Ivan Stepanov

Mi Me Ma Mo Mu

Cambodian

Kumano Kodō

Kyoto

Free Parkplatz

Come on over to my youtube channel! (Link in profile description)

There you will find a video in which I perform this track and you can see how the instrument “bandura” looks like

I want to share a live performance on the traditional Ukrainian instrument, the bandura. My name is Ivan, and I have been playing the bandura since I was a kid. I have always enjoyed improvising on it and listening to the magical sounds it makes.

Recently, I plunged into the world of arrangement and started exploring the wonders of Ableton Live. I recorded my improvisation in a sequencer and then arranged it with this incredible program. It was an exciting journey that combined my passion for the bandura with my newfound love of music production.

The bandura is a unique instrument with deep roots in Ukrainian culture. It is a multi-stringed instrument that can create a wide range of sounds, from gentle and melodic to powerful and resonant. Its rich history and distinctive timbre make it a real gem in the world of music.

For this live set, I drew inspiration from my passion for psychology. The study of the human mind and emotions has inspired me to create, and I wanted to infuse that energy into my music. The result is a blend of traditional bandura melodies and modern electronic elements that creates an immersive sound experience

Improvisation on Bandura

Cyclothymia

Cyclothymia | Instrumental Mix | Improvisation on Bandura

This composition was created as a result of a deep exploration of the phenomenological experience of a forest dawn, when nature undergoes a phase of rebirth. The morning sunlight, filtering through the dense canopy of ancient fir trees, illuminated the moss, which serves as a symbol of the cyclical and continuous nature of biological processes. This primeval landscape, filled with a harmonious interplay of light and shadow, created a unique sense of unity with nature, disturbed only by the gentle whisper of the wind and the muted signs of life from the forest creatures. The feeling of profound connection to the natural cycles, their eternal rhythm, and symbolic meaning became the source of inspiration for this musical composition. It seeks to convey the beauty, grandeur, and transcendent nature of such moments, and I hope that its sound will allow you to touch, even if just a little, the deep harmony and mystical energy that I experienced among these majestic trees and the awakening light.

Agalōsawaldaz

This composition was conceived under the profound influence of a luminous starry night in an ancient coniferous forest, adjacent to a cascading waterfall. It seeks to articulate my conceptualization of how distant cosmic stardust catalyzes the emergence of life and consciousness, transforming inert matter into living entities.

Your New Life

I've been listening to Aphex Twin albums recently. Caught some rays of inspiration.

2024

Wish I Could Go Home

Sometimes when you feel a strong negative impulse, it is better to pause and count to ten.

Stop & Chill

Pink

This composition took shape during a quiet night in the basement, under the soft glow of a lamp nestled in a wallflower, as I improvised on the Ukrainian bandura.

The next morning, with tea in hand, I stepped into the fields, where hoar frost elegantly adorned every blade of grass, hill, and house, stretching endlessly to the horizon.

Halfway There

In 2021, I set off on foot from the center of Odesa, following the coastline all the way to the village of Rybakivka. Ninety kilometers over three days—walking along wild beaches, through steppes that stretched endlessly over high cliffs, past tiny villages where time seemed to slow down. Then came the port, with its towering cranes and the distant hum of cargo ships. At night, I pitched my tent on a cliff, lying there in the dim glow of the sunset, listening. The groan of cranes turning, the metallic clang of tankers unloading, the steady, endless breath of the sea.

I kept thinking—one day, I’d do this again, but by kayak, letting the waves carry me along the same path. But life had other plans. The war changed everything, and that journey never happened.

This track is what’s left of that dream. The sound of water slapping against the hull, the calls of seagulls in the misty morning, the distant creak of harbor cranes. A memory, frozen in sound.

A journey that never was—but still exists, in its own way.

Harbor Reverie

February 24, 2022. My wife and I woke up at 4 AM to a series of deafening explosions. I remember that feeling—a heavy, suffocating shock gripping my chest like a vice. It felt like a nightmare. But it didn’t end. And it still hasn’t ended, three long years later.

Nearly 12,500 innocent lives have been taken by Russian occupiers. Among them, 650 were children. ​

Looking at today’s news, you realize that in the modern world, war criminals can walk free. Those in power shake hands, make deals, twist reality—calling black white and white black. Once upon a time, murderers and rapists had to at least beg for forgiveness to enter paradise. Today, they just wait for the right political climate.

I wrote this track using distant explosion sounds recorded from an apartment window in Kyiv—the moment a column of Russian tanks began wiping out Bucha, executing civilians in cold blood. The track also contains the first news broadcast announcing Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. You will hear the sirens, the air raid alarms—the sounds of a world collapsing in real-time.

The First Day Of The War

One day, I hope to return home again — though it will be in another life. But in any case, it’s important to enjoy the time we have.

Time To Enjoy

Do you ever wonder how it all happened
The adventure almost ended, just like that
The ocean caught you in its hand
And nearly left you in the sand

Let me catch my breath again
And fill my lungs with songs, like then
I can’t believe what came to pass
Something inside just broke like glass

The Indian Ocean left an unforgettable mark on me —
next time I should probably be a bit more careful with it 😄

Taken By Ocean

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