Following the opening mix from Kirill Kirik (who recently kicked off our Ukraine Mix Series in some fashion), the latest instalment in the series comes from Ilya Chuprynin aka Cheise. Known for his groove-focused approach to minimal techno in its many forms, Cheise is a native of Kiev and a regular at Ukrainian clubs He’s also equally well-known for his work at the AIMED label, an imprint that’s quickly earned a cult following among fans of discerning house and techno. We’re really honoured to be hosting his mix and are delighted to report that it’s a real feast on the senses. Featuring multiple twists and turns and a bunch of obscure cuts from the ‘90s and early ‘00s, it sees Cheise at his inimitable best. Listen to that one here, and check out our conversation with Cheise below…
Hi Cheise, thanks so much for taking the time to deliver a mix for us.
Hello! Of course… with pleasure.
How has the Ukrainian electronic music scene helped one another at the moment? Have you seen the best of the community shine through?
All I’ll say is that the war has united everyone and everyone is making every effort for our victory and support for each other.
Is your label, AIMED, on hold right now or has it been possible to keep running it outside of Ukraine?
Even in the conditions of war in our country, our label continues its work. Now there are not as many releases as before. But still, we’re in business. By the way, at the beginning of 2023, our label released a release from our Ukrainian friend Alex Pervukhin with a remix from myself. This is a new line called “Limited” with an updated design. Listen to that one here
Has music been therapeutic for you?
Ofcourse! When listening or writing music or when playing somewhere, it offers a little distraction from the harsh reality. You cannot constantly live with these thoughts, you need to be distracted, otherwise you can go crazy. Music inspires me.
Similarly, have you returned to clubs yet? Can you tell us a bit about that experience?
At the moment, only daytime parties are held in Ukraine, sometimes I participate in them. But whoever plays at these parties, all the money raised goes to help our army.
How involved have you been? Have you joined the army, for example?
At the moment, I do not have a military specialty and for the time being I work at my permanent job. And I help our army with donations and participate in various fundraisers for various needs.
There was a time when my friends and I did volunteer work and travelled to settlements that has suffered from hostilities, bringing food, things and other things to people.
Tell us a bit about the mix you’ve delivered for us, and the vibe you were going for.
One of my favourite things to do is look for music. At the moment I really like the tracks that were recorded in the period from 1990-2000 years and mix them with something more recent. What comes out of it you can hear in my mix.
Listen to Cheise’s mix here
Keep up with Cheise on Soundcloud , Instagram and Bandcamp
Please consider donating to Ukraine at: https://savelife.in.ua/en/donate-en/#donate-army-card-monthly
