One of the artists we released this year on our label was Ukrainian producer Screechy. We immediately loved his sound and signed his tracks after one good listen. We planned to release Ilya's music over the summer, just 18 years old, but war broke out in his home country, Ukraine.
Our team decided to move his release forward and use our platform to raise money for him and his family. In a short conversation with Ilya, he told us about his situation in one of Ukraine's most eastern cities, Kharkiv: "Lately, things are not going well. Every day I hear explosions, and they are near me. I have to take medicine to stay calm. I have no idea what to do next, but at the moment, my family is still here. It's a tough situation. Rockets have been fired at residential buildings, and these people being shot at have nothing to do with the war. I don't know what tomorrow brings." It is so bizarre, going on with our merry little lives and worrying about insignificant things when people like us are going through something as horrible as this. We think it's good to tell this young artist's story. "My grandparents were close to the explosions and almost didn't survive. They had to leave their apartment and seek shelter in the corridor so as not to get blown up. They lived in the underground metro stations for almost a month. We couldn't get to them initially, but happily, now we could. Now we are all living together."
"The music helps to distract me. It's my favorite thing. When I can, I try to write new material. I sit down at my workplace, put on my headphones, and go for it - however, as soon as I hear explosions, I save the project and run into the corridor with my equipment to seek shelter." We asked Ilya if he thinks the situation will improve soon. "Nobody knows; there is no real answer here. We don't know what tomorrow brings. All I know is that I don't want anyone to live through what we are living through at the moment. You wake up from the sound of sirens and explosions, and you see all this destruction. You are constantly wondering if the next rocket will hit you or your family [...] I hope I'll make it through this ok. Still, if I don't, I am glad I did what I loved, experimented with my music, achieved (some of) my goals already at 18, and am very glad that people are enjoying my music."
Let's hope this war will end soon. We'll keep you posted about Ilya's situation and his music, and we will continue to support him where we can. If you want to support Ilya, consider buying his release on Beatport or this unique T-shirt featuring the artwork of his "My Groove EP."
Stream and Download Screechy - My Groove EP
We will give Ilya 100% of the sales of his EP and the t-shirt.