Ukrainian artists, labels and fundraising releases to support
The international music community has come together in support for Ukraine following Russia's invasion of the country on 24th February
On Thursday, 24th February, Russia's president Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In response to this act of war, and the ensuing humanitarian crisis that has seen over a million Ukrainians displaced and forced to relocate or leave the country entirely, people have been coming together to share ways in which those affected can be best directly supported.
In the past week, there have been various DJ livestreams raising funds for Ukrainian aid organisations, while numerous venues and promoters in the UK, Ireland, Europe and beyond have been organising fundraising events and club nights raising money for humanitarian aid. You can learn more about some of these events here. DJ Mag and Night Tales will host an event on 1st April in London, raising money for the Disasters Emergency Committee Ukraine appeal.
On 4th March, Bandcamp Friday, the platform once again waived its own fee for 24 hours so that 100% of revenue spent on music will go toward the artists and labels. Buying music from Ukrainian artists and labels is a great way to show direct financial support. You can find a recently shared open source spreadsheet dedicated to Ukrainian artists and labels, including genre tags and Bancamp links, here.
Music and culture writer Jakub Knera and Ninja Tune founder Coldcut have both shared BuyMusicClub playlist full of Bandcamp links to recent releases from Ukrainian artists. Check those out here and here.
Ukrainian labels Standard Deviation and Mystictrax released a 65-track fundraiser compilation to support humanitarian organisations. Check that out here. Ukrainian label Muscut and its sub label Shukai are both donating 100% of revenue spent on their Bandcamp pages to the Savelife organisation. Ukrainian label ШЩЦ is donating 200% of its profits to Kyiv Civil Defence.
A number of international electronic music artists and labels have also vowed to donate at least a portion portion of their revenue from Bandcamp purchases made on Bandcamp Friday to humanitarian organisations working in Ukraine. These include: Modeselektor’s Monkeytown Records, ambient/techno label Disintegration State, jungle/drum & bass label Critical Music, Hyperdub, Shall Not Fade (who will donate 100% of proceeds to WithUkraine), Peder Mannerfelt, Orange Milk Records, Earth Trax, Sublime Retreat and more.
Other artists and labels have promised that all revenue raised through their Bandcamp pages will go toward Ukrainian aid for the foreseeable future. These include the label and personal page of Russian artist buttechno and Polish electronic music label Mondoj.
Below you will find a number of releases, either by Ukrainian artists and labels, or by international acts raising funds for humanitarian organisations working in Ukraine.