Ukrainian Songs Of Love And Hate
“This machine kills fascists” was written on the guitar of Woody Guthrie, an American folk singer from the 1950s. “These songs kill russian fascists (rushists)” could be a subtitle of this project, developed and produced in 2022 between Ukraine, Germany, France and Austria. Beats that bite, rhymes that kill, poetry and music united as a weapon.
Pop music has always been an international language. So much of what can not be expressed in a conversation could be said with a song. From gospel to protest songs, music has always been there - soothing, healing or inspiring. The language of pop music has been constantly changing and now it’s changing yet again. russia’s war in Ukraine transformed every Ukrainian. Musicians and poets are no exception. We are looking for words and sounds to tell our stories, scream about what’s been happening in Ukraine.
Joining forces with a Berlin-based musician and producer Yuriy Gurzhy to create a brutal soundtrack of this year are Ukrainian poets Grigory Semenchuk (and his hip hop alter ego BRAT) and Lyuba Yakimchuk as well as musician and writer Irena Karpa.
Curated by Oksana Shchur.
More about the Ukrainian Songs Of Love And Hate album
by Irena Karpa, Grigory Semenchuk, Lyuba Yakimchuk and Yuriy Gurzhy
1. Losing Our Home
2. Black Swan
3. Never (Again!) international version /feat. Mykola Bazhan & Serhiy Zhadan/
4. Dim Dim
5. Bavovna (Ukrainian Lullaby)
6. I Have A Dream (Moscow’s Burning)
7. I’m from Ukraine
8. Raketa
9. Black Swan Returns
10. New Saints Of Ukraine
Music by Yuriy Gurzhy
Performed & produced by Yuriy Gurzhy
Lyrics written and sung by:
Grigory Semenchuk
Lyuba Yakimchuk
Irena Karpa
Yuriy Gurzhy
Mix & Master by Lesik Omodada, Shpytal Records
Artwork by Grycja Rd and Eugene Arlov. Translated by Oleg Kolesnikov & Anna Pashchenko
You can listen to the album on the YouTube channel of Mystetskyi Arsenal or on all available platforms by this link.
Project of Mystetskyi Arsenal, curated and produced by Oksana Shchur
Premier of the album will be presented at Cheltenham Literature Festival on October 11, 2022 as a part of Ukraine Day. The Ukraine Day program is a part of the UK/Ukraine Season of Culture supported by the British Council and the Ukrainian Institute. Project is funded by British Council’s International Collaboration Grants.
Losing Our Home
Music by Yuriy Gurzhy, performed & produced by Yuriy Gurzhy
Lyrics written and sung by:
Grigory Semenchuk
Lyuba Yakimchuk
Irena Karpa
Yuriy Gurzhy
Mix & Master by Lesik Omodada, Shpytal Records
Artwork by Grycja Rd and Eugene Arlov. Translated by Oleg Kolesnikov & Anna Pashchenko
Project of Mystetskyi Arsenal. Curated and produced by Oksana Shchur
Premiered at Cheltenham Literature Festival on October 11, 2022 as a part of British Council’s UK/Ukraine Season of Culture.
Project is funded by British Council’s International Collaboration Grants.
Black Swan
Music by Yuriy Gurzhy, performed & produced by Yuriy Gurzhy
Lyrics written and sung by:
Grigory Semenchuk
Lyuba Yakimchuk
Irena Karpa
Yuriy Gurzhy
Mix & Master by Lesik Omodada, Shpytal Records
Artwork by Grycja Rd and Eugene Arlov. Translated by Oleg Kolesnikov & Anna Pashchenko
Project of Mystetskyi Arsenal. Curated and produced by Oksana Shchur
Premiered at Cheltenham Literature Festival on October 11, 2022 as a part of British Council’s UK/Ukraine Season of Culture.
Project is funded by British Council’s International Collaboration Grants.
Never (Again!) international version /feat. Mykola Bazhan & Serhiy Zhadan/
Music by Yuriy Gurzhy, performed & produced by Yuriy Gurzhy
Lyrics written and sung by:
Grigory Semenchuk
Lyuba Yakimchuk
Irena Karpa
Yuriy Gurzhy
Mix & Master by Lesik Omodada, Shpytal Records
Artwork by Grycja Rd and Eugene Arlov. Translated by Oleg Kolesnikov & Anna Pashchenko
Project of Mystetskyi Arsenal. Curated and produced by Oksana Shchur
Premiered at Cheltenham Literature Festival on October 11, 2022 as a part of British Council’s UK/Ukraine Season of Culture.
Project is funded by British Council’s International Collaboration Grants.
Dim Dim
Music by Yuriy Gurzhy, performed & produced by Yuriy Gurzhy
Lyrics written and sung by:
Grigory Semenchuk
Lyuba Yakimchuk
Irena Karpa
Yuriy Gurzhy
Mix & Master by Lesik Omodada, Shpytal Records
Artwork by Grycja Rd and Eugene Arlov. Translated by Oleg Kolesnikov & Anna Pashchenko
Project of Mystetskyi Arsenal. Curated and produced by Oksana Shchur
Premiered at Cheltenham Literature Festival on October 11, 2022 as a part of British Council’s UK/Ukraine Season of Culture.
Project is funded by British Council’s International Collaboration Grants.
Bavovna (Ukrainian Lullaby)
Music by Yuriy Gurzhy, performed & produced by Yuriy Gurzhy
Lyrics written and sung by:
Grigory Semenchuk
Lyuba Yakimchuk
Irena Karpa
Yuriy Gurzhy
Mix & Master by Lesik Omodada, Shpytal Records
Artwork by Grycja Rd and Eugene Arlov. Translated by Oleg Kolesnikov & Anna Pashchenko
Project of Mystetskyi Arsenal. Curated and produced by Oksana Shchur
Premiered at Cheltenham Literature Festival on October 11, 2022 as a part of British Council’s UK/Ukraine Season of Culture.
Project is funded by British Council’s International Collaboration Grants.
I Have A Dream (Moscow’s Burning)
Music by Yuriy Gurzhy, performed & produced by Yuriy Gurzhy
Lyrics written and sung by:
Grigory Semenchuk
Lyuba Yakimchuk
Irena Karpa
Yuriy Gurzhy
Mix & Master by Lesik Omodada, Shpytal Records
Artwork by Grycja Rd and Eugene Arlov. Translated by Oleg Kolesnikov & Anna Pashchenko
Project of Mystetskyi Arsenal. Curated and produced by Oksana Shchur
Premiered at Cheltenham Literature Festival on October 11, 2022 as a part of British Council’s UK/Ukraine Season of Culture.
Project is funded by British Council’s International Collaboration Grants.
I’m from Ukraine
Music by Yuriy Gurzhy, performed & produced by Yuriy Gurzhy
Lyrics written and sung by:
Grigory Semenchuk
Lyuba Yakimchuk
Irena Karpa
Yuriy Gurzhy
Mix & Master by Lesik Omodada, Shpytal Records
Artwork by Grycja Rd and Eugene Arlov. Translated by Oleg Kolesnikov & Anna Pashchenko
Project of Mystetskyi Arsenal. Curated and produced by Oksana Shchur
Premiered at Cheltenham Literature Festival on October 11, 2022 as a part of British Council’s UK/Ukraine Season of Culture.
Project is funded by British Council’s International Collaboration Grants.
Raketa
Music by Yuriy Gurzhy, performed & produced by Yuriy Gurzhy
Lyrics written and sung by:
Grigory Semenchuk
Lyuba Yakimchuk
Irena Karpa
Yuriy Gurzhy
Mix & Master by Lesik Omodada, Shpytal Records
Artwork by Grycja Rd and Eugene Arlov. Translated by Oleg Kolesnikov & Anna Pashchenko
Project of Mystetskyi Arsenal. Curated and produced by Oksana Shchur
Premiered at Cheltenham Literature Festival on October 11, 2022 as a part of British Council’s UK/Ukraine Season of Culture.
Project is funded by British Council’s International Collaboration Grants.
Black Swan Returns
Music by Yuriy Gurzhy, performed & produced by Yuriy Gurzhy
Lyrics written and sung by:
Grigory Semenchuk
Lyuba Yakimchuk
Irena Karpa
Yuriy Gurzhy
Mix & Master by Lesik Omodada, Shpytal Records
Artwork by Grycja Rd and Eugene Arlov. Translated by Oleg Kolesnikov & Anna Pashchenko
Project of Mystetskyi Arsenal. Curated and produced by Oksana Shchur
Premiered at Cheltenham Literature Festival on October 11, 2022 as a part of British Council’s UK/Ukraine Season of Culture.
Project is funded by British Council’s International Collaboration Grants.
New Saints Of Ukraine
Music by Yuriy Gurzhy, performed & produced by Yuriy Gurzhy
Lyrics written and sung by:
Grigory Semenchuk
Lyuba Yakimchuk
Irena Karpa
Yuriy Gurzhy
Mix & Master by Lesik Omodada, Shpytal Records
Artwork by Grycja Rd and Eugene Arlov. Translated by Oleg Kolesnikov & Anna Pashchenko
Project of Mystetskyi Arsenal. Curated and produced by Oksana Shchur
Premiered at Cheltenham Literature Festival on October 11, 2022 as a part of British Council’s UK/Ukraine Season of Culture.
Project is funded by British Council’s International Collaboration Grants.