The story behind this lost and found tape is as mysterious, as the music comprising it. Oleksandr Yurchenko is now retired Ukrainian experimental music composer, who was a part of a few renowned 90s Underground bands in Kyiv.
He played the hammered dulcimer and the guitar - often with a bow - in a band called Yarn, who drew their inspiration from Medieval aesthetics. Before turning to mostly electronic instrumentation in the late 90s, he recorded two mesmerising albums with now cult singer and keyboard player Svitlana Nianio.
Yurchenko was also known for crafting various string instruments. His one and only known Symphony is a 25 minute-long improvisational soundscape, which was recorded in 1994. He played with a bow on the custom percussion-string instrument, somewhat of a hammered dulcimer, and processed the sound through the reverb effect live with a little manipulation on the tape loops. The result is an intense, whirlpool-like movement of controlled shimmering soundwaves.
The similarities may be found among the works of La Monte Young, Takehisa Kosugi, Glenn Branca or even Eno era Larajii. The perception of this music radically deals with perception of space and especially time (its name means "Count to one hundred" in Ukrainian). The beautiful remastering work for the piece was provided by Tadeusz Sudnik of Polish Radio Experimental Studio fame.
The record is also pursues a beneficial goal. All the proceeds from the sales of it will be contributed to the artist himself, who now suffers from a serious disease.
