VA - – Новая Сцена. Underground From Ukraine! 14 Bands From Kiev & Kharkov

"Even a cursory examination of Ukrainian musical underground is sufficient for noticing one general tendency. From the beginning of the 90s and to the present times, equally complicated, fresh bands and solo performers have been starting as if to fill a vacuum and have often been falling in obscurity just like their predecessors. It seems there’s no connection or continuity. In addition, it seems like everything untypical and interesting in terms of music would fit big stages of independent music somewhere abroad better than the local scene. In the 90s, the infrastructure that could bring together those who played music outside typical genres was in its infancy and included isolated local initiatives. It is still the same.

We can say that underground music in Ukraine is a sweet spot for those who seek something unusual and poorly known. The 80s and 90s represent the striking example of a strong independent music scene in Ukraine. When the fuss around marginal music which was earlier banned had vanished and the enthusiasm of musicians and organisers faced increasing financial difficulties, the independent music movement of the 90s gradually fell off the radar, giving place to raves, subcultural music, and other phenomena, more established within genres.

Attempts to describe the phenomenon of the early Ukrainian underground/independent have been limited to the self-published press and online discussions for a long time but now, with the music of previous decades being increasingly exploited in pop culture and the general public expanding their musical tastes, the independent scene of the 90s can expect a spike in popularity or at least a renewed interest.

In a series of contributions for the Creating Ruin project, we try to combine records and archive materials, musicians’ recollections and reflections, as well as present their music as it sounds and is perceived now.

Musical underground is an umbrella term like street art. Away from the main directions, forms and genres of different origin can be easily overlapped and mixed with each other. Particularly in the 90s, when neither genre division nor notion of format was established. Describing a music scene generally related to what was called independent rock, we will try to highlight its relationships with other, less obvious, musical phenomena.

Clearly, a music movement that was developing during Perestroika and the first years of independence can be labelled as ‘Indie’ or ‘Underground’ only within the context of the realities of that time. What or whom this music was independent from? Music allowed by Soviet censorship was so limited and cast such a gloom over the audience that the young listeners who had creative ambitions had no choice but create illegal societies, replicate self-published sources, exchange records, and hold home concerts. Later on, when the most famous rock bands were already releasing vinyl records on the ‘Melodiya’ label and Komsomol started creating heavy metal vocal-instrumental ensembles to meet the needs of the proletarian youth, it became possible to hold rock concerts and festivals in the regions. At that time, individual performers and bands that only notionally belonged to the context of the Soviet rock music scene came to the surface. Usually, they didn’t fit into local rock clubs and organisations. However, enthusiasm and support from a narrow circle of the insiders were stronger than ever. According to the reviews in the media at that time, bands’ performances were often perceived in two completely opposite ways: as an epiphany or as some kind of an incomprehensive mystery of a cult.

Festivals played a significant role as they allowed young or untypical bands to perform in front of a big audience, provided networking, and facilitated connections between music scenes of different cities. Correspondence and festival meetings made for a whole network of informal connections across the whole large territory of the USSR. Owing to these connections, people actively exchanged music and information: for example, the best materials of the Kyiv-based self-published magazine ‘Гучномовець’ [Loudspeaker] dedicated to local bands were republished in a special issue of the Omsk-based fanzine ‘О.Р.З.’ [URTI].

At the turn of the decade, the music scene was the most active: the number of events and releases was increasing in line with the relaxation of governmental pressure and the emergence of new opportunities. In 1986, rock clubs were registered in big USSR cities. They existed in opposition and at the same time were open to compromise in terms of control over the music. In 1989-90, musicians got opportunities for touring and making releases abroad. The importance of contacts with independent scenes and labels in Poland, Germany, and other countries can’t be overestimated. Most local underground musicians remain well-known mainly owing to their releases made outside Ukraine. In the 90s, life was full of uncertainties and a music scene was still functioning as a microcosm where like-minded people found support and actualised their creative potential. There were lots of overlaps between music and visual and performative art, between avant-garde within classical music and experiments with Eastern musical traditions or popular genres.

What mainly distinguished independent musicians of the 90s was their music, uncomfortable or totally unsuitable for the emerging local showbiz." (from: http://database.unearthingthemusic.eu/)



Tracklist:

1 Ivanov Down – Outch Putch
2 Цукор Бiла Смерть – In The Ice Madleen
3 Tshitshka Dritshka – King Of Bloody Files
4 Товарищ – Блюз (Blues)
5 Черепахи– Ялта (Yalta)
6 Казма Казма – Wilghelm Ballada
7 Раббота Хо – Discovery In Dunes
8 Гнида – I'll Cut The Oak (Я Вріжу Дуба)
9 Ельза – The Traveller
10 Игра – №13
11 Колезький Асессор – Ivan Sheikh
12 Sheik Hi-Fi – I Like To Touch
13 Цукор Бiла Смерть – Definitely That (Ketsal)
14 Ivanov Down – Piepsa
15 Фоа-Хока – Cannabis Getting Green
16 Казма Казма – Shuka (The Pike)
17 Sheik Hi-Fi – Karlike (I Want To Be A Little)
18 Чужой – Трава (Grass)
19 Черепахи – Don't Trust, Don't Wait
20 Ельза – Любовь В Ванной Комнате (Love In Bathroom)
Bonus Track;
21 Tshitshka Dritshka – Heits Haratun Hautun Bol


VA - – Новая Сцена. Underground From Ukraine! 14 Bands From Kiev & Kharkov
(320 kbps, cover art included)