Kyivite – Broadcast (Digital/CD Album – Staalplaat)
With Kyivite, we welcome a Ukrainian project that seeks to preserve an important cultural heritage while transforming it into a unique artistic interpretation.
The tracks are based on traditional Ukrainian Folk songs, reimagined as a minimalist and Experimental listening experience. Throughout the album, which carries a subtle Ambient undertone, snippets of a female radio voice regularly emerge, which says more about the album title. The overall sound is restrained and atmospheric, enriched by various effects and field recordings. At times, hints of Middle Eastern influences can be discerned, adding an extra layer of mystery.
Subdued and occasionally sacred in tone, yet also authentic and enigmatic, “Broadcast” proves to be a fascinating and rewarding discovery. (Rating:7).
Listen to “Ballad Of A Soldier”:
About Kyivite
Kyivite (styled kyivite) is a project based in Kyiv, Ukraine, connected to the radio programme “Kyianochka” hosted by Kvitoslava. The project reworks archival Ukrainian recordings into new pieces, and “Broadcast” is the first release to appear under the name.
“Broadcast” was released on 24 April 2026 through Staalplaat and gathers nine tracks. It draws on roughly sixty-year-old archival recordings of the Transcarpathian Folk Choir, conducted by Mykhailo Krechko, which are lightly processed and layered with crackle and field recordings. The material continues the “Kyianochka” broadcast series, presenting older Ukrainian folk songs in a restrained, atmospheric setting that ties the album to the themes discussed in this review.
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I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.
