# Goodbye Zhelezobeton

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goodbye-zhelezobeton/969893>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Tags:** music\
**Created:** [August 18, 2022, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goodbye-zhelezobeton/969893 "2022-08-18T13:43:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\
**Post date:** [August 18, 2022, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goodbye-zhelezobeton/969893/1 "2022-08-18T13:43:06Z")

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I doubt many of you know this Russian underground music distribution service. But for many years Zhelezobeton was the best source for experimental music from Russia, Eastern Europe and some areas of Asia. I did a college radio show for many years, and I purchased a lot from them. The surrealist post-modern music scene was very strong in Russia and I found some amazing stuff I could only get through them. What fun it was when obscure packages would arrive from Russia with CDs in packaging (often hand-made) that I could not read and containing lyrics I could not understand! But the music was amazing, even if sometimes the physical Cd-R quality was not that good.

When I gave up my show after eleven years I quit buying music but still enjoyed reading the Zhelezobeton quarterly updates and occasionally searching the internet to hear music from artists they promoted. After the war started in Ukraine in February, this distributor put out an update criticizing their government for the war. They have now sent out a goodbye. They are shutting down. One last various artists CD is being issued at cost. This CD protests the war.

I am sad to see this wonderful music source disappear. I admire their bravery for speaking out against Putin and the war in Ukraine. I worry what will happen to the Russian artists involved.

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**Author:** ![Hatchie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hatchie/32/3983_2.png) [@Hatchie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hatchie)\
**Post date:** [August 18, 2022, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goodbye-zhelezobeton/969893/2 "2022-08-18T18:33:12Z")

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I never heard of Zhelezobeton, but it pains me that a longtime and dedicated provider of a product that’s got to have a limited but enthusiastic customer base gets shut down like that. I hope they can reconfigure and re-emerge somewhere, but things in Russia aren’t looking too good for open discourse.

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**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\
**Post date:** [August 18, 2022, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goodbye-zhelezobeton/969893/3 "2022-08-18T18:44:15Z")

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Creation of art is a part of everything that is right in the world. Creation of war is part of everything that is wrong in the world.