The big winners of the very first Ukrainian Jazz Prize are bringing an innovative stylistic mix to the Bimhuis. 'A Ukrainian fusion band made an album during the war,' headlines the American magazine Rolling Stone in a recent article about Hyphen Dash. But the quartet from Kyiv deserves more attention than just a news report. Their experimental mix of hip-hop, jazz, rock, and electronica sounds urgent and innovative, according to the jury of the first Ukrainian Jazz Prize, which was awarded last year and in which Hyphen Dash was crowned the Grand Prix. Now, the group is performing with Amsterdam-based Afro-Ukrainian saxophonist Diana Dzhabbar.
Hyphen Dash Basement 626
'On the front line between bombardments, the group raised money for the army with a risky project,' according to the article above, in which drummer Myshko Birchenko finds a basement in Kramatorsk where his band records 'Hyphen Dash Basement 626'. This was one of the three albums the group released in 2025, and several more albums are appearing again this year. The group takes inspiration from groundbreaking artists such as Christian Scott, Todd Rundgren, The Mars Volta, and Robert Glasper. Hyphen Dash has previously toured Europe and performed at Eurosonic Noorderslag 2026.
