Volodymyr Bystriakov - Battlefield, 1986 
Format: 7”, 33RPM
Catalogue number: Shukai 5
Release date: June 18th, 2021

Animated films soundtrack is one of the most substantial aspects of Bystryakov's career. He masterfully balances between being a composer and a sound designer. A cartoon thriller for Stephen King's original story was created at the Kyivnaukfilm studio in 1986. The work itself reached the Soviet reader in 1981 for the first time and was King's first publication in the USSR, as well as "Battleground" was the first and only film adaptation.
"Battlefield" is a work that belongs entirely to its time. This soundtrack is a semi-conscious journey through the night TV network: from Italian horror movies and detectives to the movie Blade Runner on the last working channel well past midnight.
Actually, in such a sequence, the fabric of the work is revealed. The atmosphere in the style of Goblin (Untitled I), thus echoing the work of Enno Morricone (Title theme, Theme of the boss). In addition to melodic fragments, he boldly creates minimalist pieces that undoubtedly sound like an early acid house (Untitled II), because the sounds of Roland TB-303 and TR-606 are instantly recognisable.
Bystryakov's approach did not involve the use of many tools or effects. He worked with one Roland Juno-106 synthesiser, using the full palette of its sound. His new tool is a counterpoint. This is how the final theme (End Theme) is constructed, where a piercing solo on a saxophone changes the atmosphere to nostalgia.


Tracklist
A
1. Untitled I
2. Intro Theme
3. Untitled II
4. Title Theme
5. Bathroom Theme

B
1. Battle Theme I 
2. Battle Theme II 
3. Boss Theme 
4. Battle Theme III 
5. End Theme



Composed and arranged by Volodymyr Bystriakov 
Sax by Ihor Rudyi 
Film director: Mykhailo Titov 
Artwork: Maria Cherkaska 
Restoration and mastering by Max Kondrashov 
Compiled by Dmytro Nikolaienko, Dmytro Prutkin and Sasha Tsapenko 
Artwork courtesy by Dovzhenko Centre 
© ℗ Shukai / Volodymyr Bystriakov 2021

Battlefield

Volodymyr Bystriakov - Battlefield, 1986 (7”, Excerpts)

Valentina Goncharova - Recordings 1987-1991 Vol. 2
Release date: 10 September 2021
Format: 12” LP
Catalogue number: Shukai 6

Following the unpublished works of the Ukrainian/Estonian musician Valentina Goncharova, Volume 2 of Shukai’s archival project sits in direct contrast to the solo works of Vol. 1. Spending her youth studying classical music first in Kyiv and then in Leningrad, Valentina began her musical career with rigorous compositional study and concert violin performance. This long player of duets as such casts a light on Goncharova’s experiences with early free jazz, democratic improvisation and introductions to pure electronic sound. Where Vol. 1 explored her home studio experiments and flirtations with musique concrete and new age, this volume seeks to give audience to similarly DIY recordings developed in collaborative environments away from the conservatoire. Properly documenting sessions revolving around smoky jazz cafes, art galleries, salons and theatre venues across Riga and Tallinn, these seven pieces add to the historical narrative of the soviet era avant-garde and show the broader spectrum of Valentina’s work.

Credits
Composed and arranged by Valentina Goncharova, Aleksander Aksenov, Sergey Letov and Pekka Airaksinen Recorded in Tallinn, Riga, Helsinki and Moscow during 1987—1991		
Mastered by Flaty 
Compiled by Dmytro Nikolaienko, Dmytro Prutkin and Sasha Tsapenko 
Liner notes by Fergus Clark
Master tapes courtesy by Valentina Goncharova 
Cover photo by Igor Glazistov 
Special thanks to Maarit Vainio, Sami Pekkola, Nina Aksenova, Ats Luik and Martin Jõela

Recordings 1987-1991 Vol. 2

Valentina Goncharova - Recordings 1987-1991 Vol. 2 (12" LP, Excerpts)

Shukai presents its debut release - music for television film The Air Seller by Victor Vlasov, which has never been released before. 
Recorded in 1967, the same year as the film was broadcasted on Soviet television. 
The Air Seller directed by Vladimir Riabtsev is a black and white film based on the eponymous sci-fi novel by Alexander Belyaev, first published in 1929. 
Limited edition of 300 copies. 

Tracklist
A1 Intro 0:17 
A2 Why? 3:29 
A3 Untitled I 0:11 
A4 William Is Sailing A Boat 1:03 
A5 Klimenko Is Walking Along The Corridor 0:53 
A6 Untitled II 1:32 
A7 Nikola Is Killing The Guard 0:46 
A8 Nikola Is Sneaking 1:47 
A9 Climbing Up The Hill	3:00 
A10 Title Theme 1:18 
B1 Klimenko Is In The Bed 0:47 
B2 Nora and Klimenko Dance 3:01 
B3 Klimenko Is Escaping I 0:42 
B4 Untitled III 1:13 
B5 Nikola Is In The Boat	0:36 
B6 Klimenko Is Escaping II 1:20 
B7 Klimenko Is Exploring The Bayley's Base	0:49 
B8 Untitled IV 1:11 
B9 Klimenko Is In The Captivity Again 1:25 
B10 Attention! Prepare For The Experiment 1:28 
B11 Sensation! Tragedies! 1:33 

Releases February 13, 2019 

Music by V. Vlasov 
Track B2 - Lirycs by V. Berezinsky, vocal by Valentina Nezhentseva
Recorded in 1967 at Odessa Film Studio 
Mastered At See Why Audio 
ⒸⓅ Victor Vlasov, 2019 
Shukai 1, 2019 
Parent label - @Muscut

A2 - Why
Lyrics by Vladimir Riabtsev
Vocal - Lilia Pliam

Why are there stars over the planet
Why are there winds over the planet
Why are there tornadoes on the planet
Why are there dreams on the planet, why

Why are there waves in the ocean
Why is there the fish in the ocean 
Why is there a sail over the waves
Why are there seagulls over the waves
Why are there green leaves
Why are there blue sunrises
Why is there the golden sun
Why are the children being born?

Why, why do people date
Why do people explain themselves
Why do they love each other
Why do they lie to each other
Why

Why, why do people date
Why do people explain themselves
Why do they love each other
Why do they lie to each other
Why

The Air Seller

Victor Vlasov - The Air Seller, 1967 (excerpts)

Pre-order Limited Edition Gatefold LP 12" Vinyl (300 copies): 
https://shukai.bandcamp.com/album/alice-through-the-looking-glass-1982

Shukai is psyched to announce our second release - music for the animated television film Alice Through the Looking Glass, which has never been released before.
The music was recorded in 1981 and the film was broadcasted on Soviet television in 1982.
Alice Through the Looking Glass created by Kyivnauchfilm studio and directed by Efim Pruzhansky is a colour animated film based on the novel by Lewis Carroll.

Tracklist:
A1 Title Theme I
A2 Alice Theme I
A3 Untitled I
A4 The Garden Creatures Theme
A5 The Black Queen Theme I
A6 Title Theme II
A7 The Train Theme
A8 The Black Queen Theme II
A9 Title Theme III
A10 The Mirrored Book Reading Theme
A11 The Flying Hippos Theme
B1 The White King And Queen Theme
B2 Living Backwards
B3 Untitled II
B4 Alice Theme II
B5 Untitled III
B6 The Mirror Cake Theme
B7 Untitled IV
B8 Behind The Looking Glass
B9 The Royal Theme
B10 Alice Theme III
B11 The Wind Theme

Credits:
Composed and arranged by Volodymyr Bystriakov
Film Director: Efim Pruzhansky
Artwork: Iryna Smirnova, Genrih Umansky

Restoration and mastering by Max Kondrashov
Compiled by Sasha Tsapenko,
Dmytro Prutkin and Dmytro Nikolaienko

Master tapes courtesy by Volodymyr Bystriakov
Artwork courtesy by Dovzhenko Centre

© ℗ Shukai / Volodymyr Bystriakov
2019

Alice Through the Looking Glass, 1982

Volodymyr Bystriakov - Alice Through the Looking Glass, 1982 (excerpts)

Valentina Goncharova - Recordings 1987-1991, Vol. 1
Cat. number: Shukai 03
Format: 2LP, Limited to 300
Pre-order: https://shukai.bandcamp.com/album/recordings-1987-1991-vol-1

Tracklist:
A1 Symphony Of Wind
A2 Insight
A3 Zen Garden
B1 Passageway To Eternity
B2 Maitreya
B3 Higher Frequencies
C1 Metamorphoses
C2 Contemplation
D1 Vigor
D2 Dynamics

Liner notes:
Historically informed violin player, prize-winning street musician, new age experimentalist, chamber ensemble performer and conservatoire deviant. The career of Valentina Goncharova (b. Kyiv 1953) shares parallels with those associated with the broader new music movement of the 20th century and the dissemination of home recording technologies. Valentina’s was a youth spent immersed in the world of classical music study under soviet rule, first in Kyiv and later in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) from the age of 16. With the supervision of professors M. Vayman and B. Gutnikov she learned concert violin and developed alternate playing styles alongside skilled pianists. A student of the Leningrad conservatoire during the years 1969 through to 1983, her repertoire included music for violin and later expanded to contemporary music composition. The improvisatory nature of free jazz and then-budding experimental rock circles also intrigued Valentina during this period in Leningrad. Departing from the rules of the conservatoire, she briefly performed in underground rock clubs alongside future members of the industrial group Pop-Mechanika (Popular Mechanics). This perpetual state of flux is central to the variety found within ‘Recordings Vol. 1’, though as opposed to any degree of uncertainty Valentina’s practice is one in flux by way of earnest curiosity.
						
Pushing further into an exploration of solo electro-acoustic sounds, she took to home taping on a modified Olimp reel to reel recorder. Intrigued by the manipulability of dubbing and the fresh sounds of DIY effects chains, Goncharova developed pickups alongside her husband Igor Zubkov. Her infatuation with the music of Stockhausen, Xenakis, Ganelin Trio and Pierre Boulez channels through considerations of space and erratic sound design, the three movements of ‘Metamorphoses’ embodying this textural approach to musique concrete. The compositional skills developed in Leningrad unfold in the romantic gestures of ‘Higher Frequencies’, whilst manipulated cello combines with synthesise keys across ‘Passageway To Eternity’. The slow, pulsating drone soundscapes recall the likes of Robert Rutman’s US Steel Cello Ensemble or even deep listening pioneer Pauline Oliveros.
						
The juxtaposition of written notation and improvisatory flare is central to Goncharova’s sound world. This period of home recording documents a confluence of minimalism, free form and flirtations with new age tropes (inc. bell chimes and cavernous vocal mantras). Experimenting with unusual performance techniques, such as shouting into amplified cello strings, Valentina’s home studio functioned as a place to foster full artistic and creative freedom away from any academic strictures.

Credits:			
Composed and arranged by Valentina Goncharova Recorded in Tallinn and London during 1987—1991
						
Mastered by @producedbyflaty
Compiled by Sasha Tsapenko, Dmytro Prutkin and Dmytro Nikolaienko 
Liner notes by Fergus Clark (@fergus_clark)
						
Master tapes courtesy by Valentina Goncharova
Photos by Igor Glazistov
Special thanks to Ats Luik and Martin Jõela

Valentina Goncharova - Recordings 1987-1991, Vol. 1 (excerpts)

Shapoval Sextet - Kobzareva Duma, 1976
Format: EP, 12”, 45RPM
Catalogue number: Shukai 4
Release date: November 6

In winter 1976, a few years before Olexandr Shapoval headed up well-known band Vodogray, a jazz band called Shapoval Sextet recorded three pieces "Kobzareva Duma" in live at the Donetsk Jazz Festival. The tape has been lost for almost 45 years, until now. The most radical, experimental and psych jazz recording from the Ukrainian Soviet-era found to date.

Tracklist
I. Oi Zbyraisia Kozache Pokhid Bude (7:38)
II. Sich-Maty (5:56)
III. Povernennia (10:55)

Credits
Composed and arranged by, flutes, saxophone, spoken words: Oleksandr Shapoval
Trumpet: Oleg Anapolsky
Electric organ, piano: Oleg Kosko
Guitar: Igor Kruchinenko
Drums: Anatoli Gurov
Bass guitar: Oleksandr Ishchuk

Recorded live in 1976 at The Donetsk Jazz Festival
Restoration and mastering by  @producedbyflaty
Liner notes by Mykola Amosov
Compiled by Sasha Tsapenko, Dmytro Prutkin and Dmytro Nikolaienko

© ℗ Shukai / Oleksandr Shapoval
2020

Kobzareva Duma

Shapoval Sextet - Kobzareva Duma, 1976 (excerpts)

Shukai (Ukr. Шукай, Eng. Hunt, Look for)
Archive record label focused on bringing back to life the lost tapes from 60–80s — soviet music for films and television.
Sub-label of @muscut

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