal interest is traditional Ukrainian music — folklore. It is definitely the war that made me rediscover what we had for centuries. With the risk of our culture being destroyed again and again we realized we need to treasure and study it. But we need to keep working hard in order for the whole nation to value it.

Has Ukrainian music finally moved away from the periphery to occupy a more central place on the world stage?


No. And if we’re honest we will see there are not so many “periphery” cultures from other countries on the “main stage” as well. You can easily see that on streaming charts. But what I’m happy about is that there are a bunch of strong big electronic artists who evolved drastically during the past 5 years on the big stage: Woo York, 8keys, Artbat, Miss Monique, and many more. This makes me happy because they’re Ukrainians and people want to listen to them and see them at the festivals.

Having recently visited Ukraine I was struck by how vibrant its electronic and experimental music scene is. How do you see the scene developing under present circumstances considering that more and more musicians are being mobilised?

There’s a lot to be sad about in the music industry in general and the electronic scene in particular. Because it’s war. And war is never good. But the appearance of new names, constant big and small parties, and even festivals just show us how important music is for our survival. If you can imagine feeling pain, happiness, despair, and life loss and life being born at once you can understand how Ukrainians or any other nation being killed feels.

photo by by Maria Markevych

Many Ukrainian artists have told me that in the first few months of the full-scale invasion, they were unable to play music, let alone compose or perform new music. Do you share this experience and if so, what were you listening to, once you went back to music?

After 3 months of not listening to music, I’ve come back with listening to DakhaBrakha band and also my favorite downtempo. It was how I’ve recorded my first mix since February 2022. I’ve released it on the American-Georgian label Downtempo Rituals. It’s also my most played mix.

You recently had a residency in the South of Italy. What can you tell us about this experience and how many opportunities are there for Ukrainians in terms of grants and residencies?

First of all, I want to thank Giulio Vita and the team at LaGuarimba who created that amazing opportunity for 5 Ukrainian musicians and 10 Ukrainian filmmakers to just come, rest, and create freely in the peaceful seaside in Italy. A month in a peaceful country with dedicated studio time and like-minded people creates magic. It was the place where I produced and performed my very first track.

And yes, there are a lot of opportunities for Ukrainians out there provided by projects like Creative Europe, Culture Moves Europe, organizations like Goethe Institute, and many many more. Ukrainian Cultural Fund, Ukrainian Institute, and Music Export Ukraine are those Ukrainian organizations that constantly work on creating more opportunities for Ukrainian culture.

Which book / film / album / song / traditional dish / podcast / blog / artwork / building / meme best captures Ukraine for you?

NOVEMBER 7, 2024 – KYIV

photo by Oleksandr Maksymenko

Advika Insane

My name is Advika, and I’m from Sloviansk in the Donetsk region. I consider the beginning of 2023 as the true start of my musical journey—that’s when I began working on my first EP. Before that, I was only a devoted listener. In 2019, I met some musicians and was drawn deeper into the world of music. I studied music history, explored my favorite artists, and listened closely to their concepts and musical experiments. I tried creating my own melodies, learned how to play DJ sets, and even recorded my first one, which is still on SoundCloud. But I see the start of my first EP as the real beginning of my conscious musical path.

Has the full-scale invasion changed the way you think about music and sound in general, and has it had an impact on your playlist or did that already happen in 2014?

My perception and relationship with music really shifted after the full-scale invasion. Back in 2014, I was just a child—I was 13 and couldn’t fully grasp what was happening around me.

photo by Kyrylo Diskoteka

Has the role of music in Ukraine shifted from one of entertainment to encompass the expression of identity, communication, and emotional and physical survival?

From my own experience, the role of music in Ukraine has definitely changed. Music has become a powerful voice for our identity—a tool without borders. At the start of the full-scale invasion, it was one of the instruments of unity. Singing and music in the shelters brought back a sense of life, offering refuge from the fear and horror of war. Music helped us endure things that our minds couldn’t process. Even now, on the front lines, music is one of the key sources of motivation for soldiers and plays an incredibly important role there. Artists who perform for the troops all say the same thing: it helps them keep going, mentally and emotionally.

What can you tell us about the production process for your EP внутрішньо переміщена особистість (An internally displaced personality) released on Ochii and specifically about its title?

When I started writing this EP, I was a complete beginner in music. I reached out to a musician friend for guidance, as I knew exactly what I wanted to convey and how it should feel and sound, but I had no idea how to achieve it technically. The process felt like an explorer’s journey — I searched for different sounds, used voice recorder samples, and relived my experiences from 2014 to express them musically. I wanted to release the pain I’d been holding onto. My home was destroyed back in 2014, and I had no place to return to after Sloviansk was liberated. Irpin and Bucha took my family in, and I lived and studied there for four years.

I was in Kyiv when the full-scale invasion began. My heart shattered when I learned what had happened to Irpin and Bucha, while my family was still in Donetsk. The pain was unbearable, and I found release through music. I wanted to tell the story of a displaced person and the feeling of losing one’s home. Each track represents an emotion or state, expressed in its title. For the album cover, I created a collection of portraits of people from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, to show that displaced individuals are diverse, often right next to us, living through this unique and painful experience of forced loss. The title was inspired by the term “internally displaced person.” I reshaped it into An Internally Displaced Personality to show how this experience transforms who you are.

photo by Kyrylo Diskoteka

The first track on your EP begins with field recordings. One of the things I have noticed is that, to my knowledge, there are not that many field recordings based works by Ukrainian artists to have come out since the full-scale invasion with a few exceptions, such as Difference Machine, ummsbiaus and Adaa Zagorodnya, for instance. Is that a correct assessment and why do you think that is the case and can you tell us about your inclusion of field recordings?



My first track does indeed start with some unconventional recordings of war. You can hear birds singing, sounds from a school and children, as well as the noise of a train and news reports. These elements symbolize how, like so many, I first encountered the war as a child in the spring of 2014. We were just regular school kids, greeting spring without the faintest idea we’d soon be facing war. The sound of the train represents our forced relocation to safer places, and the atmosphere is broken by urgent news of occupation, shelling, and battles in our hometowns. The contrast aims to capture the unease and fear of the unknown that war brings.

I think one reason many artists may not use field recordings like these is, firstly, because they might not have access to them. Secondly, it’s a complex way to convey mood—it’s challenging to work with these sounds subtly rather than directly. There’s a need to carefully consider how such recordings will enhance a track rather than overshadow it. And these recordings can be triggering, both for the artists who create the music and for listeners who experience it.

You are from the Donetsk oblast if I am not mistaken. Could you dispel some of the most persistent misconceptions about Southeast Ukraine?

Yes, I’m from the Donetsk region, specifically from the city of Sloviansk. It’s located in the resort area of Donetsk Oblast.

One of my other projects is a lecture series about Donbas, and its purpose is to dispel these myths, to offer a different perspective on the region. Most people imagine Donbas as an industrial area, filled with panel buildings, coal mines, slag heaps, the grayness and smoke of factories. That’s true to some extent, but it doesn’t show the full picture. Very few know that there is actually a resort region in Donbas. There’s incredible nature, lakes, landscapes, the most beautiful sunsets, forests, and picturesque views. This is one of the myths.

Another misconception is that the region has always been pro-russian and that the Soviet government created it the way it is. This is simply not true. Donbas has European roots, with a European history of development. The Soviet authorities took this history and erased much of what existed here before their arrival. If you dig deeper, you’ll learn about Greek villages, Jewish settlements, and the fact that the region was traditionally Ukrainian-speaking. It was only later that there was an attempt to settle it with Russian-speaking people, to shape it in a particular way. There are a lot of myths like this, in fact, and I’d recommend watching the film EuroDonbas if you want to learn more about the history of the region.

photo by Oleksandr Maksymenko

Do you find war sounds and air raid sirens used in electronic music tracks to be triggering and how can one best describe the war experience sonically to a foreign audience?



I think war sounds and air raid sirens can definitely be triggering for those who have experienced them firsthand. For those who’ve been through it, those sounds carry a weight that can’t be ignored. However, for foreign audiences, these sounds might be uncomfortable or unsettling, but they might not have the same immediate emotional impact.

Describing the experience of war to someone who hasn’t lived through it—that’s a challenge. It’s an unpleasant, difficult subject, and exploring it is complex and painful. But it’s necessary, because war is happening so close to us. If it’s not stopped in Ukraine, it could become your reality as well.

I believe it’s easier to convey the contrast of life during wartime to foreign audiences. The contrast of what Ukrainians live through. Where daily life exists side-by-side with air raid sirens, drone attacks, and the front lines. Life continues, but it’s not normal. Not in the way we usually think of normal life. So, that contrast needs to be shown, and it can be expressed sonically.

Even as I’m writing this now, there’s an air raid alarm going off in Kyiv. You can feel it, in the background, always present. A good example of capturing that atmosphere is Pavlo Treva’s UkrJazz. Listening to that can help you understand the mood in which Ukrainians live today.

Are there any specific tracks or albums from the past two years and half that have captured current events for you?



advika insane – Характер
туча, RUSIIICKI, BADWOR7H – russia is a terrorist state
Andrii Barmalii – я нормально
Nadnova – людина
asc3ea – anxiety diaries
HAVRYLO – Naturhumain
Maxym Liutcode – Де мої сни
YUVI – Градом
3sds – 3 days at frontline

photo by Oleksandr Maksymenko

How aware would you say Ukrainians are of their musical heritage and did the full-scale invasion made you personally rediscover any unsung composers or works?


It’s hard for me to judge, because I live and work in a creative bubble (або artistic community, як тобі більше подобається) where music heritage is studied and appreciated. But what I can say is that Ukrainians are definitely starting to learn more about their own heritage and becoming more interested in Ukrainian culture. Documentaries about our musicians and poets are being released, and people are watching them. So, the musical consciousness of Ukrainians is definitely growing.

However, on a broader scale, there’s still a lot of ignorance and a reluctance to seek out and listen to Ukrainian music, unfortunately. Why is this? That’s a complicated question.

The full-scale invasion has really affected my personal relationship with our heritage. There is now more material available, and it’s easier to access. I was already interested in the Ukrainian scene and the history of Ukrainian music before the full-scale invasion, but it’s this war that has turned our gaze inward, much like it did after 2014. Now, our musical heritage is slowly taking its rightful place, where it belongs.

But personally, I wish there were even more focus on it, more attention given to this rich history. It’s something we need to cherish and share.

Having recently visited Ukraine I was struck by how vibrant its electronic and experimental music scene is. How do you see the scene developing under present circumstances considering that more and more musicians are being mobilised?


Right now, I’d say our scene is developing despite everything, not thanks to it. It’s all because of the people within this industry who do what they do because they can’t live any other way.

The hardest part right now is the concert industry. I see events being canceled due to low ticket sales or air raid alarms going off. It creates huge challenges, but it also demands a new level of creativity. Musicians and bands are often changing their line-ups due to mobilization. But I believe that it’s our artists who are and will continue to find ways to create and promote their work, no matter the circumstances.

This is something that forges resilience. Also, I feel an incredible sense of mutual support within the music community, no matter what level you’re at as an artist. Right now, it’s more about the meaning, the idea, and the concept you’re carrying forward, rather than the number of streams or followers you have. And this creates a truly unique atmosphere of solidarity and unity, where we all know we’re in this together.

I believe that this experience is something we’ll later share with other countries. It’s something universal, and we are learning to carry it through our music.

photo by Kyrylo Diskoteka

Many Ukrainian artists have told me that in the first few months of the full-scale invasion they were unable to play music, let alone compose or perform new music. Do you share this experience and if so, what were you listening to once you went back to music?


I can say that for me, nothing changed in terms of performing because I actually began my music journey after the full-scale invasion. But at the beginning of the war, when I had to leave Kyiv for a month, I tried to channel my thoughts into music. However, they were so chaotic, and my inner state was so shattered, that those melodies never really materialized into anything. Still, it helped me keep my sanity.

I did continue listening to music, but I can say that during the first few weeks, I didn’t listen with headphones because I was afraid of missing air raid sirens or not hearing explosions. It felt terrifying to miss something. I immediately deleted all Russian music from my playlist (there wasn’t much, but it was there), and I mainly listened to Ukrainian music. Almost everything foreign started to annoy me with its carefree vibe. I needed music that could help me cope with anxiety and fear, something that would pull those emotions out of me, not numb them.

It was important for me to surround myself with sounds that felt connected to what I was living through—something real and grounded in our reality.

Which book / film / album / song / traditional dish / podcast / blog / artwork / building / meme best captures Ukraine for you?

That’s an interesting question!

Book – I Will Mix Your Blood with Coal by Oleksandr Mykhed
Film – My Thoughts Are Silent by Antonio Lukich
Album – I’ll cheat a bit here because it’s a compilation, not an album: Volunteers, Vol.1 – Blackout. Or Rusiiick and Misha Substance – Reactor (both from Polygon, yes. I really love what they do).
Song – Pavlo Treva – UkrJazz
Dish – Bograch or varenyky with cherries. Simple, but it is what it is.
Podcast – Mincultpryvit by Nariman Aliyev
Blog – What Dmitro Kuleba is writing right now
Artwork – Anything by Gareleya Neotodryosh
Building – Flowers of Ukraine
Meme – This is a tough one, but just go to Instagram and check out skvot.io for their memes. Ukrainians always joke, always, even about the most terrifying things.

Each of these things holds a piece of Ukraine for me—its complexity, its resilience, its creativity, and its unbreakable spirit.

NOVEMBER 17, 2024 – UKRAINE

Slavik Dzyga

My name is Denys Chornomorets and I compose electronic music primarily in the genres of Italo Disco, Dark Disco, and Indie Dance. Currently, I am a serviceman in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Slavik Dzyga is the alias I picked to reflect and emphasize my authenticity and here’s why: “Slavik” is a derivation of the word “Slavic.” I changed the last letter of the word to “K” because that’s how my father’s name is spelled, but still sorta have a reference to the geographical area. “Dzyga” (Дзиґа) is the Ukrainian word for a “whirligig” (the spinning toy), but in Ukrainian, the word Dzyga has a much deeper and broader meaning. So, I decided to combine these two words. Funny – for a Ukrainian audience, my pseudonym looks like a first and last name, but for listeners from other countries, it carries a completely different meaning.

I’ve been into music since I was child. When I was 16, I got a classical guitar as a gift from my mother, and perhaps that’s where my musical journey began. Back then, I felt that I appreciated melody in songs the most, as melodies are there to evoke emotions and tell a full story. I was fortunate to have close friends who were also passionate about music. One of them is Alex Ashtaui, who now lives in Berlin and is known for his music project called “Morwan.” We spent a long time trying to create our own music project together, spending many hours in studios where we constantly jammed. During our rehearsals, I realized that playing only the guitar is limiting me greatly, so I started my journey into learning the Ableton software.

Has the full-scale invasion changed the way you think about music and sound in general and has it had an impact on your playlist and setup?

As strange as it may sound, the full-scale invasion actually gave me an additional push to start writing music. Two months before the invasion, I began to study at the Module Exchange electronic music school, and the invasion started right in the middle of our course. Obviously, I couldn’t focus on music at that time. After returning to Kyiv in the summer of 2022, I discovered the French label Ritmo Fatale. At that time, an album by the artist Luca dell’Orso had just been released on the label – I was thrilled by what I heard and kept listening to the label’s catalogue on repeat. I discovered artists like Kendal, Pablo Bozzi, Chinaski, and many other incredible musicians… And that’s when I realized the direction I wanted to develop in and focus on.

In the realities of war, you begin to appreciate more what you have and value the people around. Because everything can be lost any moment — yourself included. It felt that the best time for new beginnings was now. At that time, I was just starting to make music, and all I had in terms of equipment was a laptop, an audio interface, and headphones. However, a friend of mine asked me to check the condition of his apartment in Irpin (as his building had been under occupation). Luckily, the apartment was intact, and his music equipment was still there. With his permission, I moved it to my place, and that’s how I got studio monitors and a MIDI keyboard (which was partially dysfunctioning because of spilled beer). So, to sum up — yes, during the invasion, I began to make progress and gained more opportunities. Throughout the summer of 2022, I hardly left my apartment, constantly working on my skills and knowledge of Ableton.

You have recently released Noir on Regular Disco. How popular would you say Italo and dark disco are in Ukraine and what can you tell us about the making of this album?

The appreciation of Ukrainians for dark disco has been noticeable for quite some time, especially during parties organized by Worn Pop, where you could listen to melodic synth pop, post-punk, as well as the darker side of disco. These parties always had a very human-like atmosphere, and I can also highlight the East Kulture party series. I even noticed that dark disco is really popular among the military people; they often listen to bands like Ultra Sunn and Boy Harsher. It seems to me that some of them are craving moments with this music as a soundtrack – via Instagram, for instance. As for Italo Disco, I had the feeling that I was the only one showing a strong love for this genre, because the only place I encountered Italo was in my headphones while cycling around the city.

The turning point was when I attended a party organized by Regulardisco. It’s hard to precisely describe the feelings I experienced there, but I knew for sure that I had found what I had been searching for all that time. That’s when I started to notice that the love for Italo among Ukrainians was much greater than I thought. As an example, there’s always a huge excitement around the visits to Kyiv of artists like Pablo Bozzi and Phase Fatale. Despite high ambitions, I feel like the Ukrainian Italo and dark disco scene is just emerging and scaling up.

The EP NOIR is a special story for me; in every track, I’ve poured separate emotions from specific life events I’ve experienced. My biggest desire was to bring to life a synergy of my vision of noir, the rhythmic energy of Italo Disco, and the restrained romantic style of Bryan Ferry and The Blue Nile. This is also the result of titanic efforts and the realization of a dream. What’s particularly special for me is that my debut album features remixes by Luca dell’Orso and Ubre Blanca. Discovering the work of Luca dell’Orso became a key point of reference in my music, and when it came to choosing the first artist to reach out to for a remix, without any hesitation, it was Luca dell’Orso. Ubre Blanca is a powerful music project from the UK, which also set creative benchmarks for me. So, I was incredibly happy when all the artists immediately agreed to remix my tracks.

When I visited Kyiv last May I was struck by how vibrant the electronic music scene is. How do you see it developing with so many artists now been mobilised, including yourself?

You’re absolutely right; yes, we are currently witnessing the blossoming of the Ukrainian music scene, and this applies not only to the electronic scene but also to new names in pop music and the underground scene. I can compare this to the blossoming of Ukrainian culture in the 1990s, when, after a long period of imposed Russian culture, our people got a breath of fresh air and wanted to hear and see their own culture, both historical and contemporary, keeping pace with the present. I am constantly amazed when I discover a new artist with a beautiful and high-quality sound. This genuinely makes me happy and gives me hope that we will be able to reach a much higher level together.

As for the mobilization of artists, we have many who voluntarily took up arms and have been fighting against the occupying forces since the very beginning of the invasion. People with a creative mindset are highly valued in the military for their ability to make unconventional decisions and work with advanced, complex systems. We are up against a very powerful enemy who has an advantage in both human resources and weaponry, so we are forced to employ creative methods of warfare. After all, if we fall, the entire blossoming of our culture is at risk of being buried again under bans and the imposition of foreign culture.

Has your perception of sound changed since you were mobilised and do you find the use of air raid sirens and other war sounds in electronic tracks to be triggering and are they ever justifiable?

In my opinion, one must know the limits when using sounds of war, because these are not sounds of celebration; they are the sounds of sorrow, pain, suffering, and death. Of course, foreign artists use these sounds in their works, but they do so without fully realizing the weight that these sounds carry. I’m not opposed to using siren sounds, explosions, or gunshots in songs that directly focus on tragic events or honor the fallen soldiers and civilians in this cursed war. But I believe in dance tracks it’s mostly not appropriate.

Many Ukrainian artists have told me that in the first few months of the full-scale invasion they were unable to play music. Do you share this experience, and if so, what were you listening to once you went back to music?

At first, I simply didn’t listen to music; I had no desire at all. I just kept following the course of events. When I finally started listening to music again, in addition to the usual playlists and artists, I added songs by Ukrainian artists from the ’90s and 2000s to my daily routine.

Has the role of music in Ukraine shifted from one of entertainment to encompass the expression of identity, communication, and emotional and physical survival?

Of course, we were taught to preserve our own history and rediscover almost lost fragments of our cultural heritage. Today, we have many songs that in one way or another highlight military actions, everyday problems, psychology, and comedic takes on today’s issues. Many marketing companies are creating content with good and high-quality music that is relevant to our present reality. The same applies to the film and theater industries.

Does music play a role in the military, for instance for boosting morale, to keep the connection to civilian life back home alive, to memorialise the deaths of fallen comrades, or simply as a release valve?

Personally, the music is an integral part of life. I recently suffered a minor injury, which resulted some problems with my hearing, and my first thought was, “How will I continue with music if I lose my hearing?”. Fortunately, I managed to avoid serious issues. For many soldiers, music helps to boost motivation, get focused for work, and also to relax. I often listen to certain songs that I played during specific periods of my life to support my mental state or to nostalgically remember the good times spent with friends and family. This helps me to keep myself relatively stable during emotionally difficult times. Certain songs have the ability to be associated with specific events and people, and sadly, this already includes fallen soldiers. Therefore it is connected with my own state of mind – sometimes, on the contrary I avoid listening to certain songs for the same reason: they are associated with friends who have passed away.

Are there any specific tracks or albums since the full-scale invasion that have captured current events for you?

I’ll be honest, in my opinion, there is no song that can fully capture everything what is happening with us.

Are you currently able to work on new material?

Currently, I took a forced break from creating music, as physically there’s no opportinity for this. However, as soon as I have one, I will definitely return to songwriting, as I feel that I miss the process of creating songs so much. Plus, I have a bunch of interesting projects to finish.

NEW RELEASES

Selective Softener ~ seismic data Kyiv, Ukraine February 24, 2022

All sounds on tracks 1–3 on this release are derived exclusively from sampling and manipulating audible seismic data from February 24, 2022 at a seismic monitoring station outside Kyiv operated by the Institute of Geophysics at the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. This audio file has been made available under a Creative Commons BY-NC license by the Earthsound Project (www.earthsound.earth).

[The original audio file has been included in full as Track 4.]

The seismic recording for February 24th, 2022 is notable for the abrupt silence that begins one minute and fifty-six seconds into the recording. This interruption is the basis for rhythmic manipulations used throughout the performance. Fragments were edited and repitched in real time. Melodic elements are created by reducing the parts of the sampled audio to looping single cycle waveforms. Basic audio effects such as delay and reverb have also been applied.

This album was recorded live on October 30th, 2024 at Kunstmuseum Bochum in Bochum, DE. The performance was part of the program Let’s Talk About Something Else, curated by Natalia Matsenko and Yuri Yefanov.

This piece was previously performed live on August 10th, 2024 at MuseumsQuartier Wien in the framework of the program SEE:UA — connecting landscapes.

Revshark ~ Marathon

Revshark presents Marathon EP. 4 tracks created entirely on Elektron music machines specially for ОЧІ label.

bedez ~ Solitude

“Solitude” EP by a talented producer bedez introduced is an immersive experience of depth and containment. Compositions based on modular synthesizers form an atmosphere that conveys isolation and inner dialog

This EP creates a space for reflection, revealing unique shades of sonic textures

v4w.enko ~ Terracotta Pixel Path Mix

Reprocessed sound in the “Terracotta Pixel Path Mix” continues journey of V4w.enko into the scape of old and new periods in time of released/ unreleased and remastered/ regenerated materials. The mix was once played on Radio Campus France in 2017. Both studio and live sounds are mixed in one story that is rediscovering various moments of sound of different time spaces. Carefully transferred from many HDDs and saved again, the sound is now released at the V4w.enko`s sublabel FF`Space to get distributed for the ears over the Earth.

Pymin ~ Amulet

“Amulet” is my musical embodiment of the source of inner strength and love in these challenging times.
Perhaps music and art aren’t just an embellishment to our lives, but the very foundation of them. I believe that an open heart gives us strength, igniting our inner fire that can light even the darkest times. These qualities are our amulet.

We are all united by the timeless, undeniable need to create. It’s an act that helps us release the last drops of sorrow, allowing us to breathe, heal, and move forward once again.

NRTN ~ NOIR

An ancient, magical city frozen between past and future. Here, the rain never stops, almost like a noir detective. Only, this murder has no mysteries to solve, just revenge.

With a jolt, you catch yourself staring into the eyes of a street witch. Her gaze is dark, intimidating, consuming. She does not move or speak, just silently hisses without breaking eye contact.

“Nonsense”, you mutter as you step on the gas to continue your long drive through the night, the wipers barely containing Noah’s flood on the windshield. As you stare ahead in a trance, your mouth moves of its own accord, repeating the same words under your breath in a neverending loop, over and over, again and again:

“In the furnace, fire burns, Timber smolders, embers dance
May my foe’s heart turn to ash
Wasted in a scalding blaze
Wasted in a scalding blaze”

Trinidad Shevron ~ Ignorance

Trinidad Shevron returns to Eclectic with five techno tracks that delve into the depths of human nature’s Faustian aspects. Each track, though abstract, explores a different facet of virtues and vices, offering a rich, thought-provoking journey. To complete this powerful EP, Esilum has crafted a remarkable counterpart, perfectly embodying the distinctive style of this duo.

Danilenko ~ Nightingale Language

Nightingale Language is a fresh EP from Ukrainian artist Danilenko, impressing with its depth and conceptual approach. Four tracks unite into a single story, creating a holistic sound

This is music that doesn’t just sound, but leaves a strong emotional experience

Distortion (UA) ~ Full-Auto Friday

Oleg Distortion (UA), a musician you may know from releases on Bass Water Freak Out, Your Character, Polygon and Mystictrax labels (with the “Bullet Seeds” “I grow ammo, you bastard!”), as a writer – who recently presented to the world his memoir about the defense of Kyiv region in February 2022 in the book “Survive at Villa San Marino” as part of a volunteer battalion, a soldier who now continues to protect Ukrainian lands from russian invaders. His easy and relaxed creative style, almost reflexive, hits listeners and readers as clearly as possible, evoking violent emotions. Known for his uncompromising electro style, this time, on Full-Auto Friday EP, we hear notes of old-school breakbeat of the early 2000s – something from childhood, full of music from The Prodigy, The Chemical Brothers, soundtracks from games like Need For Speed. Expected in late November – early December 2024. The names of the tracks encode the military black humor, inherent to author. Artwork “Music as the weapon” by Lostlojic.

Kotra ~ Grit Light

The choice seems impossible and obviously clear.
Burn into dust or transform.
There is no escape to rest or recharge.
Total presence is not optional.

There is no gradient anymore.
Everything and everyone is black or white.
And there are many who are true, those who care.
Those who conduct light.

Darkness shapes the light, the light restrains darkness.
And the light must be bright and strong.
It torches, cuts through, and slays the old.
Makes the impossible ways.

Igniting the leap of faith.
The truest of grit gives credence to win.

Khrystyna Kirik ~ Sub-sur-face

The album “Sub-sur-face” is the music for a performance exploring the spectrum of human existence. It’s a sonic meditation that tunes one into openness, a connection with being, and emotions. It is a journey inward, evoking deep memory. It attempts to dive into a time when we were neither body nor consciousness. It is an invitation to meet at the intersection of the external and the internal in pursuit of the longed-for balance and essential serenity. The project was created by Khrystyna Kirik during mentorship sessions with Julia Santoli under the Time Based platform.

Sub – represents the mystical dimension of the sub-surface world, reminiscent of the womb. It is something undisclosed, yet connected to the fundamental rhythm of life. Sur – unfolds as a dimension, emerging like a surreal world. It evokes a sense of intimate touch and nostalgia, linking individual consciousness with collective empathy. In this state, the unconscious mind finds expression, often resulting in dreamlike, illogical ideas and scenes. Contradictions between dreams and reality merge into absolute reality, or surreality. Face – is a dimension we encounter beyond physical space, an expanded imaginary world. It marks another threshold, moving from the inner to the outer, from the undisclosed to the disclosed. It embodies a level of extra-sensory perception.

The sound blends cinematic, naturalistic, glitch, and ambient elements, evoking intimacy through delicate vocal tones, whispers, and the earthy resonance of the double bass. The piano brings warmth, like memories of childhood. Field recordings capture the sounds of nature, street life, conversations, and interactions with everyday objects, aiming to define the external world and convey its essence. Bells made from shell casings remind us of the importance of presence in this reality, in the here and now. This creates an imaginary space to focus on how we listen, what we hear, and how we feel it.

Lyudska Podoba ~ Petite Mort

Lyudska Podoba will release a track with our favorite Artur Snitkus, a Ukrainian queer artist who died in battle with the russian invaders. The first 1000 euros earned from this release will go to Artur’s mother. The next 300 euros will go to Taras aka Clasps, a super musician who mixed and mastered the track, who also from Arthur’s hometown Ternopil and is currently in the Ukrainian army. After crossing 1300 euros (if it happens), the profit from the track will be reconsidered.

an honest fox ~ looped dungeon

some stuff from 2022 (splitted here in two parts, because of limitations).

VA ~ Justification of Major

Curated by our friend Dmytro Postovalov (aka Bayun the Cat) this is “a relaxing and hopeful album for those who hate everything relaxing and hopeful”.

Walakos ~ interrupted

After having delivedered one of the defining albums from the full-scale invasion (warнякання) together with Anton Slepakov, Andrii Sokolov is back with a new solo album that feels fractured and urgent.

ummsbiaus ~ FAVNA

FAVNA is a polyphonous electronic hymn of female power, embodied in water, flame, earth and air. It celebrates femininity through legends of Old Slavic goddesses and mythological creatures, singing of their strength and vulnerability. The album as a whole delves into the fauna of a female artist, incarnated in the figure of Syryna the Firebird, exploring the haunting echoes of her pains and struggles.

We all are different in our nature and form, yet we exist within the same fauna.

ЛІЗА ПАДЛІЗА ~ Тут немає місця для тебе

There is no place for you here

addressing my *weak personality* as a projection of fear that sinks into the body, makes movements lame, tries to flood the brain with bad thoughts, and the only thing left is to fall down to escape all this madness

Anklav ~ Bass Resistance

We’re super excited to drop ‘Bass Resistance’, our latest V/A compilation

This 12-track compilation is a true bass lover’s dream – 6 tracks from talented Ukrainian artists and 6 more from incredible global creators. It’s a journey through bass music that stays true to what we’re all about: pure passion for the sound. ❤️‍🔥🔊

But this release is more than just music. All proceeds will go directly to Vitsche campaign to help build a bomb-shelter school in the Kharkiv region. Together, we can make a real difference.

Let’s end the year on a high note – with music, community, and impact! 🦾💋

Native Outsider ~ Kōhai

On the new album ‘Kōhai’ by Arkady Lenov under the pseudonym Native Outsider, the raging bass and elements of the inherent techno sound are organically intertwined with advanced sound design, creating a multi-layered and fascinating soundscape. Continuing to explore the ideas behind his previous album Modern, released on Progressive Future, the artist delves deeper into the low-frequency spectrum, placing distorted drumming against a backdrop of thick and mysterious textures.

Created in Kyiv in 2023-2024, the release carries the symbolism of renewal, both external and internal. The cover artwork with the texture of the artist’s severed hair emphasises the idea of shedding spiritual burdens, complete emptying and the beginning of a new life cycle. Deep reflections on one’s own place in the world and the present formed the leitmotif of this release. The main source of inspiration was reflections on the struggle against the pervasive feeling of lost opportunities and restrictions that limit freedom of action. It came through all the stages of realising the inevitability of global processes and their unstoppable inertia, which changes everyone’s life.

The album was also influenced by the spirit of the current Ukrainian electronic music and club scene, which is developing rapidly despite all the circumstances. Instead of succumbing to fear or trying to avoid reality, the author chose to immerse himself in exaltation. Music and movement have become a way for him to live his emotions – sincerely and openly, even in the face of an existential abyss and an unknown future.

VIEWING ROOM