In 2013, I embarked on a project to digitally preserve the Wolf Fifth collection of avant-garde classical music by making it available on UbuWeb, an avant-garde media archive. That project is still on-going and can be found here. Wanting to continue my efforts, I focused on preserving the small collection of Ukrainian-Canadian vinyl records in my personal collection, which had been sourced from my own parents and grandparents who grew up enjoying the same music.
So far, 25 vinyl records have been digitised and are now available on The Internet Archive for download. I hope you will listen and enjoy!
View the collection here
The selected records are from a variety of now-defunct Canadian recording labels, including Winnipeg-based labels such as Melody Records and V Records. I have yet to do much research on the history of these recording studios, but one company still exists; Sunshine Records on Selkirk Avenue in Winnipeg. The covers tell fascinating stories and the music gives the listener a window into Ukrainian-Canadian cultural life on the prairies through wedding songs, kolomaykas, and comedy.
If you’re Winnipeg-based and have a Ukrainian-Canadian record you would like me to digitise, please get in touch with me through justin at takaji dot ca.
View a collection of album covers below: