Ukrainian MusicLab
In association with the French Institute of Bucharest, in partnership with Control Club and Music Export Ukraine, Europavox is launching this training program for Ukrainian artists based in Ukraine or in another European country. The program includes online workshops and in-person training sessions in Bucharest, providing a hybrid training framework over three weeks in October 2024.
Program Objectives
- Facilitate access to the European music market for Ukrainian artists,
- Create connections with European music industry professionals, thus fostering collaboration and career opportunities,
- Provide Ukrainian artists with tools for presenting and promoting their music.
Training Content
Four online sessions covering crucial career development topics, such as an introduction to European music markets, diversification of revenue sources, and a media training session. The training will be complemented by sessions in Bucharest, including content production sessions and showcases on October 30th and 31st at Control Club, to meet and exchange with media and music professionals.
2024 edition: the selected artists
We are proud to introduce the five talented artists selected to join this year’s Ukrainian MusicLab program:
- Andrii Barmalii x Oleksandr Yavdyk
- Farba Kingdom
- NFNR
- Postman
- TANKATAKA
Andrii Barmalii x Oleksandr Yavdyk
Andrii Barmalii is a cross-disciplinary artist, composer, and performer. He explores and documents the world through music that is sincere, simple, and at times, beautiful. Andrii’s sound is influenced by jungle, jazz, drum ‘n’ bass, rock, and hip-hop, resulting in sensual, expressive electronic music that reflects the interweaving of machines with human destinies.
Oleksandr Yavdyk plays music on drums. He is an artist like a force of nature (referring to his emotional intensity) and an artist like the multi-armed Shiva (referring to his technical mastery). Over his 13 years in music, Oleksandr has explored many musical realms, moving effortlessly across different dimensions, genres, and techniques.
Together, this tandem of saxophone and drums creates a frank conversation in the language of music without smalltalks.
Farba Kingdom
«Odesa, the city where newlyweds Daniil and Liza Farba founded the duo Farba Kingdom, has always been a multicultural place like other old port cities. In its depressing and dark electronics, the duo seems to transform the experience of living in a rapidly changing environment, trying to hide behind nostalgia and heal themselves along with the listeners. With their 2020 debut album «Німб», the duo determined the future direction of their sound: post-punk despair, uncomfortable crushing industrial vibes, and a thorough string of hypnotic synths. Their music immediately evokes a comparison with the architecture of their hometown, which the artists have imbibed, where mystical neo-Gothic buildings stand next to Soviet constructivism, a visual image that almost literally screams about the hopeless sadness of those times.» (Ilya Kovalenko, Europavox)
NFNR
NFNR (Olesia Onykiienko) is a Ukrainian electronic musician based in Kyiv. She creates emotional, dreamy electronica with a strong core, balancing sound through rich, saturated textures that navigate between fragility and the discovery of inner strength. Performing since 2014, NFNR has been featured at showcases such as ESNS, SHARPE, and Focus Wales 2024. Her music has been released on labels such as Mystictrax (UA), СИСТЕМА (UA), and Cashmere Radio (Berlin). She released an album on the Corridor Audio label (UA) and, in August 2024, an EP titled Fragility on WAAGE Records (Berlin).
NFNR delivers live electronic performances that immerse the audience in sound textures—sensitive yet brimming with energy. Through a blend of genres and soundscapes, her new live set speaks to the fragility of human life.
Postman
Kostiantyn Pochtar, better known as Postman, began his musical odyssey in Kyiv, crafting intimate ‘city folk’ songs with just a guitar and harmonica. His early works captured the everyday wonders of his hometown’s urban life, offering a raw, acoustic sound that reflected his surroundings. One of those early songs, ‘Kyivski Vulytsi’ (The Streets of Kyiv), was a huge success and has since been considered by many as an unofficial hymn of Ukraine’s capital.
Known primarily as a live performer, Postman has played hundreds of shows across 12 European countries.
Following the release of his LP “Still Life” Postman expanded his project into an international full band, bringing a new depth to his live performances. His music found new audiences as he performed for Arte and Radio FIP in France, and at festivals such as Europavox (France), Zermatt Unplugged (Switzerland), Fusion (Germany), Sziget (Hungary), and OFF (Poland).
In the new album “Still Life,” Postman skillfully blends the soothing acoustic notes of the guitar with the pulse of electronic beats and synthesizers. Drawing inspiration from tropicalia, early David Bowie, and impressionist aesthetics, the songs have a painterly quality, resembling soft brushstrokes in pastel colors on a canvas. These compositions capture the fragility and fleeting beauty of existence, portraying people performing their pirouettes in this eternal uncertainty.
TANKATAKA
TANKATAKA is the rising Ukrainian indie pop singer, songwriter and producer Tetiana Kozhukharenko, who has captured audiences’ attention with her powerful voice and personality. Her self-reflective songs resonate with many people around the world who feel alone and lost. Born and raised in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, she lives in Germany.
TANKATAKA’s emotional indie-pop resonates with the heart through its music, and the soulful vocals evoke incredible emotions that will captivate you, even if you don’t understand the Ukrainian language.