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12"
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SHUKAI 004EP
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$31.50
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 3/14/2025
In winter 1976, a few years before Olexandr Shapoval headed up well-known band Vodogray, a jazz band called Shapoval Sextet recorded three pieces Kobzareva Duma in live at the Donetsk Jazz Festival. The tape has been lost for almost 45 years, until now. The most radical, experimental and psych jazz recording from the Ukrainian Soviet-era found to date.
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2LP
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SHUKAI 009LP
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The founders of Cukor Bila Smert' (Ukrainian: Цукор Біла Смерть, English: Sugar - White Death) band were Svitlana Okhrimenko (a.k.a. Svitlana Nianio), Oleksandr Kohanovs'kyi, and Tamila Mazur, who studied at the Reinhold Glier Kyiv Academy of Music in 1984-1988. In the summer of 1988, they got acquainted with Eugene Taran, a young guitarist and artist. He joined the band and also became the ideologist of Sugar - White Death. The musicians gathered at Kohanovs'kyi's house, where they spent their free time not only playing music but also listening to and discussing new records and thinking about the conception of their new project. For two years, the band recorded a few home-made albums, such as Rhododendrons Coral Aspides in 1988 (which is considered lost), where Kostyantyn Dovzhenko took part as a guitarist and sound engineer. The band also recorded another album -- Lilies and Amaralises, in 1989, which is also considered lost. In February 1990, a quartet came to the Scientists House Studio in Kyiv, where they had one studio session only, recorded by Valerii Papchenko. Later, this tape got to Vlodek Nakonechnyj, the founder of Koka Records, a young Polish label. In November 1990, Sugar - White Death played their last gig as a quartet in Kharkiv. They were invited by Sergii Myasoyedov, who curated the art association Nova Scena (The New Scene). The band played selected tracks from the albums The New Sissies and The Shellfishes in Gold Wrappers (the last one is also considered lost). In 1992, they were also invited by Sergii Myasoyedov for a studio session in Kharkiv, where due to the efforts of Oleksandr Vakulenko, Sugar recorded the new album called All Secrets Of A Poem. In the autumn of 1992, the musicians went to Poland, where Vlodek Nakonechnyj, who wanted Sugar to come to a "real" studio, organized their last recording session. Although the journey's beginning was unsuccessful (Eugene's guitar was taken away by a customs officer when crossing the border), the musicians worked fast during the session at the Arek Was studio at Marki on an eight-track reel-to-reel machine. Boleslav Blazhchyk took part as a cellist, playing the parts created by Svitlana. The album was completed in three days -- the musicians spent two days recording and one-day mixing, mostly done by Eugene Taran. In 1993, this work was released as Selo ("The Village") album on cassette tapes by Koka Records. Later, Sugar - White Death was disbanded.
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LP
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SHUKAI 008LP
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Transilvania Smile is one of the first solo works (recorded in 1994) of Svitlana Nianio. During this time, Svitlana repeatedly visited Germany, where she had the experience of playing in parks and on the streets, gathering contacts of the local art scene. Her cooperation with the international choreographic group Pentamonia, based in Cologne and consisting of several girls who performed in theaters, took part in various performances, and were engaged in music. They met in the 1990s during joint performances with "Sugar-White Death." After that, they corresponded, and the idea of doing something together arose. Svitlana attended several of their performances, which inspired her to write music for a new project, and the band members helped to realize their creative ideas. Later, they started rehearsing together. The name "Transilvania Smile" was invented by the project participants, and it symbolized the mold on the mirror and the reflection of a smiling vampire. However, shortly before the premiere, they changed it to "Firefox", as the participants actively used flashlights and the play of light and shadows in the scenography. The premiere occurred in the local Urania theater, previously a gallery. Isabel Bartensein directed the choreography, and Svitlana played, sang, and improvised. She said it was an excellent experience for her and the band. Besides Cologne, they also performed in Aachen. Later, Michael Springer offered Svitlana to record this material in his "Phantom" studio. They had already worked together and recorded music for their project (Svitlana Okhrimenko / Phanton). Michael was also interested in the Ukrainian independent scene and participated in the creation of several compilations that featured bands from Kyiv and Kharkiv. Svetlana played the piano and harmonium in the studio and also sang. After the recording, the material was never released in its entirety. Two compositions appeared on the cassette compilation Shovaisia (Hide) in 1995, some episodes were re-recorded for the Kytytsi album in 1999, but for a long time, the full version of this recording remained practically unknown to listeners and was kept in Svitlana's and Michael's archives.
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LP
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SHUKAI 007LP
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Oleksandr Yurchenko (1966-2020) was a Ukrainian musician and illustrator. In 1990s and 2000s, he took part in different bands from Kyiv, such as Electricians, Yarn, Blemish, Suphina's Little Beast, etc., and he also collaborated with Svitlana Nianio and Katya Chilly. Yurchenko is one of the brightest representatives of the Ukrainian independent scene in '90s. In 2010s, some of his early records were published, and he was asked for an interview, but he refused, suffering from a serious disease at that time. In April 2020, Oleksandr Yurchenko died, leaving behind a great musical legacy. His main work, "Count to 100. Symphony #1," was documented in August 1994. Oleksandr used strings instrument of his own invention. Yurchenko took the longboard to make the instrument, installed guitar pickups and four strings, and played on it with a bow. It was lost in the 2000s, but the musician remembered that it looked like a long zither. The recording session was held by Oleksandr at home, using guitar delay effects, loops, and Oreadna portable cassette recorder. He tuned the instrument in a special tone, improvising on it for 25 minutes. This drone symphony can be compared with the works of such avant-garde composers as Glenn Branca. However, it sounds innovative, especially for Ukrainian music. Despite it, Yurchenko could not publish this work officially in the '90s and made only a few copies for his own friends. At the beginning of the 2000s, he decided to edit the original version of the symphony. Oleksandr tried to restore the recording a bit, using some effects to make the sound more massive and clear. At the end of the work on this project, Yurchenko left this version in his archive but decided to publish the original recording in the late 2010s. "Intro" is the most mysterious recording from Yurchenko's archive. Merta Zara was a family project of Yurchenko and his wife, Svitlana Neznal. They had only one home recording session in 1994. Oleksandr was playing an electric cello of his own invention, and Svitlana was playing on mandolin and singing. As a result, they recorded only one track, "Dress," which appeared on the cassette compilation Skhovaysya in 1995. Apart from it, they recorded a few instrumental playbacks, which were found on cassette tape in 2021. Yurchenko was a big appreciator and knower of Central Asia's music, and it influenced his own music, including Merta Zara, where traditional music and his melodist skills are intertwined. Playbacks were recorded in the beginning of 1995. It was also a home session, making instrumental playbacks for the album Znayesh Yak? Rozkazhy (Know How? Tell Me), recorded in collaboration with Svitlana Nianio. It should be assumed that Oleksandr used the same instrument and effects as he used during the Count To 100 session.
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2LP
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SHUKAI 003LP
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2023 repress! Historically informed violin player, prize-winning street musician, new age experimentalist, chamber ensemble performer and conservatoire deviant. The career of Valentina Goncharova (b. Kyiv 1953) shares parallels with those associated with the broader new music movement of the 20th century and the dissemination of home recording technologies. Valentina's was a youth spent immersed in the world of classical music study under soviet rule, first in Kyiv and later in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) from the age of 16. With the supervision of professors M. Vayman and B. Gutnikov she learned concert violin and developed alternate playing styles alongside skilled pianists. The improvisatory nature of free jazz and then-budding experimental rock circles also intrigued Valentina. Departing from the rules of the conservatoire, she briefly performed in underground rock clubs alongside future members of the industrial group Pop-Mechanika (Popular Mechanics). This perpetual state of flux is central to the variety found within Recordings Vol. 1, though as opposed to any degree of uncertainty Valentina's practice is one in flux by way of earnest curiosity. Pushing further into an exploration of solo electro-acoustic sounds, she took to home taping on a modified Olimp reel-to-reel recorder. Intrigued by the manipulability of dubbing and the fresh sounds of DIY effects chains, Goncharova developed pickups alongside her husband Igor Zubkov. Her infatuation with the music of Stockhausen, Xenakis, Ganelin Trio, and Pierre Boulez channels through considerations of space and erratic sound design, the three movements of "Metamorphoses" embodying this textural approach to musique concrete. The compositional skills developed in Leningrad unfold in the romantic gestures of "Higher Frequencies", whilst manipulated cello combines with synthesizer keys across "Passageway To Eternity". The slow, pulsating drone soundscapes recall the likes of Robert Rutman's US Steel Cello Ensemble or even deep listening pioneer Pauline Oliveros. The juxtaposition of written notation and improvisatory flare is central to Goncharova's sound world. This period of home recording documents a confluence of minimalism, free form and flirtations with new age tropes (including bell chimes and cavernous vocal mantras). Experimenting with unusual performance techniques, such as shouting into amplified cello strings, Valentina's home studio functioned as a place to foster full artistic and creative freedom away from any academic strictures. Relocating to Estonia in 1984, in a sense, the recordings on these discs offer only a glimpse into her lifelong body of work. Private experimental home-tapes unheard for thirty years.
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Cassette
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SHUKAI 003CS
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Cassette version, C90. Historically informed violin player, prize-winning street musician, new age experimentalist, chamber ensemble performer and conservatoire deviant. The career of Valentina Goncharova (b. Kyiv 1953) shares parallels with those associated with the broader new music movement of the 20th century and the dissemination of home recording technologies. Valentina's was a youth spent immersed in the world of classical music study under soviet rule, first in Kyiv and later in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) from the age of 16. With the supervision of professors M. Vayman and B. Gutnikov she learned concert violin and developed alternate playing styles alongside skilled pianists. The improvisatory nature of free jazz and then-budding experimental rock circles also intrigued Valentina. Departing from the rules of the conservatoire, she briefly performed in underground rock clubs alongside future members of the industrial group Pop-Mechanika (Popular Mechanics). This perpetual state of flux is central to the variety found within Recordings Vol. 1, though as opposed to any degree of uncertainty Valentina's practice is one in flux by way of earnest curiosity. Pushing further into an exploration of solo electro-acoustic sounds, she took to home taping on a modified Olimp reel-to-reel recorder. Intrigued by the manipulability of dubbing and the fresh sounds of DIY effects chains, Goncharova developed pickups alongside her husband Igor Zubkov. Her infatuation with the music of Stockhausen, Xenakis, Ganelin Trio, and Pierre Boulez channels through considerations of space and erratic sound design, the three movements of "Metamorphoses" embodying this textural approach to musique concrete. The compositional skills developed in Leningrad unfold in the romantic gestures of "Higher Frequencies", whilst manipulated cello combines with synthesizer keys across "Passageway To Eternity". The slow, pulsating drone soundscapes recall the likes of Robert Rutman's US Steel Cello Ensemble or even deep listening pioneer Pauline Oliveros. The juxtaposition of written notation and improvisatory flare is central to Goncharova's sound world. This period of home recording documents a confluence of minimalism, free form and flirtations with new age tropes (including bell chimes and cavernous vocal mantras). Experimenting with unusual performance techniques, such as shouting into amplified cello strings, Valentina's home studio functioned as a place to foster full artistic and creative freedom away from any academic strictures. Relocating to Estonia in 1984, in a sense, the recordings on these discs offer only a glimpse into her lifelong body of work. Private experimental home-tapes unheard for thirty years.
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Cassette
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SHUKAI 006CS
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Cassette version, C45. Following the unpublished works of the Ukrainian/Estonian musician Valentina Goncharova, Volume 2 of Shukai's archival project sits in direct contrast to the solo works of Vol. 1. Vol. 2 1987-1991 completes Shukai's dive into the sound world of an important yet overlooked artist working within Soviet era electroacoustics. This long player of duets casts a light on Goncharova's experiences with early free jazz, democratic improvisation and introductions to pure electronic sound. Where Vol. 1 explored her home studio experiments and flirtations with musique concrete and new age, this volume seeks to give audience to similarly DIY recordings developed in collaborative environments away from the conservatoire. Properly documenting sessions revolving around smoky jazz cafes, art galleries, salons and theater venues across Riga and Tallinn, these seven pieces add to the historical narrative of the Soviet-era avant-garde and show the broader spectrum of Valentina's work. It begins in Riga with an adapted score for a delicately unfolding violin drone, voice and saxophone performance produced by Valentina and Alexander Aksenov. Valetina's bond with the multi-instrumentalist and theater director Aksenov led to decades of close friendship and several demo recordings such as "Reincarnation II". Across the rest of the disc are collaborative duets with Sergei Letov and Pekka Airaksinan respectively, the three tapes with Letov an example of recordings as a "rehearsal process". Atypical violin/saxophone techniques and light, difficult to place percussive textures interplay across the three duets with Letov, the sense of spatiality alluding to the very nature of the recordings. They strike ultimately as private, freeform experiments with sound, never intended for the listener but documenting a practice which explores the dichotomy of improv's "non-professionalism" and its potential freedom from trained performance. They are included as a deliberate variance to the tapes with Pekka Airaksinen, an already well-regarded composer, early synthesizer fanatic and Finnish radical. At their time of meeting, Pekka had diverted his attention from punk-indebted noise and free jazz groups to a pursuit of spiritualism via contemporary electronic technologies. Already familiar with the Buddhas of Golden Light LP, Valentina found in his work an attraction to the sacred and, after an encounter at a 1988 Helsinki festival dedicated to futurist art and literature, she prepared to visit his studio. After a failed attempt to record a joint album, fragments of the tapes are presented here, highlighting Goncharova's first real experience of electronic music making in a compositional sense. Fragmented guitar and additional keyboard patterns push and pull through delay units in unison with Valentina's two violins, at times mimicking the howl of the wind or even the human voice.
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LP
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SHUKAI 006LP
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2023 restock. Following the unpublished works of the Ukrainian/Estonian musician Valentina Goncharova, Volume 2 of Shukai's archival project sits in direct contrast to the solo works of Vol. 1. Vol. 2 1987-1991 completes Shukai's dive into the sound world of an important yet overlooked artist working within Soviet era electroacoustics. This long player of duets casts a light on Goncharova's experiences with early free jazz, democratic improvisation and introductions to pure electronic sound. Where Vol. 1 explored her home studio experiments and flirtations with musique concrete and new age, this volume seeks to give audience to similarly DIY recordings developed in collaborative environments away from the conservatoire. Properly documenting sessions revolving around smoky jazz cafes, art galleries, salons and theatre venues across Riga and Tallinn, these seven pieces add to the historical narrative of the Soviet-era avant-garde and show the broader spectrum of Valentina's work. It begins in Riga with an adapted score for a delicately unfolding violin drone, voice and saxophone performance produced by Valentina and Alexander Aksenov. Valetina's bond with the multi-instrumentalist and theater director Aksenov led to decades of close friendship and several demo recordings such as "Reincarnation II". Across the rest of the disc are collaborative duets with Sergei Letov and Pekka Airaksinan respectively, the three tapes with Letov an example of recordings as a "rehearsal process". Atypical violin/saxophone techniques and light, difficult to place percussive textures interplay across the three duets with Letov, the sense of spatiality alluding to the very nature of the recordings. They strike ultimately as private, freeform experiments with sound, never intended for the listener but documenting a practice which explores the dichotomy of improv's "non-professionalism" and its potential freedom from trained performance. They are included as a deliberate variance to the tapes with Pekka Airaksinen, an already well-regarded composer, early synthesizer fanatic and Finnish radical. At their time of meeting, Pekka had diverted his attention from punk-indebted noise and free jazz groups to a pursuit of spiritualism via contemporary electronic technologies. Already familiar with the Buddhas of Golden Light LP, Valentina found in his work an attraction to the sacred and, after an encounter at a 1988 Helsinki festival dedicated to futurist art and literature, she prepared to visit his studio. After a failed attempt to record a joint album, fragments of the tapes are presented here, highlighting Goncharova's first real experience of electronic music making in a compositional sense. Fragmented guitar and additional keyboard patterns push and pull through delay units in unison with Valentina's two violins, at times mimicking the howl of the wind or even the human voice.
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LP
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SHUKAI 002LP
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Limited 2022 restock. Shukai present their second release, music for the animated television film Alice Through the Looking Glass, never before released. The music was recorded in 1981 and the film was broadcasted on Soviet television in 1982. Alice Through The Looking Glass, created by Kyivnauchfilm studio and directed by Efim Pruzhansky, was a color animated film based on the novel by Lewis Carroll. Volodymyr Bysrtiakov is a Soviet analog to the French Vladimir Cosma or Italian Ennio Morricone. He was a great soundtrack composer whose most active years were in the '80 and '90s when he worked at the Kyivnauchfilm studio, whose audio department was like the British BBC Radiophonic Workshop at the time. The soundtrack for the animated film Alice Through The Looking Glass was an attempt to create a psychedelic electroacoustic piece with a Victorian flavor. The film animation style is similar to Terry Gilliam's Monty Python cartoon clips. Gatefold sleeve; Obi; Edition of 300.
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LP
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SHUKAI 001LP
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Shukai presents its debut release -- music for television film The Air Seller by Victor Vlasov, which has never been released before. Recorded in 1967, the same year as the film was broadcasted on Soviet television. The Air Seller, directed by Vladimir Riabtsev, is a black-and-white film based on the eponymous sci-fi novel by Alexander Belyaev, first published in 1929. What is "Shukai"? Shukai in English means "to hunt" or "look for". Shukai focuses on bringing back to life the lost tapes from '60s to '90s -- soviet music for films, television, library music.
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