Important message regarding Ukraine
I'd like to direct your attention towards an important article written by my friend Terre Thaemlitz, aka DJ Sprinkles.
Dear Make Me people.
I hope you’re keeping well.
Sending nothing but peace, love and respect to you, your friends and families.
This is the first of a short series of messages not related to music, but rather focused on the macro-context within which our musical culture exists.
There will be more to follow in short order.
I appreciate your time and attention and wouldn’t be sending these messages if I didn’t think it was vitally important to do so.
Today I’d like to direct your attention to the rapidly escalating war in Ukraine and, in particular towards an important article written by my friend Terre Thaemlitz, aka DJ Sprinkles. One of the leading producers of house music and foundational thinker of transgender philosophy.
“Ukraine Club Culture's K41 Community Fund Openly Involved in Weapons Deals
...and apparently no music press or record labels doing humanitarian relief charity releases for them find it noteworthy”
You can find the article here.
It seems that Terre is as bemused as I am by Western music media’s relentless romanticisation and propagandising of the conflict in Ukraine. Including, of course, several notable ‘underground’ music publications and institutions here in London. No need to name them, you probably already know who they are.
As any sensible adult is obliged to do, I’ve been reading extensively on the topic and Terre’s is without doubt one of the most thorough and well-articulated deconstructions of the NATO / Western / Military-industrial complex narrative that I’ve come across so far. Bravo Terre, Pulitzer incoming.
For the record I am, always have been, and always will be anti-violence and anti-war. IMO these are non-negotiable positions for someone operating in dance music culture. It seems remarkable that I have to write these words down but here they are for all to see.
If you think being anti-war makes me a ‘pro-Putin b*st*rd’, I beg you read the article for a more detailed deconstruction of the issue.
Anyone putting in a modicum of research outside of *official* channels (aka Trusted News Initiative) can tell you this conflict is the hideous brainchild of the same dark forces behind the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Indefensible conflicts which left millions dead, our politicians and media disgraced and our societies in parlous financial and moral positions from which we will take decades to recover.
This isn’t a joke.
It’s an increasingly hot war.
Against the world’s most heavily armed nuclear power.
And the b*st*rds are trying to escalate.
Boris Johnson has personally been lobbying to send *all RAF fighter jets* to Ukraine.
Only this week Putin has threatened to retaliate against the UK with nuclear attacks if we follow through on a *stated commitment* to arm the Ukrainians with tank shells made with depleted Uranium.
Please take a moment to understand what this means.
Why are we risking a nuclear attack against London and / or the rest of the UK?
Why are we expending untold amounts of blood and treasure fighting another nation’s war?
Why are cultural institutions in ‘underground’ culture promoting our ongoing involvement in this conflict and raising funds being spent on weapons?
Once you dig beneath the surface it becomes clear this conflict was provoked by NATO Empire-building and Western nations whose political elites thrive on industrialised death and chaos.
Have we learnt nothing from the events of the past 22 years? Since 9/11 the West’s primary export has been endless bloody wars.
This is by no means an attack on the people of Ukraine, most of whom are entirely innocent.
This is a call for unity, peace, justice, truth and an end to this incessant violence.
I hope you appreciate the spirit in which this message is being been shared.
If you wish to comment or connect on these issues you can find me on Instagram and a new Substack which I’ll notify you about in the coming days.
Blessings.
Rubin