purge.xxx #15 - Winter Songs, Wedding Songs by Mykolaiv Singers

purge.xxx releases music. It has been celebrated by The Wire magazine for its ‘disregard for the music industry, self-promotion and prevailing cultural norms,’ and an ‘ability to elevate distinct works and the obscure artists behind them.’ purge.xxx only releases music physically, unless a digital alternative has specifically been requested by a collaborating artist. It considers even the recording a compromise, but advocates things.

Running weekly, the series will broadcast the entire catalogue so far in chronological order, continuing here with Winter Songs, Wedding Songs by by Mykolaiv Singers.

The announcement of this long in the making LP was hastened by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. All previously unreleased in any form - spare a few tapes distributed in the Mykolaiv region - these are old, old songs (of winter, weddings, war, sex, bread) predominantly sung by groups of women, and all from the villages of Mykolaiv, Ukraine. Collected over the last decade by singer and ethnographer, Tetiana Chukno, the LP comes with a 20-page booklet containing the Ukrainian-language original lyric sheet for each song, along with its English translation: by Ksenia Ginchuk, and Stephen Watts & Stanley Schtinter.

Proceeds from the higher ‘support’ payment option will be sent immediately to the artists and translators in Ukraine responsible for the record. The ‘standard’ payment option covers only the record’s production costs.

This series for Resonance Extra is the first time much of the label's catalogue has been available to hear outside of its material form. It accepts the invitation by Resonance on the basis that none of these sounds are stored. If you want to hear it you need to be able to access the radio at midnight BST every Thursday.