The appalling events in Ukraine have dominated our hearts and minds every day this week, with the newsfeed packed with indiscriminate violence.
With up to one million people being displaced by Putin's unjust war, it's clear that these events will have a lasting impact on Ukrainian society.
A country with more than 40 million people, Ukraine's rich history and heritage entered the 21st century by asking deep questions of itself, with a fresh generation grappling with age-old questions of identity.
In music, this has expressed itself in a new bloom of energy with Ukraine's underground communities, producing excellent projects in genres as disparate as metal and R&B.
With BandCamp Friday upon us once more, Clash writers picked out six projects you can support right now.
If these aren't quite your thing, then join Clash in donating to the Red Cross Ukraine appeal.
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John Object (As picked by Gem Stokes)
Based in Kyiv, Ukraine, John Object has a vast and eclectic discography that is nothing short of cutting-edge. In 2018 a young Object preppily dressed in shirt and suspenders casually made history by performing at the first ever Boiler Room in Ukraine. Ukrainian ravers, perceivable geriatrics, and sunglass-clad posers all come together in cultural disarray for this momentous occasion, immortalised via the internet here.
Object's fractured electronic sound shifts from bouncy, gurgling basslines, to mutating soundscapes, to glitch beats akin to early flashcore and experimental dance. Incomparable to most music and difficult to define, Object may remind listeners of the late SOPHIE's more abstract early work, such as 'L.O.V.E' and 'MSMSMSM'.
Object has recently released his entire oeuvre onto Bandcamp on a 58 track album titled 'Life'. The compilation’s dedication is both personal and political: 'My name is Timur, I am a Ukrainian, and Russia has sent thousands and thousands of soldiers into Ukraine. Currently, we are all being bombed. I have no idea what my life is going to be like tomorrow and how much longer I have, so it felt appropriate to share an archive of my 2010-2019 works, in case I never get to do that when I'm old…'
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LOSTSLEEP (As picked by Emily Swingle)
Melding the likes of thick ambience and dark dream pop, LOSTSLEEP are a prime example of sonic worldbuilding. David Sleep, the single mind behind the project, thrives in whatever his chosen soundscape may be – from the saxophone infused late-night liminality of the self-titled ep LOSTSLEEP, to the glimmering, floating dream pop of ‘Skin & Bones’ or ‘Personne’, every track is fine-tuned and deeply atmospheric.
In light of the recent Ukrainian conflict, however, David Sleep has taken a different approach. ‘8 Years of Silence’ is a haunting, twisting dose of post-rock. While the track lacks vocals, the instrumental side speaks volumes; shoegaze-y guitars meld with the cries of airstrike sirens, layered in a way that hints at just how commonplace these sirens have been over the last 8 years in Donetsk.
Speaking on the release, Sleep comments: “Why am I writing about this right now? Because the world has been silent for almost eight years.
Now everyone is worried about Ukraine and, believe me, me too. However, not a single celebrity, not a single media personality spoke out against the aggression directed at us. No one paid attention to us and no one wanted to save us….
“I wrote this track to show you what I really feel. And while I was working on it, I practically stopped understanding where I hear explosions from: in this track or outside, on the streets ..?”
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DakhaBrakha (As picked by Gem Stokes)
A quartet also from Ukraine’s capital, DakhaBrakha blend sound, language, and soul to create jazz-infused world music. Rather appropriately, DakhaBrakha means “give/take” in Rutheninan (an older form of the Ukranian language) as the band seek to offer and receive global cultural elements in their music.
Although rooted in Ukranian folk, Indian, Arabic, African, Russian, and Australian traditional instrumentation are all part and parcel of DakhaBrakha’s sound. Elements of swing, jazz, and folk promise to surprise audiences with their dramatic tension, fuelling the band’s self proclaimed ‘ethno-chaos’.
DakhaBrakha’s message is one of hope and connection, their songs anchored by folklore and the preservation of Ukranian folklore culture. Whilst Ukraine is razed, these stories stand firm, offering solace and comfort for Ukrainians and war victims globally.
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Chaka Gettz (As picked by Emily Swingle)
Describing themselves as ‘street orchestra [with] singers from the 60s, a guitarist from the 90s and multi-instrumentalists from the future’, it’s fair to say that Chaka Gettz are an exciting, eclectic delight.
Despite being incredibly fresh on the scene, their sound hints at a bright future. Debut EP 'Daytime Eraser' is remarkably dynamic, cramming buckets of charm and character into its minimal run-time; Experimental, trance-like ambience akin to Aphex Twin unfold on the rich, sprawling ‘Picturing Needs’, while a sense of formidably cool Wolf Alice-like indie rock is captured on ‘Incinerate for KG’. Chaka Gettz are a shining example of how successful bouncy, jagged song structures can be.
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DRUDKH (As Picked By Gem Stokes)
If black metal is the beating heart of Ukraine’s modern music scene, DRUDKH is the blood that pumps through it. In their stellar 20 year career, DRUDKH has released 11 albums and inspired a tidal wave of Ukrainian black metal artists.
The band’s irresistible melodies convey Ukrainian folklore and poetry, often focusing on pride for their country and nature.
Aside from recognisable sonic elements of black metal, such as guitar-centred tremolo picking and atmospheric lo-fi production, DRUDKH continues to provide a sound that is brand new, and unrestrained by conventional image. Despite an undying fanbase and the metamorphosis of a career spanning two decades, Drudkh usually refuses interview, statement, and live performance. Yet they took to social media to explain the early release of their music video for ‘The Nocturnal One’:
“the band has requested that the video be released immediately as a sign of Ukrainian resistance. DRUDKH has always shown unwavering pride for their country through their music. This poignant statement is a testament to their fighting spirit and love for their homeland.”
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Elena Voynarovskaya (Елена Войнаровская) (As picked by Emily Swingle)
15 years in the game, it’s no shock that Elena Voynarovskaya’s sound is absolutely mesmerising. Each release feels like an entirely different artist — at times Voynarovskaya floats in cloud of dreamy, ethereally artpop, before plummeting down into the tentative horrors of echoing, atmospheric artrock.
In many ways, 2021’s Паломники (Pilgrims) and 2012’s Вальсирующие во тьме (Waltzing in the Darkand) feel like polar opposites. Pilgrims is light and wistful, where Waltzing in the Darkland is fuelled by an undercurrent of darkness, a dramatic layring of creaking doors, swirling wind and dancing piano keys. What remains constant, however, is a masterful level of craftsmanship – and, of course, that breathtaking, astounding voice.
Voynarovskaya has been incredibly vocal throughout the Ukrainian crisis — even sonically and musically alluding to the ongoing tension for years. She has spoken out on Facebook, particularly condemning anyone who may now write her off as a ‘Ukranian fascist’ in light of recent events. She has also been posting regular on the ground updates on Instagram and Twitter, using all of her platforms to be vocal on the crisis.
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