"Some fun fine dynamic electro pop" – Big Takeover Magazine

"Combines grooves from dance floors... melodic electro-pop.... obviously needed musical escapade" – White Light / White Heat

"Blends a more clubland groove and euphoric rave sonics with the depth of alt-rock and the melodics of pop" – Dancing About Architecture

"Captivation woven by Maksymova... a light of pride and echo of the spirit we have all seen in the Ukrainian people; a defiant stand in a time of atrocity" ~ Ringmaster Review

Ukrainian electronic producer 6TH CROWD (a.k.a. Dari Maksymova) presents her new single 'Mamenika', which is derived from an old Ukrainian folk song, but arranged differently by the artist. The accompanying video resulted from an artistic collaboration between Ukrainians who met each other thousands of miles from their home.

This song touches on the lives of refugees fleeing Russian aggression. According to UNICEF, about two-thirds of Ukraine's children have been uprooted by the war, essentially suspending their childhood. They nevertheless eagerly await their chance to return. Despite the dark situation and the heavy feeling that provoked this video, this video offers a seed of hope and the enormous faith Ukrainians hold onto as a nation.

"This song 'Mamenika' is based on an old folk song from Eastern Ukraine, the part of the country that is native for me. I learned this song from a recording of a vocal performance by elderly ladies from Zaporizhia Oblast, where the frontline currently is. “Prybyrajsia, mamienika” was a wedding song that young women would sing to a bride while preparing for her wedding. With faith and hope, they praised the bright future awaiting the bride," says Dari Maksymova.

"Hope and faith are the very threads creating a life jacket for the average Ukrainian now. The hope and faith of those long-gone Ukrainian ladies reached me here in the modern world, where Ukrainians are forced to wait for a bright future with nothing but hope and faith to guide them there. My hope is that by connecting these folk melodies and sounds to modern arrangements, I could connect the hope of our predecessors to their descendants and remind us about the brighter future hopefully awaiting us all."

Last year, 6TH CROWD released the single 'Sokolonko', inspired by an old Ukrainian harvest song, preceded by her 2020 debut 'Avoid The Void' EP. In 2021, she released the 'What Happened' EP via French label 50 Degrees North Recordings, following 2020 singles '1312' and 'Не вивожу (Ne Vyvozhu)'.

The DIY video for 'Mamenika' was a collaboration of Ukrainian refugees currently living in the small town of Cahersiveen in County Kerry, Ireland, where Maksymova runs an online English-language club for Ukrainians, which she started upon realizing how many people left the country with little-to-no exposure to English.

"Besides, I needed a way to connect with other Ukrainians here in Ireland. I needed my tribe. We are a small group, primarily of Ukrainian women who fled the country to protect their children. The more I got to know them, the more their eyes reflected the same thing that tortures me - the bitter shadow of war that you can't shake off, no matter how safe you are now and how cheerful the world around you may be. Seeking to articulate this feeling in a video, I spoke to one of my students – Alla Binieieva, a Ukrainian actress and writer, who fled Kyiv in February with her two children," says Maksymova.

"The idea resonated with her - she wrote the scenario, found actors and also played a role herself. Alla is the only professional actress here; everyone else, including the dog, are Ukrainian refugees we met here. My partner filmed this, while I served as director, producer and editor. Later on, my friend from Kyiv joined efforts, adding some post-production magic to this footage in between air-raid sirens."

As the music plays on, soldiers and volunteers are fighting with Russian occupiers to protect Ukraine's independence. Please consider supporting Ukraine any way you can. Donate to humanitarian missions and trusted charity foundations, spread awareness about this war, and listen to Ukrainian music.

All proceeds from Bandcamp sales will support humanitarian efforts via Vostok SOS, a grassroots organization that coordinates and provides humanitarian aid and psychological support to Ukrainians, helps people evacuate. Ukraine's 'Hospitallers' Medical Batallion and the Come Back Alive Foundation are two other recommended organizations very worthy of your support.

As of August 19, 'Mamenika' will be available everywhere online, including Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer and Bandcamp.

AUDIO CREDITS
Lyrics by the Ukrainian people
Recorded in Ireland
Music, production and mixing by 6TH CROWD
Mastered by Taras Bril (Clasps)

VIDEO CREDITS
Daria Maksymova – Director, Producer, Editor
Alla Binieieva – Writer
Phil McCarty – Camera
Mykhailo Yefimenko– Post-production
ACTORS: Oleksandra Buhai, Alla Binieieva, Evhenii Ledashchev, Andrii Hordubei, Liliya Orevchuk & Lucas

Keep up with 6TH CROWD
Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram | Twitter | Soundcloud | YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music | Deezer

"This is some fun fine dynamic electro pop... perfect inspiration to break out the dance shoes and get some groove on" – Big Takeover Magazine

"Electro wings flirting seriously with the techno boost... combines grooves from rave dance floors, melancholic storytelling from 80’s alternative rock scene, and melodic electro-pop vocals.... obviously needed musical escapade" – White Light / White Heat

"Echoes with the sort of soundscapes beloved of the likes of Chemical Brothers or perhaps Four Tet... blends a more clubland groove and euphoric rave sonics with the depth of alt-rock and the melodics of pop" – Dancing About Architecture

Ukraine-based electronic producer 6TH CROWD (a.k.a. Dari Maksymova) presents her new single 'Sokolonko', inspired by an old harvest song. This is the first offering from the album 'Step' (the Ukrainian word for Steppe), which she was working on when Russia invaded Ukraine, turning the country into a war zone.

"This is a Ukrainian song from Donbas, my dear home region, which Russia is tearing apart right now. I didn’t know if I’d have a chance to do it later. In my research, as I learned more about folk Ukrainian music, I noticed that modern culture has plenty of references to music from western and central parts of my country, but nothing from the east. Nothing from my home. Culturally it simply didn’t exist. So I decided I wanted to change that balance and bring songs from East Ukraine back to life, to remind myself and everyone that Donbas is a historical part of Ukraine, no matter how badly Putin wants to destroy it," says Dari Maksymova.

"If people don’t remember their own history, someone can rewrite it for them. And then come with guns to “defend” Russian people in Ukraine, Moldova, or Serbia."

In 2020, 6TH CROWD emerged on the electronic music scene with her debut 'Avoid The Void' EP, which addressed certain issues regarding the newfound COVID-19 situation, social distancing, lockdown and quarantines. In 2021, she released the 'What Happened' EP via French label 50 Degrees North Recordingson the trail of 2020 singles 1312' and 'Не вивожу (Ne Vyvozhu)'.

"Over a week ago, Russia invaded Ukraine, shelling cities and killing hundreds of civilians. The Russian president calls it a “special operation” for “saving Russian-speaking people.” A more accurate term for it is “war”. And even more accurately is the intention behind this war: Russification, and Russification is cultural genocide. It’s clear that the ancient Greeks don’t exist, but we know of them because their cultural artifacts have been preserved. In the absence of their books, literature and artwork, we wouldn’t otherwise know anything about them as a people. Their history would simply cease to exist. That’s the goal of Russification - to remove all of the distinct and unique ethnic histories and merge them into one," says Dari Maksymova.

"When Communists gathered different nations under the umbrella of the USSR, they desperately needed to rewrite history. They needed everyone to share the same bland fake ethnicity, they needed people to forget their roots. So people would never get second thoughts about belonging to ‘the great empire”, never question orders and the party line. While, in newly-built cities, their Russification program was going pretty well, people in villages continued to be a real pain in the ass. They lived and worked far from centralized sources of information and relied on the government very little… and didn’t rush to become Soviet people. Yes, they lived in the Soviet Union and yes, they worked in Soviet fields, but one thing they did that drove the Russians crazy: the villagers spoke Ukrainian and sang their own songs."

She adds: "Before people had Spotify, they sang to themselves - while working in fields, while fighting, getting married… they sang all the time. Those songs passed from one to another, along with very important information about people. What language they spoke, what they believed, what they hoped, who their heroes were. Songs from people are also songs about people."

You can support 6TH CROWD by downloading this single, available via Bandcamp and Apple Music, who will donate proceeds to Vostok SOS, whose humanitarian campaign includes helping people evacuate and providing humanitarian aid and psychosocial support, with hotlines for affected people and a team on the ground in the region, coordinating aid.

You can also add this song to your Spotify playlists. But the most important thing right now is to support Ukraine. You can donate to humanitarian missions, directly to the army, spread awareness about this ugly war, and join demonstrations in your city. There are also many other ways you can help Ukraine now and numerous options for supporting humanitarian aid efforts in the region.

CREDITS
Lyrics: the Ukrainian people
Arrangement, performance, recording & mixing: 6TH CROWD
Mastering: Alexander Pavlenko (Sunchase)
Photography by Tetiana Shlapachok and Daria Kulnina

6TH CROWD 'Mamenika' single revives Ukrainian folk song to explore displaced persons and stolen childhood

Ukrainian electronic artist 6TH CROWD releases electro-folk 'Sokolonko' single with proceeds aiding Ukraine