Russian Invasion
These Moldovan Music Producers Are Teaching Ukrainian Women and Refugees to DJ
From DJ battles to dance-offs, when it comes to the entertainment industry, a friendly challenge is sometimes the name of the game. And in Chișinău, Moldova, a group of techno artists have decided to switch these classic competitions up a bit. Enter… the Borscht-off. “Make borș not war,” the aptly-named DJ Borș wrote on Instagram, noting that the celebratory cooking event would be DJed by the refugees and local women she had taught to spin. Working alongside DJ Ceai de Lalele of Moldova for Peace, the free lessons were launched by Borș this summer, acting as a local synthesis of peace-driven activism and the musical underground. “They have already debuted as DJs at events meant to support Ukrainian refugees and uplift the community,” she wrote...
Volunteers Create Clean-Up Rave Initiative To Repair War-Torn Ukraine
Ukrainians are organizing under the banner of techno music to help expedite the rebuild of what was recently lost amid Russian occupation. The country’s nightlife sector has remained shuttered since Russia’s invasion on February 24th. Cleaning up the war-torn country has been no small task, but Ukraine’s youth have risen to the challenge in part by bonding over the common thread of dance music. In Yahidne, raves are coming to the daylight by way of a unifying “clean-up rave.” According to the Associated Press, participants donning shovels scoop debris onto tractor trucks as a live DJ spins atop ammunition crates. Volunteers take breaks from the cleanup to dance and savor the fleeting moments of freedom. Scroll to Continue Recommended Articles Yahidne is a...
Russian “Troll Factory” Targets Daft Punk, David Guetta, Tiësto’s Social Media: Report
Electronic music pioneers Daft Punk, David Guetta and Tiësto‘s social media accounts have reportedly been targeted by a disinformation operation launched by internet trolls in Saint Petersburg, Russia. According to The Guardian, the “troll factory” is allegedly linked to Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of Internet Research Agency. The organization had been suspected of interfering in the United States’ 2016 election, according to the U.S. House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. The headquarters of IRA are believed to be in a rented space in Saint Petersburg’s Arsenal Machine-building Factory, which manufactures military equipment and technology. Daft Punk, Guetta and Tiësto were appa...
Electronic Artist Streams Live Modular Synthesis Set From Bomb Shelter In Ukraine
Streaming live from a bomb shelter in the Ukrainian city of Lviv on Saturday, music producer and composer Heinali performed for 30 minutes to raise money for the Ukrainian army and humanitarian aid. During the performance, Heinali performed using a modular system that he saved from his home during an evacuation amid the Russian invasion. “Live from Ukraine team successfully managed to broadcast my fundraiser live set from a bomb shelter in Lviv yesterday, despite the air raid alarm two hours before the performance and a rather wonky 100m ethernet cable made of two 50m cables and a coupler shielded from rain with a plastic bag,” Heinali said in an Instagram post. Heinali, whose real name is Oleh Shpudieko, combines electronic sound design, medieval harmonies and free i...
Amelie Lens’ Exhale Records Releases Charity Compilation to Aid Humanitarian Efforts In Ukraine
The residents of Exhale Records are coming together to support humanitarian efforts in Ukraine with a charity compilation, Together with Ukraine! Helmed by Amelie Lens, the Belgium-based imprint has assembled a team of techno stalwarts for a 14-track album. Lens herself opens things up with a tone-setting rework of her 2017 original, “Purge.” Lens, who was named one of EDM.com‘s Best Music Producers of 2021, pumps up the energy of the original with an accentuated, thumping kick and powerful synths reminiscent of a prior era of old-school rave. The ode to the underground continues with the acid rave stylings of Ahl Iver’s “Feel The Groove,” the frenetic cadence of Lokier’s “Broken,” and Charlie Sparks and Frazi.er’s ...
“Together with Ukraine” Compilation Released In Support of Ukrainian Red Cross Society
As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine rages on, many have been helping and donating. The music industry has been quite active, with initiatives such as an open-source Google Sheet of Ukrainian artists and music labels and a fundraising rave in the U.K. on March 11th. In an effort to support ongoing humanitarian efforts, Ukrainian talent bookers Rhys Bainham and Vlad Yaremchuk have called on their colleagues and friends to form a compilation album, Together with Ukraine. Spanning a whopping 136 tracks, the record has been supported by leading drum & bass labels Hospital Records, RAM Records, Critical Music, Metalheadz, Shogun Audio and more, and features a vast selection of unreleased music from the likes of Noisia & Phace, S.P.Y, Modestep and IMANU, among others. Additionally, Toge...
Shared Google Sheet Launched In Effort to Support Ukrainian Artists and Record Labels
Efforts to get critical humanitarian aid to Ukraine are underway, and one organization has created a shared file spotlighting the nation’s artistic community in need. If-Only, a UK-based publication, has launched an open-source Google Sheet containing a list of Ukranian artists and music labels with the help of public suggestions. The header of the shared document issues a call to action encouraging supporters to back the Ukrainian artists and labels via Bandcamp. At the time of writing, the list sits at a combined 130 labels and artists of all stylistic varieties from techno to ambient jazz. As If-Only notes, Bandcamp is viewed as a favorable channel when it comes to directly supporting artists. Artists on the platform generally retain 82% of the funds donated on the platform,...
