UKRAINA “Polska mafia – Demo ’85” 7”EP   black vinyl  PRE-ORDER

€ 12.00

98 in stock

REFUSE 207 UKRAINA “Polska mafia – Demo ’85” 7”EP   12.00 EUR / 50zł  black vinyl  PRE-ORDER

(REFUSE+WARSAW PACT)

The band UKRAINA is another example of how punk emerged and firmly established itself outside the big Polish cities and major cultural centers. They started in 1983 in Brzozów, a small town in south-eastern Poland. Sixty kilometres east of Brzozów is another small town: Ustrzyki Dolne, where one of the first punk rock bands in Poland, KSU, started in the late 70s. Their nationwide fame echoed through the surrounding towns and activated young bands.

In Brzozów, as early as the late 1970s and in the first half of the 1980s, the first punk bands began to appear – BLUFF, CKM or MARTWY FIOLET, from which UKRAINA later emerged. Similarly to KSU, the band’s name refers to their geographical location and proximity to Ukraine, or more precisely at that time, the proximity to the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic.

The band’s early inspirations were in line with what was listened to in Ustrzyki, so a mix of classic 70s punk and also some post punk and new wave. However, it wasn’t long before the tempo was turned up considerably and their transformation into a hardcore punk band took place. They are one of the few bands in Poland during this period to be heavily inspired by hardcore from the United States. One of the bands from this wave that made the biggest impression was Minor Threat and their Straight Edge message.

Heavily inspired by this, it was UKRAINE right next to Krakow’s ID (and a while later U.O.M) that became one of the first bands promoting Straight Edge in Poland. Their leaflet from that period, distributed at their shows, is most probably the first publication on Straight Edge in Poland, or anywhere in the Eastern Bloc. At that time, in that place and in that reality, it was a completely subversive idea. Between 1984 and 1985, the band recorded two demos, the first of which is unfortunately lost. This second four-track recording was sent to the organising committee of the Jarocin festival, for which the band qualified and they performed there on a small stage.It is this demo that now comes out here on vinyl as an EP, featuring three of the band’s songs + one unusual cover originally performed by one of the biggest 60’s “bigbeat” bands, Czerwone Gitary (referred often as “Polish Beatles”). In addition to their appearance at Jarocin Fest, significant events for them were shows in Kraków, Częstochowa and Warsaw (together with STAN ZVEZDA).

Their recordings appeared on small-run underground cassette compilations released in Poland by Ela and Maciek Chodorowski (‘Polish H-C’ and ‘Jarocin “85”) and abroad (’Noise Behind The Iron Curtain”). This phase of the band ended in 1986.

UKRAINA returned in 1992 with a new line-up and at the same time returned to their fascination with classic 70s punk. It was not until 1995 that the first material was officially released (the cassette ‘XX wiek’ on Psy Wojny Records). The band is still active and their new albums are released on Jimmy Jazz Records.

This seven-inch vinyl release documents their hardcore-era during their sharpest and most raw period. The EP is accompanied by a booklet with the band’s history, lyrics and photos. One pressing, limited to 500 copies. Released on Refuse Records and Warsaw Pact Records.

https://refuserecords.bandcamp.com/album/ukraina